Gov. Healey Signs Bill Banning Cat Declawing
In a move encouraged by several animal welfare groups across the state, Governor Maura Healey signed a bill into law that makes it illegal to remove the claws of cats.
The law bans veterinarians from declawing cats, a procedure that also removes the tips of a feline’s toes, which is intended to keep felines from scratching things like furniture, rugs, walls and doors. The prohibition targets declawing for “reasons of convenience.”
Calling the practice “inhumane,” lawmakers passed the measure on New Year’s Eve and sent it to the governor for her signature.
A spokesperson for the governor said in an email that the governor lent her approval to the legislation Wednesday.
The act permits nail filling, trimming and placing temporary nail caps on the animal’s claws.
The only time declawing is allowed is when it is done by licensed veterinarians addressing therapeutic or medical issues such as infection, disease or “abnormal” conditions in the claws, nail bed or toe bone that endanger the animal’s health.
Anyone who violates the law faces a fine of not more than $1,000 for a first offense, $1,500 for a second offense and $2,500 for three or more violations. Local animal control officers are in charge of enforcing the law. The legislation takes effect in 90 days.
State Sen. Mark Montigny, D-New Bedford, who filed the legislation, said in a statement he had been working on this issue since 2019. Declawing, he said, is a procedure often misunderstood by cat owners.
“This law ensures that veterinarians will no longer have to weigh the choice of providing the procedure, knowing that if they don’t an owner is likely to just look for someone who will,” Montigny said.
In the Pioneer Valley, state Rep. Brian Ashe, D-Longmeadow, and Sen. Adam Gomez, D-Springfield, were among the many co-sponsors of the legislation.
“Why should we be punishing animals for our own convenience? If you want a pet, you should treat them with respect and dignity,” Ashe told The Republican.
The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also hailed the governor’s action.
“It’s unnecessary and it’s a type of mutilation for a cat,” said Kara Holmquist, MSPCA director of advocacy. The organization testified in favor of the law.
“Some folks think it may be like clipping our nails as people, but it’s really an amputation and it can be harmful for cats. They often suffer pain and infection after the surgery,” she said.
Holmquist said the equivalent operation on a human would be amputating fingers up to the first knuckle. She added cats are often so traumatized by the procedure, they start biting, stop using litter boxes and exhibit other negative behaviors. She said declawing also throws off their balance.
Earlier in the week, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals released a statement encouraging Healey to sign the bill.
“Declawing (a misnomer) is the removal of tendon, bone, and muscle, not just nails,” the organization said. “It’s a needless and traumatizing mutilation that results in decreased mobility, chronic pain, and mental anguish.”
In an unusual move, the Massachusetts Veterinary Medical Association did not take a position on the issue.
“There are so many veterinarians on both sides we didn’t feel it was right for us to weigh in one way or another,” said MVMA executive director Jamie Falzone. “We messaged our members and told them how to contact their representatives if they felt strongly one way or another.”
Falzone said she doesn’t believe veterinarians necessarily support declawing. She said many doctors do not want to be told by lawmakers how to run their practices.
“I hesitate to call it a slippery slope, but that is how people look at it,” Falzone said. “If they (lawmakers) are going to do this, what are they going to come after next? And how much is going to be legislated by people who are not medical professionals?”
Ashes recognizes the concern but insists the law is needed to protect cats.
“I understand any business not wanting government interference, but sadly, it’s the government’s job to make sure people or animals are properly cared for and sometimes you have to step in,” he said.
Opponents of the law voiced concerns that people will either return their cats to shelters or euthanize them if they may not be declawed.
The law orders veterinarians who declaw cats to keep records of the name and address of the animal’s owner, reasons why the procedure was performed and any diagnostic opinion, analysis or test results that support the diagnosis. This information will not be a public record, according to the legislation.
Lawmakers did not address why the records would be withheld, but the bill does order those records to be turned over every year to the Board of Registration in Veterinary Medicine. The Board must then tell the legislature’s joint committee on environment and natural resources how many cats were declawed but does not stipulate follow-up action.
The MSPCA is now engaging in an educational campaign, helping people manage cats that scratch.
“Scratching is important to a cat. It’s part of what they do to mark areas. They deposit secretions from their glands when they do it. That’s on us to make sure they can exhibit those natural behaviors, making sure they have appropriate places to scratch,” said Holmquist, who has three cats of her own.
The MSPCA is posting ways to prevent harmful cat scratching on its website. One of the recommendations is to provide cat scratching posts. Another is to redirect the cat to a piece of furniture the feline is allowed to claw or discourage the animal by placing double-sided tape over its favorite targets.
Massachusetts is now the fourth state to ban declawing. The other three are New York and Maryland. Virginia passed a law in 2024 but Holmquist said there are exemptions that make it ineffective. Washington D.C. also imposed a ban in 2023.
