The Unkindest Cut

Chalk it up as another first for the great State of New York: Governor Andrew M. Cuomo last month signed a law making the state the first in the nation to outlaw the declawing of cats, a practice that many veterinarians and animal rights advocates have for years decried as a cruel and unneeded procedure.In fact, according to some local vets, the word “declawing” is a bit of a misnomer. Most people think it involves just the removal of the felines’ nails; in fact, the procedure actually involves the removal of the last bone of each toe — equivalent to the removal of the end of human’s finger at the last knuckle.

The New York State Legislature agreed that the practice was inhumane, and lawmakers — including Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. and Senator Kenneth P. LaValle — approved the ban earlier this year, leading to Mr. Cuomo’s signing last month. “By banning this archaic practice, we will ensure that animals are no longer subjected to these inhumane and unnecessary procedures,” the governor said in a statement.

Assembly member Linda B. Rosenthal first introduced New York’s declawing ban in 2015, calling the practice “painful, inhumane and medically unnecessary under all circumstances.” The law goes into effect immediately, and carries a stiff $1,000 fine for violations.

So kudos to our state lawmakers for standing up for these otherwise defenseless animals, and sending a message to those who would consider putting their pets through such a procedure that animal cruelty, in whatever form, will not be tolerated in New York State.