Do you have a cat that is a treasured member of your family? Or maybe you have a few cats that visit the back door of your home? They visit long enough to get some food and say, "Meow," only to disappear when the food is gone, and return the next day?

There is a practice that some cat owners used to do on the regular, that has been banned for the last few years in New York State. In fact, since 2019, New York State has made this procedure illegal, what is it?

What does New York State say is illegal to do to your cat?

Michael Sum via Unsplash
Michael Sum via Unsplash
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Have you had issues with your cat scratching furniture? Carpets? Walls? As a cat owner, you probably know that cats just do that. In fact, scratching to them is pretty normal and instinctive behavior. There are some cat owners that have taken advanced measures to protect their belongings, even if it means changing something that is inherently instinctive to the cat. 

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READ MORE: 5 Places to Adopt Cats Close to Home

What is declawing and when did New York State make it illegal?

bhunter/tsm
bhunter/tsm
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To quickly describe declawing, it is removing the first knuckle of your cat's paws, the part that contains the nail. There is a more exact definition, but this is a paraphrase. Does it hurt your cat? Does it take time for your cat to heal? Will your cat be scarred from this procedure? One could answer yes to all these questions. In New York State, it has been banned since 2019.

Is there ever a case where you can get your cat declawed, legally, in New York State?

Why do cats have whiskers? And answers to 50 other kitten questions
Alena Ozerova // Shutterstock
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Yes, there are a few exceptions, for medical necessity, but it might be a challenge for you to find a veterinarian who will do the procedure for you.

Do you think that people who commit crimes against animals should be arrested and jailed? Here are a list of registered animal abusers in Upstate New York 

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Here is a list of people in Upstate NY charged with animal cruelty, according to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society and the Albany County Sherrif's Department

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Eleanor Pigby made a splash on social media around the Hudson Valley this week. Turns out she's part of a pretty special team. Get to know Eleanor and the rest of the Pets For Purpose Animal Therapy group of The Summit School in Nyack.

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