Cat declawing is still legal in 44 U.S. states. Six states have banned it except when a veterinarian determines the procedure is medically necessary: New York, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and California. Washington, D.C. also prohibits it. Everywhere else, a licensed veterinarian can legally perform the procedure at an owner’s request, though local city ordinances and individual clinic policies may still stand in the way.
The Six States That Ban Declawing
Each of the following states allows declawing only for a therapeutic purpose. Elective or cosmetic declawing is prohibited.
- New York. The first state to ban the procedure, signed into law on July 22, 2019. Violators face a civil penalty of up to $1,000.1New York State Senate. NY State Bill 2019-S5532B
- Maryland. Effective October 1, 2022. A violation carries a fine of up to $1,000, and the state veterinary board can impose additional discipline on practitioners who willfully violate the law.2Maryland General Assembly. Legislation – SB0067 – Maryland
- Virginia. Effective July 1, 2024. The law makes it unlawful for anyone practicing veterinary medicine to perform the procedure except for a therapeutic purpose.3Virginia General Assembly. HB 1354 Cats; Prohibition on Declawing
- Massachusetts. Signed on January 9, 2025. Fines run $1,000 for a first offense, $1,500 for a second, and $2,500 for a third or later violation. Veterinarians can also face professional discipline up to license suspension.4General Court of Massachusetts. Bill Text S.190
- Rhode Island. Effective September 1, 2025. Violators face fines of up to $1,000.5State of Rhode Island General Assembly. Assembly Bans Cat Declawing
- California. AB 867 took effect January 1, 2026. Instead of a fixed fine, the Veterinary Medical Board can discipline violating veterinarians with penalties ranging from fines to license revocation.6Official Website – Assemblymember Alex Lee. California’s Bill To Ban Cat Declawing Will Take Effect in 2026
Washington, D.C. is stricter than any of the six states. A violation can bring a fine or up to 90 days of incarceration, making D.C. the only U.S. jurisdiction where illegal declawing can result in jail time.7D.C. Law Library. DC Code 22-1012.03 – Unlawful Cat Declawing
Legal at the State Level, Banned in Your City
Living in one of the 44 states without a ban doesn’t automatically mean declawing is legal where you live. Several cities have passed their own prohibitions. West Hollywood was the first in 2003.8eCode360. City of West Hollywood – 9.49.020 Onychectomy (Declawing) Prohibited Other cities followed, including Denver, Austin, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Madison, Wisconsin. Tacoma became the first city in Washington state to ban the procedure, effective March 31, 2024.9City of Tacoma. ORD28923 – Amending Title 17 – Cat Declawing
If declawing is still legal in your state, check your city or county ordinances before assuming the procedure is available. A local prohibition can carry its own penalties even when state law is silent.
Even without a legal ban, finding a willing veterinarian has become harder. Many clinics have stopped offering declawing voluntarily. The American Veterinary Medical Association discourages routine declawing and encourages veterinarians to educate owners about alternatives, though it opposes legislative bans and takes the position that the decision belongs to the veterinarian on a case-by-case basis.
What Counts as a Medical Exception
Every statewide ban carves out “therapeutic purpose” procedures. That phrase has a narrow meaning: treating an actual health problem affecting the cat’s claw or paw. Examples include cancerous growths in the nail bed, chronic infections that resist other treatment, and severe injuries where partial amputation is the only viable option.
Scratching furniture, scratching people in the household, and owner preference do not qualify. Convenience and cosmetic reasons are explicitly excluded in every ban passed so far.10New York State Senate. New York Agriculture and Markets Law 381 – Prohibition of the Declawing of Cats The veterinarian performing a therapeutic declawing must document the medical necessity.
The bans also cover tendonectomy, a procedure that cuts the tendons controlling the claws so a cat can no longer extend them. Although the claw itself remains, most laws classify tendonectomy alongside traditional declawing because the loss of normal function is similar.8eCode360. City of West Hollywood – 9.49.020 Onychectomy (Declawing) Prohibited
Who Actually Gets Fined
In every ban state, the penalty targets the veterinarian who performs the procedure, not the owner who requests it. New York’s law applies to “any person who performs” declawing.10New York State Senate. New York Agriculture and Markets Law 381 – Prohibition of the Declawing of Cats Massachusetts and California go further by authorizing the state veterinary board to suspend or revoke a violating veterinarian’s license.11Mass.gov. Mass. General Laws c.140 174H
The practical result is the same even though owners face no direct fine: no licensed veterinarian in a ban state will risk their career on an elective declawing, so the procedure effectively disappears. Suspected violations can be reported to the state veterinary medical board.
States With Pending Bans
The list of ban states is likely to grow. As of mid-2025, declawing ban bills had been introduced in at least six additional state legislatures.
- New Jersey’s S1406 cleared a Senate committee in May 2025 and was referred to the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.12New Jersey Legislature. Bill S1406
- Pennsylvania’s House Judiciary Committee advanced HB 1716, which would prohibit non-therapeutic declawing.13Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus. Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee Advances Key Public Safety and Animal Welfare Bills
- Washington state’s HB 1904 was introduced in the 2026 session, with the House Health Care and Wellness Committee recommending a substitute bill for passage.14Washington State Legislature. HB 1904 – Prohibiting the Act of Declawing Cats
- Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and Ohio have also introduced bills.
A bill can stall in committee for years or pass in one session. Check your state legislature’s website if your state is on this list.
Landlords Can’t Always Require It
Several states bar landlords from making declawing a condition of a lease, and these protections apply even where the procedure itself remains legal. California prohibits property managers from advertising or enforcing rental policies that require declawing or devocalization. Delaware enacted a similar protection in October 2022.15Delaware General Assembly. House Bill 386 Minnesota’s version took effect January 1, 2024, and Rhode Island has comparable law on the books.
If a landlord in one of these states insists on declawing as a lease condition, that requirement is unenforceable regardless of whether the procedure itself is legal in the state.