Paw Project Praises Massachusetts as Third No-Declaw State –
January 8, 2025 – Today, cats of Massachusetts and the people who love them can celebrate because the bill to ban cruel cat declawing in Massachusetts has been signed into law by Governor Maura Healey today. The law becomes effective on April 8, 2025.
The Paw Project is grateful to the coalition of dedicated individuals, who worked so hard and so long to make this dream a reality, and who represented many organizations, including Animal Rescue League of Boston, HSUS, and Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association.
New York and Maryland have also passed effective declaw prohibitions. A law passed in Virginia in 2024 has unfortunate loopholes that allow harmful declawing to continue.
