April 21, 2023 –
The Council of the District of Columbia passed § 22–1012.03, which states that “A person commits unlawful cat declawing if that person knowingly performs, or causes to be performed, a partial or complete onychectomy, phalangectomy, or tendonectomy procedure (“declawing”), by any means, on a cat, except when necessary for a veterinary purpose” to treat a “medical condition of the animal, such as an existing or recurring illness, infection, disease, injury, or abnormal condition in the (paw) that compromises the animal’s health.”
Paw Project Director and Founder Dr. Jennifer Conrad said, “We are grateful to the Council and, especially, to HSUS Senior Analyst for Cat Protection & Policy, Danielle Bays, for working so hard to ban the cruel practice of declawing.”