Cat declawing would be illegal under proposed MN bill

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Cat declawing would become illegal in Minnesota under a proposed bill in the Minnesota Legislature. 

MN bill on declawing cats 

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The bill would prohibit the practice of declawing cats in Minnesota.

The Animal Humane Society (AHS) said it is against the "elective declawing of cats and other surgical procedures performed for purely cosmetic or convenience reasons, that provide no health benefit, or subject the animal to unnecessary pain or health risks," according to its website. 

The bill states that the definition of declawing "does not include the trimming of nonviable claw husk or placing nonpermanent nail caps." 

The prohibition would also not apply if a cat is declawed for therapeutic purposes. 

A law passed in 2023 prohibits landlords from requiring tenants to declaw their cats. 

READ MORE: New York poised to become first state to ban cat declawing

If the bill becomes law, anyone who declaws a cat would face civil penalties and a $500 fine for the first violation, $1,000 for the second violation and $2,500 for the third and any subsequent violation. 

What is declawing? 

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The AHS says declawing means amputation of the last bone in each of a cat's toes, which includes "severing the tendons, ligaments, and nerves connected to it." 

Some pet owners are known to declaw their cats to stop them from scratching furniture or other household possessions. 

The AHS says scratching is normal for cats, and pet owners can manage it by providing scratching posts, trimming their nails, making furniture and other items undesirable, using synthetic nail caps or using positive redirection.