Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

California Just Made This Cat Procedure A Criminal Offense

California has officially made it illegal for veterinarians to declaw cats anywhere in the state after Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 867 into law, joining only four other states in banning the controversial practice. The new legislation prohibits any type of claw removal procedure unless medically necessary, ending what animal welfare advocates have fought against for years as an outdated and inhumane practice that involves amputating the first joint of a cat’s paw. In Defense of Animals, one of the groups that championed the ban, compared declawing to cutting off a human fingertip at the last joint and said it often results in lifelong pain and suffering for cats who undergo the procedure. While the practice was previously legal with veterinarian oversight, the new law allows the California Veterinary Medical Board to deny, revoke, or suspend licenses and assess fines for performing the procedure for anything other than therapeutic purposes.

The ban makes California the largest state to outlaw declawing, joining New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, while nearly 40 countries worldwide have already classified the practice as mutilation. Several California cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Beverly Hills had already enacted local bans before the statewide measure took effect. The California Veterinary Medical Association opposed the legislation, arguing that surveys show about 80 percent of veterinarians don’t perform the procedure anyway and calling the ban fundamentally unnecessary government overreach. However, animal welfare advocates celebrated what they’re calling a historic win for compassionate treatment, with Dr. Marilyn Kroplick of In Defense of Animals declaring that declawing has no place in a compassionate society and praising California for prioritizing animal well-being over human convenience.

PrevPreviousShe Rescued 46 Lives Just Days Before Her Wedding

Recent Articles

Happy News

California Just Made This Cat Procedure A Criminal Offense

October 20, 2025

California has officially made it illegal for veterinarians to declaw cats anywhere in the state after Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 867 into law, joining only four other states in banning the controversial practice. The new legislation prohibits any type of claw removal procedure unless medically necessary, ending what

Read More
Happy News

She Rescued 46 Lives Just Days Before Her Wedding

October 20, 2025

Amy Roberts spent the days leading up to her Sunday wedding clipping nails, treating mites, and finding foster homes for 46 guinea pigs she rescued from horrific conditions after an owner was evicted from a house in Loughborough, Leicestershire. The co-director of Mansfield Guinea Pig Rescue in Nottinghamshire had promised

Read More
Happy News

This Preschooler’s Response To A School Lesson Is Saving Dogs In Michigan

October 20, 2025

A four-year-old boy from Oxford, Michigan, turned a simple school lesson about charity into a month-long fundraising campaign that has raised over $300 and collected more than 30 items for his local dog shelter. Easton Peterson decided after learning about giving back in September that he wanted to help dogs

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2025 HappyNews.