A bill that would ban declawing cats has passed in the Illinois House — but it has some veterinarians saying it's an overreach of government.
Under the new law, vets could be fined up to $500 for conducting the procedure unless it's done for medical reasons. Representative Charles Meier voted against the bill, calling it unnecessary.
"It's not like vets are out there trying to make money off of this, they're doing it only when it's really necessary for the owner or the cat," Meier said.
But Representative Barbara Hernandez says the practice is cruel.
"There's a lot of cats that are declawed for no reason, for no good reason, either because they don't want to maintain their claws, they don't want to have furniture damage," she said.
Veterinarians disagree, saying the procedure is not often done without good reason.
If the bill passes, Illinois would be the third state to ban the practice — the other two with bans are Maryland and New York, though multiple cities around the country have banned the practice, including St. Louis City and County. It's also banned in at least 38 countries.
According to PETA, declawing cats isn't just getting rid of their nails; they say it would be the equivalent of removing a person's finger above the first knuckle.
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