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Florida lawmaker calls for cat declawing to be banned

If her bill is passed, Florida would be the second state to bar the procedure.
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida could become the second state to outlaw the declawing of cats if a state lawmaker gets her way.

State Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, is sponsoring a bill that would fine veterinarians who declaw cats for non-therapeutic reasons, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports. She says the process is "not only unnecessary and painful but leads to complications that increase the likelihood of cats being surrendered to animal shelters.” 

New York banned the practice last month.

Those against the practice say declawing involves the removal of all or most of the last bone of each of the toes of the front feet, and tendons, nerves and ligaments that allow for the normal function of the paw.  

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