State lawmakers mull ban on declawing cats

Amid complaints from animal welfare activists that declawing cats is cruel and often unnecessary, Illinois lawmakers have been debating for more than two years whether to ban the practice. Some communities are not waiting to act on their own.

The Downers Grove Village Board passed an ordinance last month prohibiting the declawing of cats, effective starting Jan. 1, 2026. The ordinance mandates that no one can request or perform surgical claw removals, declawing or a tendonectomy (in which the tendon in each toe that controls the claw is removed) in Downers Grove.

In December, Evanston’s City Council also unanimously passed an ordinance banning the procedure.

Animal advocates say cat declawing is an invasive surgical operation, comparable to amputating the last knuckle of a human finger. Usually declawing is performed using a scalpel or guillotine clipper.

The procedure can cause lifelong medical issues including permanent disability, nerve damage, chronic back pain and abnormal walking, according to Animal Legal Defense Fund Strategic Legislative Affairs Manager Alicia Prygoski.

“Declawing is a cruel surgical procedure, and it causes lifelong problems for the health and well-being of cats. It’s typically performed for owner preference, not for the well-being of the cats,” Prygoski said.

Declawing usually is performed to prevent cats from scratching furniture or people, Prygoski said.

With guidance and support from the ALDF, Downers Grove made the decision to ban the procedure, which already was not being practiced at any veterinarian clinics in the area except for one. That vet performed declawing on a case-by-case basis, only when deemed medically necessary.

The ordinance contains an exception allowing declawing when necessary for a cat’s well-being, such as tumors or chronic infections. The ordinance sets incremental monetary fines for each violation.

Declawing can cause many adverse behavioral effects in cats because they lose their ability to scratch, stretch and mark territory, authorities say. Some declawed cats resort to biting as a natural defense mechanism, which presents higher risk of infection for humans than cat scratches.

There are humane alternatives to control cat scratching, according to the Animal Medical Center of Chicago. These include regular nail trims, providing scratching posts or other environmental enrichment in the home, behavioral training or putting nail caps on the claws.

In the General Assembly, Senate Bill 257 would prohibit cat declawing statewide in Illinois. Initiated by the Illinois Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society) and sponsored by Sen. Linda Holmes, an Aurora Democrat, the bill passed the Illinois House of Representatives in March 2023 and is awaiting a hearing date in the Illinois Senate.

The Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association expressed concerns about the House bill. The association stresses that declawing should remain a last resort, but adds that the decision of whether to perform the procedure should be left to medical professionals. The association also claimed a complete ban could result in cats being abandoned or ultimately euthanized.

Once Democratic state Sen. Sara Feigenholtz of Chicago, chief co-sponsor of the bill, learned what declawing entailed and how it involved multiple amputations after one of her cats underwent the procedure, she said she could not “bear the thought of it and I would never do it again.” She said she discourages owners from getting the procedure for their cats.

“Educating people about this is what is going to win the day, whether this bill passes or not,” Feigenholtz said. “I would love for it to pass, but the simple fact that voluntarily, all of these veterinarians discourage this and say, ‘We're not providing the service,’ it speaks volumes.”

The deadline for a hearing date is in two weeks and it likely will be assigned to the Agriculture Committee, according to Humane World for Animals Illinois Director Marc Ayers.

“It’s really been an issue that elected officials need a little more education on,” Ayers said. “There’s a little bit of opposition from some vet clinics that still declaw, but by and large, it’s not being held up because of any major opposition.”

Having Illinois municipalities passing their own bans on cat declawing might just be the push needed for the state to move forward with a ban, Prygoski said.

Downers Grove Commissioner Christopher Gilmartin said the ordinance extends the village’s desire to treat animals humanely.

“Not too long ago, we passed a ban on the sale of puppy mill puppies in town. This (ordinance) is an extension of that,” Gilmartin said. “It’s important to send the message that this is just not something we want to occur in our town.”

Poll results from ALDF released last June revealed 70% of veterinary professionals oppose cat declawing. Half of veterinarians interviewed reported their practice does not perform any declawing procedures.

Still, 20-24% of pet cats are declawed nationwide, according to Humane World for Animals.

Apart from Downers Grove and Evanston, no other Illinois municipalities have passed similar bans. However, in August 2024, Buffalo Grove released a proclamation supporting state action to ban the procedure.

“It protects cats from an inhumane and cruel practice and this was really a no-brainer for me to vote on,” Evanston City Council member Jonathan Nieuwsma said.

Currently New York, Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., along with several other municipalities nationwide, have banned declawing cats with minimal exceptions for a cat’s health. Big names in the vet clinic industry such as VCA, Banfield Pet Hospital and BluePearl do not perform elective declawing, showing it is becoming more common to take a stance against the practice, Ayers said.

With such momentum and growing support, Ayers said he is “extremely optimistic” the declawing ban will become law, if not this year, in the next couple of years.

“This would be huge for Illinois,” Ayers said. “Not only would it be one of the first states in the Midwest to do it, but it is also home to the American Veterinary Medical Association, and it would be great to have a state that houses the AVMA take a proactive stance on ending cat declawing.”