Pittsburgh City Council Advances Legislation Banning Cat Declawing

By: KDKA-TV News Staff

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Declawing cats would be banned in Pittsburgh under legislation advanced by City Council on Wednesday.

The Trib reports a California veterinarian who runs The Paw Project, a national nonprofit dedicated to ending declawing, spoke in support of the legislation. Cat behaviorist and "My Cat From Hell" host Jackson Galaxy urged the council to ban the procedure, according to the Trib.

The legislation was introduced by City Councilman Bobby Wilson, who called the procedure "cruel and inhumane."

"The City of Pittsburgh should set an example as a humane city, both in southwest Pennsylvania and across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," said Wilson in a news release. "How we treat animals speaks to our deepest values. Declawing a cat does not just mean removing its nails. If this happened to a human, it would be like cutting off each finger and toe at the last knuckle."

Wilson says that if enacted, the legislation would make Pittsburgh the first government in the state to ban declawing.

A final vote is next Tuesday.