Maryland has banned the practice of declawing cats.[1] Declawing a cat means getting rid of a cat’s claws, but not in the way people would probably think.[2] The surgery involves the removal of the last bone in a cat’s toe.[3] That would be like amputating a human finger at the last knuckle.[4] This procedure is performed when medically necessary such as to remove cancerous nail bed tumors.[5] However, cat owners typically opt to declaw their cats to prevent them from scratching furniture and people.[6]

On March 10, the Maryland House of Representatives voted to pass bill HB0022, which would prohibit declawing procedures unless “necessary for therapeutic purposes.”[7] The bill was sponsored by Maryland Senator Cheryl Kagan and was cross-filed in the Maryland Senate (SB0067) as well.[8] The Maryland Senate also voted to pass bill SB0067.[9] On April 21, Governor Larry Hogan signed the bill into law, making Maryland only the second state in the United States after New York to ban cat declawing.[10] The penalty for a veterinarian who performs this procedure outside of therapeutic purposes is a revocation, suspension, or refusal of their license by the Maryland Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.[11] They would also be fined $5000 or $10000 depending on how many times they performed the procedure.[12] If a non-veterinarian performs this procedure, they would face a civil offense of up to $1000.[13]

The law, which takes effect October 2022, has garnered the support of animal rights activist groups such as Humane Society of the United States, Alley Cat Allies, and Maryland Votes For Animals.[14] Proponents of the law say that it is an unnecessary procedure that provides no medical benefit to the cat.[15] Though most animal rights activists would see this law as a win there are still a few things missing. First, the law does not specify what circumstances would qualify as declawing for a “therapeutic” purpose.[16] This can be a good thing because this determination is left up to the expertise of the veterinarians, but it is also possible for some veterinarians to abuse this discretion. The law also does not mention what penalties are in place for those that request this procedure for their cats. There is also the problem of the practicality of stopping these procedures. The procedure is between the cat owner, the veterinarian, and the cat. If everyone (human) consents and they do not speak about it to others, how will the parties be held accountable for violating the law? Modifying the law to address these considerations will make it stronger.

Stephanie Yamoah is a third-year law student at the University of Baltimore, School of Law and a second-year staff editor for Law Forum. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Sociology/Anthropology from Towson University with a concentration in Criminal Justice. In the past, she has clerked for Prince George’s County’s Community Legal Services and Maryland Legal Aid. Currently, she is a student-attorney practicing under rule 19 as part of the University of Baltimore’s Immigrant Justice Clinic.

[1]Ashley Hinson, Maryland Passes Animal Protection Laws, One Banning Cat Declawing, WBALTV11 (Apr. 22, 2022) https://www.wbaltv.com/article/maryland-passes-animal-protection-laws-banning-cat-declawing/39795791#.

[2] Zoe Sottile, Maryland Lawmakers Move to Ban Veterinarians from Declawing Cats, CNN (Mar. 19, 2022) https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/19/us/maryland-bill-declaw-cats-trnd/index.html.

[3] Declawing Cats: Far Worse than a Manicure, Humane Society, https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/declawing-cats-far-worse-manicure.

[4] Id.

[5] Id.

[6] Id.

[7] Sottile, supra note 1.

[8] Logan Hill, Lawmakers Littered with Comments on Cat Declawing Ban Bill, The Star Democrat (Feb. 18, 2022).

[9] Tim Swift, Maryland Could Become Second State to Ban Declawing of Cats, Fox 45 News (Apr. 4, 2022) https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/maryland-could-become-second-state-to-ban-declawing-of-cats.

[10] Id.

[11] Sottile, supra note 1.

[12] Id.

[13] Id.

[14] Sottile, supra note 1.

[15] Supra note 3.

[16] Sottile, supra note 1.