SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois House has approved of a bill that would ban cat declawing in the State of Illinois.
Declawing would be outlawed, except for certain medical reasons.
The bill’s sponsor, State Representative Barbara Hernandez of Aurora, says the procedure is cruel.
“There’s a lot of cats that are declawed for no reason, for no good reason — either because [cat owners] don’t want to maintain their claws, because they don’t want to have furniture damage, and they send this cat outside, defenseless,” said Hernandez.
Opponents argue that some cat owners have an immune disorder where a scratch from a cat’s claw could lead to infection. Others, like State Representative Charles Meier of Oakwville, say there just doesn’t need to be a ban.
“I believe that the public has brought enough attention to it. The majority of it is done away with it. 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.”
If approved, there would be fines starting at $500 if a cat is unnecessarily declawed.
HB1533 goes to the Senate now for its consideration.
