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    AB-867
    Health & Public Health

    Veterinary medicine: cat declawing.

    Engrossed
    CA
    ∙
    2025-2026 Regular Session
    1
    0
    Track
    Track

    Key Takeaways

    • Prohibits cat declawing procedures unless medically necessary to treat health conditions.
    • Authorizes the Veterinary Medical Board to penalize veterinarians who perform non-therapeutic declawing.
    • Preserves existing local declawing bans enacted before January 2026.
    • Removes pet owners' rights to perform declawing procedures on their own cats.

    Summary

    Assembly Member Lee's legislation restricts feline declawing procedures in California to medically necessary cases, establishing new parameters for when veterinarians may perform onychectomies, tendonectomies, or other claw removal surgeries. The bill defines permissible "therapeutic purposes" as procedures addressing existing infections, diseases, injuries, or abnormal conditions that jeopardize a cat's health, explicitly excluding cosmetic or convenience-based declawing.

    The measure empowers the California Veterinary Medical Board to deny, suspend, or revoke licenses and assess fines against practitioners who perform these procedures for non-therapeutic reasons. While animal owners retain broad rights to provide veterinary care for their own pets, the bill specifically excludes declawing procedures from this exemption. Local ordinances limiting feline declawing that were enacted before January 1, 2026, remain valid under the legislation.

    The bill adds reporting requirements for unregistered animal shelters, mandating that they document adverse events resulting from veterinary care to the board. These provisions create new enforcement mechanisms while preserving existing local regulations, establishing a framework to regulate these surgical procedures through both state oversight and municipal governance.

    Key Dates

    Next Step
    Senate Floor
    Next Step
    Senate Committee
    Senate Floor
    Hearing has not been scheduled yet
    Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Hearing
    Senate Committee
    Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Hearing
    Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
    Vote on Assembly Floor
    Assembly Floor
    Vote on Assembly Floor
    AB 867 Lee Assembly Third Reading
    Assembly Appropriations Hearing
    Assembly Committee
    Assembly Appropriations Hearing
    Do pass
    Assembly Business And Professions Hearing
    Assembly Committee
    Assembly Business And Professions Hearing
    Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
    Introduced
    Assembly Floor
    Introduced
    Read first time. To print.

    Contacts

    Profile
    Anna CaballeroD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    Profile
    Roger NielloR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    Profile
    Tony StricklandR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    Profile
    Shannon GroveR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    Profile
    Brian JonesR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    0 of 42 row(s) selected.
    Page 1 of 9
    Select All Legislators
    Profile
    Anna CaballeroD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Roger NielloR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Tony StricklandR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Shannon GroveR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Brian JonesR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Benjamin AllenD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Mike McGuireD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Steven ChoiR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Eloise ReyesD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Scott WienerD
    Senator
    Bill Author
    Profile
    Henry SternD
    Senator
    Bill Author
    Profile
    Tim GraysonD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Monique LimonD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Sabrina CervantesD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Bob ArchuletaD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Maria DurazoD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Melissa HurtadoD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Tom UmbergD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Susan RubioD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Lena GonzalezD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Megan DahleR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Alex LeeD
    Assemblymember
    Bill Author
    Profile
    Kelly SeyartoR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Josh BeckerD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Dave CorteseD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    John LairdD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Rosilicie Ochoa BoghR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Akilah Weber PiersonD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Marie Alvarado-GilR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Angelique AshbyD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Catherine BlakespearD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Caroline MenjivarD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Steve PadillaD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Lola Smallwood-CuevasD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Aisha WahabD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Jessica CalozaD
    Assemblymember
    Bill Author
    Profile
    Jesse ArreguinD
    Senator
    Bill Author
    Profile
    Christopher CabaldonD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Jerry McNerneyD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Sasha Renee PerezD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Laura RichardsonD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Suzette ValladaresR
    Senator
    Floor Vote

    Similar Past Legislation

    Bill NumberTitleIntroduced DateStatusLink to Bill
    Veterinary medicine: declawing animals.
    February 2019
    Failed
    View Bill
    Showing 1 of 1 items
    Page 1 of 1

    Get Involved

    Act Now!

    Email the authors or create an email template to send to all relevant legislators.

    Introduced By

    Alex Lee
    Alex LeeD
    California State Assembly Member
    Co-Authors
    Jesse Arreguin
    Jesse ArreguinD
    California State Senator
    Jessica Caloza
    Jessica CalozaD
    California State Assembly Member
    Henry Stern
    Henry SternD
    California State Senator
    Scott Wiener
    Scott WienerD
    California State Senator
    40% progression
    Bill has passed all readings in its first house and is ready to move to the other house (4/28/2025)

    Latest Voting History

    View History
    June 23, 2025
    PASS
    Senate Committee
    Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Hearing
    AyesNoesNVRTotalResult
    100111PASS

    Key Takeaways

    • Prohibits cat declawing procedures unless medically necessary to treat health conditions.
    • Authorizes the Veterinary Medical Board to penalize veterinarians who perform non-therapeutic declawing.
    • Preserves existing local declawing bans enacted before January 2026.
    • Removes pet owners' rights to perform declawing procedures on their own cats.

    Get Involved

    Act Now!

    Email the authors or create an email template to send to all relevant legislators.

    Introduced By

    Alex Lee
    Alex LeeD
    California State Assembly Member
    Co-Authors
    Jesse Arreguin
    Jesse ArreguinD
    California State Senator
    Jessica Caloza
    Jessica CalozaD
    California State Assembly Member
    Henry Stern
    Henry SternD
    California State Senator
    Scott Wiener
    Scott WienerD
    California State Senator

    Summary

    Assembly Member Lee's legislation restricts feline declawing procedures in California to medically necessary cases, establishing new parameters for when veterinarians may perform onychectomies, tendonectomies, or other claw removal surgeries. The bill defines permissible "therapeutic purposes" as procedures addressing existing infections, diseases, injuries, or abnormal conditions that jeopardize a cat's health, explicitly excluding cosmetic or convenience-based declawing.

    The measure empowers the California Veterinary Medical Board to deny, suspend, or revoke licenses and assess fines against practitioners who perform these procedures for non-therapeutic reasons. While animal owners retain broad rights to provide veterinary care for their own pets, the bill specifically excludes declawing procedures from this exemption. Local ordinances limiting feline declawing that were enacted before January 1, 2026, remain valid under the legislation.

    The bill adds reporting requirements for unregistered animal shelters, mandating that they document adverse events resulting from veterinary care to the board. These provisions create new enforcement mechanisms while preserving existing local regulations, establishing a framework to regulate these surgical procedures through both state oversight and municipal governance.

    40% progression
    Bill has passed all readings in its first house and is ready to move to the other house (4/28/2025)

    Key Dates

    Next Step
    Senate Floor
    Next Step
    Senate Committee
    Senate Floor
    Hearing has not been scheduled yet
    Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Hearing
    Senate Committee
    Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Hearing
    Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
    Vote on Assembly Floor
    Assembly Floor
    Vote on Assembly Floor
    AB 867 Lee Assembly Third Reading
    Assembly Appropriations Hearing
    Assembly Committee
    Assembly Appropriations Hearing
    Do pass
    Assembly Business And Professions Hearing
    Assembly Committee
    Assembly Business And Professions Hearing
    Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
    Introduced
    Assembly Floor
    Introduced
    Read first time. To print.

    Latest Voting History

    View History
    June 23, 2025
    PASS
    Senate Committee
    Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Hearing
    AyesNoesNVRTotalResult
    100111PASS

    Contacts

    Profile
    Anna CaballeroD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    Profile
    Roger NielloR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    Profile
    Tony StricklandR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    Profile
    Shannon GroveR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    Profile
    Brian JonesR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Not Contacted
    Not Contacted
    0 of 42 row(s) selected.
    Page 1 of 9
    Select All Legislators
    Profile
    Anna CaballeroD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Roger NielloR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Tony StricklandR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Shannon GroveR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Brian JonesR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Benjamin AllenD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Mike McGuireD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Steven ChoiR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Eloise ReyesD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Scott WienerD
    Senator
    Bill Author
    Profile
    Henry SternD
    Senator
    Bill Author
    Profile
    Tim GraysonD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Monique LimonD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Sabrina CervantesD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Bob ArchuletaD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Maria DurazoD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Melissa HurtadoD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Tom UmbergD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Susan RubioD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Lena GonzalezD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Megan DahleR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Alex LeeD
    Assemblymember
    Bill Author
    Profile
    Kelly SeyartoR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Josh BeckerD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Dave CorteseD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    John LairdD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Rosilicie Ochoa BoghR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Akilah Weber PiersonD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Marie Alvarado-GilR
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Angelique AshbyD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Catherine BlakespearD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Caroline MenjivarD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Steve PadillaD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Lola Smallwood-CuevasD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Aisha WahabD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Jessica CalozaD
    Assemblymember
    Bill Author
    Profile
    Jesse ArreguinD
    Senator
    Bill Author
    Profile
    Christopher CabaldonD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Jerry McNerneyD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Sasha Renee PerezD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Laura RichardsonD
    Senator
    Floor Vote
    Profile
    Suzette ValladaresR
    Senator
    Floor Vote

    Similar Past Legislation

    Bill NumberTitleIntroduced DateStatusLink to Bill
    Veterinary medicine: declawing animals.
    February 2019
    Failed
    View Bill
    Showing 1 of 1 items
    Page 1 of 1