San Francisco bans cat declawing

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The city of San Francisco has banned the declawing of cats, calling it a barbaric procedure that leads to stress and chronic pain.

The city's Board of Supervisors voted 7-2 Tuesday to outlaw the procedure.

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, chief sponsor of the legislation, called declawing cruel, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

"It is well documented and well understood from a medical perspective that it is torture; it is a form of animal cruelty," Mirkarimi said.

The newspaper said the law prohibits both the removal of cats' claws and tendenectomies, in which a piece of tendon that allows cats to extend their claws is removed.