Berkeley outlaws cat declawing

BERKELEY, Calif., Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Berkeley, Calif., Tuesday followed San Francisco's lead in banning the declawing of cats, city officials said.

A law passed unanimously by the Berkeley City Council makes cat declawing a misdemeanor punishable by a $1,000 fine or six months in jail. San Francisco lawmakers passed a similar law Nov. 3.

"It's a complex and painful procedure -- you remove the bone at the end of the paw -- and it's only for the benefit of the owner," Berkeley Councilman Jesse Arreguin told The Oakland (Calif.) Tribune.

In passing the law, Berkeley stays true to its "history of being humane to all its creatures," Arreguin said.

The cities' declawing bans were opposed by the California Veterinary Medical Association, which said declawing should be an option available to cat owners and veterinarians.

"There are circumstances where I would rather declaw a cat than have to kill it," veterinarian Carl Singer, who represents the association, told the Tribune.