AB-867 • 2026

Veterinary medicine: cat declawing.

Crime Education Healthcare

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Lee
Last action: 2025-10-09
Official status: Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 479, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not specify that pet owners are prohibited from performing these procedures on their own animals, only veterinarians.

Cat Declawing in Veterinary Medicine

AB-867 makes it illegal to declaw cats without a medical reason and regulates who can perform the procedure.

What This Bill Does

Includes tendonectomy, onychectomy, or any type of claw removal on a feline within the practice of veterinary medicine, surgery, and dentistry.
Requires these procedures to be performed only for therapeutic purposes.
Authorizes the Veterinary Medical Board to deny, revoke, suspend licenses or registrations, or assess fines for performing these procedures without a therapeutic purpose.

Who It Names or Affects

Veterinarians in California

Terms To Know

Tendonectomy: A surgery that cuts tendons, often done to remove claws from cats.
Onychectomy: The medical term for removing a cat's claw.

Limits and Unknowns

Does not apply to local laws passed before January 1, 2026.
Doesn't require the state to pay for any new costs this law might cause.

Bill History

2025-10-09 California Legislative Information
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 479, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-09 California Legislative Information
Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-16 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
2025-09-09 California Legislative Information
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 74. Noes 0. Page 3112.).
2025-09-08 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-09-08 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 36. Noes 0. Page 2624.).
2025-09-04 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-03 California Legislative Information
Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
2025-07-01 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-06-30 California Legislative Information
From committee: Be ordered to second reading pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8.
2025-06-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (June 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-06-17 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.
2025-06-09 California Legislative Information
In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-05-07 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.
2025-04-29 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
2025-04-28 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 72. Noes 0. Page 1319.)
2025-04-24 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-04-23 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (April 23).
2025-04-01 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (April 1). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
2025-03-25 California Legislative Information
Re-referred to Com. on B. & P.
2025-03-24 California Legislative Information
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on B. & P. Read second time and amended.
2025-03-03 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on B. & P.
2025-02-20 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.
2025-02-19 California Legislative Information
Read first time. To print.

Official Summary Text

AB 867, Lee.
Veterinary medicine: cat declawing.
Existing law, the Veterinary Medicine Practice Act, establishes the California Veterinary Medical Board to regulate the practice of veterinary medicine, and specifies acts the performance of which constitutes the practice of veterinary medicine, surgery, and dentistry, including performing a surgical operation upon an animal. Existing law provides that nothing in the act prohibits a person from practicing veterinary medicine as a bona fide owner of one’s own animals. A violation of the act is a crime.
This bill would include the performance of a tendonectomy, onychectomy, or any type of claw removal on a feline within the practice of veterinary medicine, surgery, and dentistry. The bill would require those procedures to be performed only for a therapeutic purpose, as defined, and would authorize the board to deny, revoke, or suspend a license
or registration or assess a fine for performing those procedures for any reason other than a therapeutic purpose. This bill would exclude the performance of those procedures from the provisions authorizing a person to practice veterinary medicine as an owner of one’s own animals. The bill would specify that the bill’s provision shall not be interpreted to preempt a local ordinance adopted before January 1, 2026, limiting the performance of the feline declawing procedures identified in the bill. Because a violation of these provisions would be a crime under the act, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
This bill would incorporate additional changes to Sections 4827 and 4883 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by AB 1502 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1502 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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