IV 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 985 
Expressing opposition to the use of onychectomy, also known as declawing, 
for elective surgery in cats. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 9, 2026 
Mr. NADLER (for himself, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. DEAN of Pennsyl-
vania, Ms. DEXTER, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. 
KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. LIEU, Ms. LOFGREN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 
QUIGLEY, Ms. RIVAS, Ms. SIMON, Mr. SOTO, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TLAIB, and 
Mr. VINDMAN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Agriculture 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing opposition to the use of onychectomy, also known 
as declawing, for elective surgery in cats. 
Whereas over 40,000,000 households in the United States 
have a cat or cats, and research shows that cats can im-
prove psychological health, offer emotional support, and 
enhance quality of life; 
Whereas scratching is a normal, instinctive cat behavior done 
by cats to mark objects with visual cues and their scent, 
exercise muscles, relieve stress, express emotions, and 
manage claw health; 
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•HRES 985 IH 
Whereas onychectomy, also known as declawing, is a serious 
medical procedure in which a cat’s third phalanges and 
claws are surgically removed; 
Whereas tendonectomy, often considered an alternative to 
onychectomy, cuts the tendons on each toe to prevent 
grasping motions, disabling normal function of their 
claws; 
Whereas these are painful procedures, preventing a cat from 
being able to use their claws and leaving them unable to 
properly scratch, affecting their balance, and rendering 
them unable to effectively defend themselves or fully ex-
press normal behaviors; 
Whereas there is ample evidence that links onychectomy and 
tendonectomy to life-long pain and adverse and long-last-
ing physical and behavioral effects on cats and that com-
plications from these surgeries can include nerve damage, 
lameness, chronic pain, litter box aversion, and perma-
nent disability; 
Whereas, for purposes of this resolution, the term 
‘‘declawing’’ includes onychectomy and any surgical, 
chemical, or mechanical procedure that removes, severs, 
alters, or otherwise disables a cat’s claws or the normal 
function of the claw, including through modification of 
tendons, ligaments, or other anatomical structures, but 
not including trimming the nonviable tips of the claws or 
placing temporary nail caps; 
Whereas tendonectomy is one example of a procedure used to 
disable a cat’s claws by altering paw function, often de-
scribed as an alternative to onychectomy; 
Whereas declawing as an elective surgery unnecessarily in-
creases public health and safety risks as declawed cats 
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•HRES 985 IH 
become more prone to biting as a form of defense, lead-
ing to increased chance of infection for humans; 
Whereas there is no evidence that declawing reduces the 
number of cats surrendered to shelters; 
Whereas the behavioral implications, such as problems with 
litterbox use and biting, are common reasons cats are 
surrendered; 
Whereas there are many humane alternatives to address and 
coexist with scratching behaviors that involve no physical 
harm to the cat; 
Whereas there is widespread support for outlawing this prac-
tice, including from the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, the International Society of Feline Medicine, 
and the American Association of Feline Practitioners; 
Whereas the Centers for Disease Control, US Public Health, 
National Institutes of Health, and Infectious Diseases 
Society of America have a joint position statement 
avowing declawing as unnecessary to protect human 
health; 
Whereas many countries have banned elective onychectomies 
by law, and in others the practice is considered unethical 
and prohibited under veterinary professional standards, 
including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and 
Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, 
Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, 
Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, 
Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zea-
land, Northern Ireland, Norway, Portugal, Romania, 
Scotland, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, 
Turkey, Ukraine, and Wales; 
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