District of Columbia § 22-1012.03 Unlawful cat declawing.

District of Columbia Statutes

§ 22-1012.03 — Unlawful cat declawing.

District of Columbia § 22-1012.03

Title 22Criminal Offenses and Penalties.

Ch. 10Cruelty to Animals.

This text of District of Columbia § 22-1012.03 (Unlawful cat declawing.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

D.C. Code § 22-1012.03 (2026).

Text

(a)A person commits unlawful cat declawing if that person knowingly performs, or causes to be performed, a partial or complete onychectomy, phalangectomy, or tendonectomy procedure ("declawing"), by any means, on a cat, except when necessary for a veterinary purpose.

(b)A person convicted of unlawful cat declawing shall be fined no more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or incarcerated for no more than 90 days, or both.

(c)For the purposes of this section, the term "veterinary purpose" means the practice of veterinary medicine, performed by a licensed veterinarian or a certified veterinary, intended to address the medical condition of the animal, such as an existing or recurring illness, infection, disease, injury, or abnormal condition in the claw that compromises the animal'

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(a) A person commits unlawful cat declawing if that person knowingly performs, or causes to be performed, a partial or complete onychectomy, phalangectomy, or tendonectomy procedure ("declawing"), by any means, on a cat, except when necessary for a veterinary purpose.

(b) A person convicted of unlawful cat declawing shall be fined no more than the amount set forth in § 22-3571.01 or incarcerated for no more than 90 days, or both.

(c) For the purposes of this section, the term "veterinary purpose" means the practice of veterinary medicine, performed by a licensed veterinarian or a certified veterinary, intended to address the medical condition of the animal, such as an existing or recurring illness, infection, disease, injury, or abnormal condition in the claw that compromises the animal's health. The term "veterinary purpose" does not include cosmetic or aesthetic reasons or reasons of convenience in keeping or handling the animal.