12 Vets That Offer Cat Declawing Near Me 🐱✂️

⚡ Quick Key Takeaways: What You Absolutely Must Know

❓ Your Burning Question	✅ Straight Answer
Can I still get my cat declawed in the U.S.?	Yes, but only in states without bans—and fewer vets offer it
Which states have BANNED declawing?	New York, Maryland, Virginia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California + D.C.
How much does declawing cost now?	$200 to $1,800 depending on method and location
Is laser declawing safer?	Marketing says yes—but it’s still amputation
Do major vet chains still declaw?	NO—VCA, Banfield, and BluePearl stopped in 2020
Will my vet judge me for asking?	Possibly—70% of vets now oppose elective declawing
Are there legitimate medical reasons?	Yes—tumors, chronic infections, severe injuries only
What age is “best” for declawing?	Most clinics prefer under 6 months—but “best” is debatable

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🏥 1. Which Veterinary Clinics Still Perform Cat Declawing Nationwide?

Finding a clinic that declaws is like finding a needle in a haystack—if the haystack was on fire and the needle didn’t want to be found. Here are clinics across various states that were confirmed to still offer the procedure:

🏥 Clinic Name	📍 Location	📞 Contact	💵 Approx. Cost	⚙️ Method
Dr. Phillips Animal Hospital	Orlando, FL	(407) 352-2579	Varies by case	Blade technique
Russell Creek Pet Clinic	Plano, TX	Visit vetplano.com	Contact for pricing	CO₂ Laser
Oakley Square Animal Hospital	Cincinnati, OH	Visit website	Contact for pricing	Laser option available
Ross Hospital for Animals	Birmingham, MI	(248) 642-2050	Contact for pricing	Laser surgery
Claremont Veterinary Services	Ontario (serves border areas)	Visit website	$600-$800	CO₂ Laser
Steel Valley Spay Neuter Clinic	Pennsylvania region	Visit spayneuterclinics.net	Varies	Modified cosmetic technique
South Arlington Animal Clinic	Arlington, TX	Visit arlingtonanimalclinic.com	Consultation required	Surgical blade
MidCounty Veterinary Hospital	Royal Palm Beach, FL	Visit midcountyvet.com	Contact for pricing	Laser available
South Seattle Veterinary Hospital	Seattle, WA	Visit southseattlevet.com	Contact for pricing	Standard surgical
Belton Veterinary Clinic	Belton, TX	(254) 935-3693	Contact for pricing	Consult required
WellPets Clinics (Cicero)	Indianapolis, IN	Visit wellpetsclinics.com	Contact for pricing	Standard surgical
All Star Veterinary Clinic	Westfield, IN	Contact directly	$1,000-$1,300	Laser

⚠️ Critical Warning: Availability changes constantly. ALWAYS call ahead to confirm the clinic still offers declawing—many have stopped in recent months.

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💰 2. What Will Cat Declawing Actually Cost You?

Let’s talk money. Declawing a cat isn’t cheap, with prices ranging from $600 to $1,800. But that’s just the starting point.

💵 Cost Breakdown	💲 Typical Range	📝 What’s Included
Basic Surgical Fee	$200 – $600	Surgery only
Laser Declawing	$250 – $800	Reduced bleeding claims
Pre-Surgery Bloodwork	$40 – $100	Mandatory for older cats
Anesthesia	$100 – $150	Based on cat’s weight
Post-Op Pain Meds	$30 – $75	Usually 7-10 days supply
Overnight Stay	$50 – $150/night	Declaws usually stay one night overnight
Follow-Up Exam	$40 – $75	Check healing progress

🧠 Hidden Cost Alert: A neuter/2 paw declaw runs around $1,209 while a 4 paw declaw can hit $1,575 at some clinics. Factor in complications, and you could be looking at thousands more.

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🚫 3. Where Is Cat Declawing Completely ILLEGAL Right Now?

Before you search “declawing near me,” check if it’s even legal where you live.

🗺️ Jurisdiction	📅 Ban Year	⚖️ Penalty for Violation
New York	2019	Fines up to $1,000
Maryland	2022	Fines/license action
Virginia	2024	License suspension possible
Massachusetts	2025	Civil penalties
Rhode Island	2025	Civil penalties
California	Oct 2025	Fines or license revoked, suspended, or denied
Washington, D.C.	2023	City ordinance penalties

🏙️ City Bans to Know About:

Austin, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Madison, Wisconsin; Pittsburgh and Allentown, Pennsylvania; and St Louis, Missouri have also banned the procedure.

Eight California cities banned declawing before the statewide ban: West Hollywood, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Santa Monica, and Burbank.

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🔬 4. Laser vs. Blade vs. Guillotine: Which Declawing Method Is “Safest”?

Spoiler alert: None of them are truly “safe”—they’re all amputations. But here’s how they compare:

⚙️ Method	💵 Cost	😿 Pain Level	🩸 Bleeding	⚠️ Complications
Guillotine/Clipper	Cheapest ($100-$200)	Highest	Significant	Use of guillotine nail trimmers was associated with an increased risk of infection
Scalpel/Blade	Moderate ($200-$400)	High	Moderate	Depends on surgeon skill
CO₂ Laser	Most Expensive ($250-$800)	Marketed as “lower”	Virtually bloodless	While laser declawing may appear to offer a smoother short-term healing phase, no peer-reviewed studies conclusively demonstrate reduced chronic pain or improved outcomes

🧬 The Hard Truth: Despite a potentially reduced level of pain postoperatively, analgesic therapy is still recommended for laser onychectomy because it’s still cutting off bone.

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📋 5. What Do Veterinary Organizations ACTUALLY Say About Declawing?

This is where it gets interesting. The professional consensus has shifted dramatically.

🏛️ Organization	📜 Official Position
AVMA	“Strongly discourages veterinarians from performing onychectomy…that is not medically necessary”
AAHA	Revised 2025 standards to require accredited practices to stop doing non-therapeutic declawing
Canadian VMA	“Strongly opposes elective and non-therapeutic Partial Digital Amputation”
Feline Veterinary Medical Association	Opposes elective declawing
VCA/Banfield/BluePearl	Stopped declawing in all 2000+ hospitals in 2020

💡 Expert Insight: The AVMA states that “The amputation or other surgical alteration of the distal digits is an acutely painful procedure and may result in chronic pain, maladaptive behavior, disability, and significant mutilation.”

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😿 6. What Are the REAL Long-Term Risks Nobody Tells You About?

This is the part most declawing clinics won’t put on their website.

🚨 Complication	📊 Research Findings
Back Pain	A 2018 study found declawed cats were three times more likely to have back pain
Behavioral Changes	Onychectomy is associated with an increased likelihood of behavioral changes such as biting, aggression, and litter box avoidance
Increased Biting	When cats lose their main defense mechanism, their claws, many turn to their backup—their teeth
Chronic Pain	A 2025 study found declawed cats show signs of long term neuroplastic pain sensitization—meaning they have pain all the time
Residual Bone Fragments	Research has found that declawed cats are more prone to having residual bone fragments
Litter Box Avoidance	Declawed cats develop litter box aversion because scratching in litter hurts their paws

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🩺 7. When Is Declawing ACTUALLY Medically Justified?

There are rare, legitimate medical reasons—and they have nothing to do with your furniture.

✅ Legitimate Reason	❌ NOT a Valid Reason
Claw damaged beyond repair	Scratching furniture
Tumors affecting the claw	Kitten scratching during play
Chronic, untreatable infections	Landlord requirement (rarely enforced)
Severe injuries affecting the claws where other treatments are ineffective	“Prevention” of potential scratching

🔍 Important Note: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that declawing is not recommended to prevent cat scratch disease—even for immunocompromised individuals.

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🧤 8. What Alternatives to Declawing Actually Work?

Before you book that surgery, try these first. Most vets now require you’ve attempted alternatives before they’ll even consider declawing.

🔧 Alternative	💵 Cost	⏱️ Effectiveness Timeline	👍 Success Rate
Soft Paws/Nail Caps	$19.95 for 4-6 month supply	Immediate	Very High
Regular Nail Trimming	Free-$20 per session	Ongoing	High
Scratching Posts (Sisal)	$20-$100	2-4 weeks training	High
Feliway/Pheromone Sprays	$20-$40	1-2 weeks	Moderate
Double-Sided Tape on Furniture	$10-$20	Immediate deterrent	Moderate
Behavioral Training	Varies	2-8 weeks	High with consistency

💡 Pro Tip: Soft Paws provides small vinyl caps that pet owners fill with adhesive and attach to cat claws, reducing their sharpness. They’re completely painless and allow normal scratching behavior.

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👴 9. At What Age Should a Cat Be Declawed—If At All?

Age matters significantly for surgical outcomes and recovery.

🐱 Age Range	⚠️ Risk Level	📋 Clinical Notes
Under 6 months	Lowest surgical risk	Most clinics recommend getting your cat declawed around 6 months of age
6 months – 1 year	Low-moderate	Preferred by many clinics
1-2 years	Moderate	$100 additional “mature fee” at some clinics
Over 2 years	Higher	Older cats have much more difficult surgery and recovery time
Obese cats	Highest	Generally recommended they go to clinics offering laser surgery

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📊 10. How Many Vets Still Actually Declaw Cats?

The numbers tell a sobering story.

📈 Statistic	🔢 Data
Vets opposing declawing	Nearly 70 percent of veterinary professionals oppose cat declawing
Young vets (< 10 years experience) supporting bans	90 percent would support a statewide ban
Vets (11-20 years experience) supporting bans	67 percent would support a statewide ban
West Michigan vets who don’t declaw	Fewer than 4% of West Michigan vets don’t declaw (2023 survey)

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📞 11. What Questions MUST You Ask Before Booking a Declaw Appointment?

Don’t walk in blind. Ask these critical questions:

❓ Question to Ask	🎯 Why It Matters
“What method do you use?”	Different methods = different risks
“How many declaws has this specific vet performed?”	Experience matters—some vets have been doing declaws for over 40 years
“What pain management protocol do you follow?”	Multimodal perioperative pain management must be utilized
“How long will my cat stay post-surgery?”	Should be at least overnight
“What are your complication rates?”	Transparency matters
“Have you explored alternatives with me first?”	Many clinics list declawing as a “last resort” and actively promote nail caps or training first

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🏠 12. What’s the Post-Operative Care Like?

If you proceed, here’s what recovery actually looks like:

📅 Timeline	🩹 What to Expect
Day 1-3	Cat will be groggy, limited mobility
Week 1	Watch for heat, swelling or limping—signs of infection
Week 1-2	Use special litter (paper-based like Yesterday’s News) for approximately 7-10 days
Week 2-3	Cats can usually return to normal activity within 1 to 3 weeks
Week 4+	Monitor for long-term behavioral changes

⚠️ Critical Care Note: The hardest part is keeping the litter box ultra clean post-surgical to prevent infection or litter becoming packed up in toes.

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FAQs

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💬 “My landlord says I MUST declaw my cat. What are my options?”

This is increasingly rare and often unenforceable. Many landlords accept alternatives like:

• Written agreement to use Soft Paws nail caps
• Increased security deposit
• Proof of regular nail trimming

Legal note: Some cities with declawing bans have specific protections against landlord-mandated declawing. Check your local ordinances.

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💬 “Is it true that VCA and Banfield stopped declawing?”

Yes, absolutely. Banfield Pet Hospital adopted a policy in January 2020 that its veterinarians would perform surgical claw removal only out of medical necessity, and the policy extended to all Mars Veterinary Health hospitals—including VCA and BluePearl.

This means over 2,000 veterinary locations across North America no longer offer elective declawing.

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💬 “I’ve heard declawed cats bite more. Is this true?”

Research supports this. When cats lose their main defense mechanism, their claws, many turn to their backup—their teeth. Declawed cats are far more likely to bite.

And here’s the kicker: Cat bites are far more dangerous than scratches because they can cause deep puncture wounds that easily become infected.

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💬 “Why do some vets still declaw if it’s so controversial?”

Some vets view declawing as a “lesser evil” if they believe a cat might be abandoned or euthanized otherwise.

However, there’s also a financial dimension. Declawing is lucrative. Some older veterinarians trained when declawing was routine continue the practice due to:

• Client pressure
• Economic factors
• Belief they’re “doing it right” to minimize harm

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💬 “What if my cat is already declawed and having problems?”

Some clinics offer free paw evaluations for declawed cats. If your declawed cat is showing signs of:

• Litter box avoidance
• Limping or gait changes
• Biting behavior
• Back pain

Seek a veterinary consultation immediately. X-rays can detect retained bone fragments that may be causing chronic pain.

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💬 “Is there any scientific evidence that declawing prevents shelter surrenders?”

There is no evidence that declawing reduces shelter admissions—in fact, the behavioral implications, such as problems with litterbox use and biting, are often cited as reasons cats ARE surrendered after declawing.

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📌 Final Summary: The Bottom Line on Cat Declawing

🎯 Factor	📊 Reality Check
Legal Status	Banned in 7 states + D.C. + numerous cities
Veterinary Support	70%+ of vets oppose it
Major Chains	None offer elective declawing
Cost	$600-$1,800+ (rising)
Availability	Declining rapidly
Alternatives	Effective and widely available
Long-term Risks	Significant and well-documented

🐱 The Expert Verdict: Remember: Even if a vet offers declawing, it doesn’t mean it’s recommended, safe, or necessary. In 2025, declawing is closer to controversial than clinical.

If you’re still considering declawing, have an honest conversation with your veterinarian about alternatives first. The AVMA respects the veterinarian’s right to use professional judgment when deciding what is necessary and appropriate to best protect their individual patients’ health and welfare—and increasingly, that judgment is leading vets away from this procedure entirely.

📣 Your voice matters. If you’ve had experience—positive or negative—with cat declawing or alternatives, share in the comments below. Your story could help another cat owner make the right decision for their feline family member.