New Jersey is going to be the first state in the nation to ban the controversial practice of declawing cats.

An assembly committee has already approved a bill which will eventually ban veterinarians in New Jersey from declawing cats. It would turn out to be an animal cruelty violation, punishable by up to $1,000 fine and six months in prison.

Dr. Jim Nelson of Ewing veterinary hospital is known for declawing cats over 30 years. The authorities said that though it has been continuing much more infrequently  these days but if it's done properly, it's not cruel to the cat.

Dr. Nelson said, "I don't think it's any more pain inducing then spaying a cat or neutering a cat and they recover from it quickly. I don't think it's inhumane."

Declawing have mostly been done to keep cats from scratching.

Many animal welfare groups have considered the practice as barbaric. It involved using clippers like this over each nail. The first part of the bone has been severed between knuckles.

Janice Windsor of Roebling, NJ, said, "I understand the inhumane part of it, too because basically they are severing the digits of their fingers. Depends on the cat, but in general, no, I don't declaw cats. I would never declaw cats ever,"

Rosemary Pasco of Ewing, NJ said, "I have mixed feelings about it, but I have furniture that I didn't really want to get ruined,"

By Prakriti Neogi