To declaw cats or not? New Jersey could be first with ban

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Cats would keep their claws under a bill that would make New Jersey the first state to prohibit declawing.The measure, which cleared the lower chamber of the Legislature last month, bans onychectomies and flexor tendonectomies on a cat or any animal unless a veterinarian deems them medically necessary. Sponsors in the state Senate are reviewing possible changes, and it's not clear when it will move forward.The practice, often undertaken to prevent cats from shredding furnit