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HALIFAX — Nova Scotia has become the first province to ban medically unnecessary cat declawing.

The ban — part of a worldwide movement against the practice — took effect Thursday after a three-month education period.

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The Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association decided in December to amend its code of ethics to make the practice of elective and non-therapeutic declawing ethically unacceptable.

Veterinarian organizations in many other provinces are having active discussions on the issue.

The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association strengthened its stand against declawing domestic cats last March, saying the practice causes unnecessary and avoidable pain.

While some municipalities have enacted regulations against declawing, Nova Scotia becomes the first province or state in North America to declare the practice unethical.

The practice has already been banned in the U.K., Europe, Australia and several California cities.