Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday signed into law a bill that bans cat declawing, making New York the first state in the country to prohibit the practice.

The prohibition goes into effect immediately, and cat owners who violate the law could be fined up to $1,000.

“Declawing is a cruel and painful procedure that can create physical and behavioral problems for helpless animals, and today it stops,” the governor, a Democrat, said in a statement.

The bill, co-sponsored by state Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal of Manhattan and state Sen. Michael Gianaris of Queens, passed in the assembly and senate in June.

The bill makes an exception for cases where declawing is medically required. Declawing, which removes all or most of the last bone of each toe on a cat’s paws, is already banned in some cities around the country, including Los Angeles and Denver.