ST. LOUIS — A national effort by some animal-welfare advocates to prohibit the declawing of cats has reached the St. Louis Board of Aldermen.

Alderman Christine Ingrassia, D-6th Ward, on Friday introduced a bill that would make it illegal for veterinarians in the city to conduct such operations unless medically necessary for the animal.

“The surgery is really intrusive and can be very painful,” she said.

Ingrassia said most people who declaw cats do so to try to keep them from scratching but that there are other methods that can be used to deal with that.

The declawing ban is part of a bill that also would make other changes in city rules for pets. She said she worked on the bill with the city Health Department.

Earlier this year, New York became the first state in the United States to ban cat declawing operations, which involve amputating a cat’s toes back to the first knuckle. Declawing cats also is illegal in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver and in much of Europe.

Richard Antweiler, executive director of the Missouri Veterinary Medical Association, said the St. Louis measure would be the first in the state.