New York is planning to ban the practice of declawing cats, sparking a debate about whether the procedure is inhumane or should be kept as a last resort for troublesome felines.

If the legislation is passed, it would make New York the first US state to outlaw surgery that essentially amounts to amputating a cat's toes back to the first knuckle.

"None of us love the procedure," said Richard Goldstein, a veterinarian at New York City's Animal Medical Centre. "But when the alternative is condemning the cat to a shelter or to death? That's why we do it."