Khloé Kardashian has been condemned by an animal advocacy group after revealing she declawed her two cats. The reality star, 41, expressed deep regret over her decision to declaw her two Russian Blue cats - Gray Kitty and Baby Kitty - on the latest episode of her podcast, Khloé in Wonder Land.
A law making the controversial procedure largely illegal in the state of California - where Kardashian lives with her cats - went into effect earlier this year. Now a representative from PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - has issued a scathing response to Kardashian's 'mistake' in an exclusive statement with The Daily Mail.
'At least Khloe Kardashian knows now that amputating cats’ toes at the joint leaves them with lifelong misery and pain and robs them of their natural ability to stretch, climb, and defend themselves,' said Daphna Nachminovitch, PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations. 'Cats need scratching posts and regular nail trims, not mutilation surgeries done purely for human convenience. PETA urges everyone to avoid Khloe’s mistake and let cats keep the claws they were born with.'
The controversial surgical procedure involves surgically removing a cat's claw and distal phalanx of every toe - and the last bone in every toe - so that the nail doesn't regrow. It has been compared to cutting off someone’s toes or fingers, with side effects including loss of balance, back ache and stress.
Last year, a bill proposing the banning of declawing - with an exception made for 'therapeutic' purposes - was passed in the state of California, according to CBS News. It went into effect on January 1, 2026.
Kardashian opened up about the behavioral problems she had been having with her cats lately on her podcast - and why she believes their troubles stem from the procedure. 'I was really misadvised about getting my cats declawed. I've never owned cats before. I didn't even know that was a thing,' she said. 'I feel really, really terrible that I did go in this direction. I feel like that's why my cats are miserable and it was at my doing.'
'My cats wear Air Tags. They're not allowed to even go near a door. I'm so afraid if they get out, because they have no way to defend themselves. They lost their protection tools. So it makes me sad,' she added.
Despite her deep remorse, commenters shamed Kardashian for putting her cats through the 'cruel' procedure. 'I cannot believe you got your cats declawed. That is so beyond inhumane and makes me so sad,' one commenter said. 'Declawed!??? Poor babies that is soo cruel. This should be illegal,' another posted. 'You should be ashamed of yourself for not researching what declawing does to cats. Is it that hard to google a procedure before agreeing to it? Do you just have blind faith in what people tell you? You're going to the wrong vet, this practice is unethical,' another wrote.
The Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Kardashian for comment but has not yet heard back. This is not the first time Kardashian has faced heat over her cats. In 2024, she was accused of using FaceTune on Grey Kitty's photo with the feline appearing to have 'blurred' whiskers and a different eye color.
