Law Articles

California bans non-therapeutic cat declawing statewide under AB 867, effective January 1, 2026. This updated guide explains the medical exception in Business and Professions Code § 4826.8, Veterinary Medical Board enforcement, California tenant protections under Civil Code § 1942.7, and legal alternatives such as nail trimming, scratching posts and temporary claw caps.

Florida hurricane season runs June 1-November 30, but cat evacuation rules are more nuanced than a static county shelter list. This September 2026 update explains Florida's pet-sheltering requirement, the federal PETS Act, storm-specific rules for Miami-Dade, Pinellas, Palm Beach, Monroe and Lee, medication-dependent cat planning, and the current PETSAFE Act status. It also corrects a major legal error: Trooper's Law took effect October 1, 2025 and its felony tethering provision is written specifically for dogs, while Florida's broader abandonment law protects any animal.

Florida's Dexter's Law created a public FDLE animal cruelty offender search tied to Florida Statute § 828.12. This updated guide explains who can appear, how to search the official database before adopting or rehoming a pet, the 1.25 aggravated-animal-cruelty sentencing multiplier, and Florida's 2026 changes to database fields, retention periods and record removal.

Florida HB 655 took effect January 1, 2026 and created Florida's Pet Insurance Act. The law prohibits accident waiting periods, caps new-policy illness and non-accident orthopedic waits at 30 days, requires a veterinary-exam waiver pathway, creates a 30-day no-claim free-look right, requires detailed policy and claim-payment disclosures, places the burden of proof for pre-existing exclusions on the insurer, bars waiting periods and mandatory medical exams at renewal, and separates wellness programs from insurance. This guide explains the exact 2026 rules and the limits that still depend on the policy.

Georgia did not enact a pet-insurance consumer-protection law through SB 264: the real 2025 SB 264 concerns emergency management and creation of a Georgia Resilience Office. Pet insurance is nevertheless regulated through Georgia's general insurance framework and OCI. This September 2026 guide explains Directive 23-EX-4, Georgia unfair-claims rules, written denial/explanation rights, the OCI complaint pathway, the separate §33-4-6 bad-faith remedy, and how Atlanta cat owners should compare current policies without relying on fictional SB 264 free-look, appeal, AI-review or 21-day response requirements.

Massachusetts pet insurance is regulated under the state's general insurance framework, but the Commonwealth has not yet enacted the comprehensive pet-insurance-specific statute proposed in H.1186. This September 2026 guide explains why cat insurance claims are denied, how to build a contract-first appeal, why claim and appeal deadlines must come from the individual policy, when to file with the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, and how Chapter 176D unfair claim-settlement rules and Chapter 93A consumer remedies fit into a serious dispute.

Oregon cat owners in no-pet housing have strong rights under the Fair Housing Act and Oregon Revised Statutes Chapter 659A. A valid ESA letter from an Oregon-licensed mental health professional overrides no-pet clauses, eliminates pet deposits and pet rent, and removes breed/size restrictions for ESA cats in FHA-covered housing. Landlords cannot ask for your diagnosis — only whether you have a disability and a disability-related need. This 2026 guide covers valid Oregon ESA letter requirements, what landlords can and cannot do, how to file a BOLI complaint, and the critical limitation: ESA cats have no public access rights under ADA.

Your landlord says 'get rid of the dog or move out.' The HOA is threatening fines. What are your real rights? This guide covers the Fair Housing Act (FHA) in the US, the Model Tenancy Agreement in the UK, and key court rulings. Learn when a 'no pets' clause is valid, what emotional support animals mean, and how to fight illegal eviction. 2026 updated legal guide for tenants with dogs.

Bringing a dog from the UK or EU to the U.S.? The biggest 2026 mistake is following the wrong CDC route. Learn the low-risk rules, six-month high-risk lookback, U.S.- vs foreign-vaccinated pathways, current Animal Care Facility airports, titre rules and the paperwork errors that can stop travel.