Feb. 3, 2026. UPDATE!

Feb. 3, 2026

This is a HISTORIC moment for the welfare of cats: after nearly six years since City the Kitty launched its campaign urging National Veterinary Associates (NVA) to stop allowing declawing, the second-largest veterinary group in America, has officially declared declawing inhumane and banned it across all NVA practices, including in their clinics in Canada, effective February 1, 2026-- setting a clear, uncompromising, science-based standard that puts the welfare of cats first and shows what true ETHICAL leadership in veterinary medicine looks like.

NVA’s new CEO, John Bruno, personally reached out to City the Kitty nonprofit a few weeks ago after receiving one of our emails, engaging directly on this issue. We helped them craft a strong, principled, no-loopholes policy that puts the welfare of cats above profits and “medical autonomy” excuses, will save thousands of cats from being mutilated, and reduce moral injury among veterinary professionals, and will move the entire profession forward—made possible by the voices and persistence of City the Kitty and supporters, who truly made the difference. 🐾

THANK YOU to all of you who helped us with this campaign to protect innocent cats from this animal cruelty.

Now it's time to give National Veterinary Associates and their new CEO, John Bruno, huge accolades for doing the right thing!

 

UPDATE Jan. 2026

Shocking Cover-Up: Veterinary Medical Leaders at NVA Considered Declawing INHUMANE—Word "Inhumane" Erased from Final Position, While Reimann Family Owners (Wealth Tied to Nazi Forced Labor & Human Suffering) Won't Intervene to Ban It

 

Please email the Reimann Family and NVA.com:

Ask them to stop Allowing Declawing Now in NVA veterinary clinics. End the Cruelty.

Reimann's Email:mail@AlfredLandecker.org

NVA's Chief Medical Officer Dr Sandra Faeh's Email: Sandra.Faeh@nva.com

Cruelty to humans and animals is wrong—and it should never be justified, excused, or hidden.

 

The Truth About National Veterinary Associates (NVA)

National Veterinary Associates (NVA) is one of the largest veterinary group companies in the United States. It is owned by the Reimann family through JAB Holding Company, whose portfolio includes Krispy Kreme, Panera Bread, Peet’s Coffee, and many other global brands.

In 2025, NVA publicly claimed:
“In alignment with our mission to improve the comfort and well-being of patients by providing progressive veterinary care guidance, NVA strongly opposes the declawing of cats and does not support the practice of elective declawing across our network of veterinary hospitals.”

Yet despite this statement, declawing continues in many NVA clinics.  Healthy cats are still having their toes amputated for non-medical reasons.

 NVA Silenced Its Own Medical Experts

In March 2025, NVA’s Medical Advisory Board and Chief Veterinary Officer reviewed the science, the evidence, and the veterinary consensus. Their draft position clearly stated:

“The Medical Advisory Board strongly opposes the declawing of cats and considers the procedure inhumane outside of the exceedingly rare medical exception that necessitates amputation to treat disease or injury.”

This language mattered. Calling declawing inhumane would have made one thing unavoidable: no ethical veterinary company can continue allowing a procedure its own medical leaders say is inhumane.

Instead of acting on that expert guidance, someone at NVA overrode its medical leadership. The word “inhumane” was deleted. The final policy was softened and quietly posted online. https://www.nva.com/newsroom/elective-declawing

This was not a medical decision.
It was a corporate one.

Two Messages, One Reality

In July 2025, NVA sent a communication to its clinics using weaker language:
“NVA opposes the declawing of cats and does not support the practice of elective declawing…”

On its public website, NVA uses stronger wording:
“NVA strongly opposes the declawing of cats…”

But neither version bans the procedure.

This two-tiered messaging tells the story clearly: strong words for the public, soft guidance internally—so clinics that still declaw can continue performing this inhumane amputation procedure. 

NVA repeatedly hides behind “clinical autonomy,” even though a procedure deemed inhumane by its own experts is below the standard of care and should never be protected by autonomy.

 The Harm Continues—for Cats and Veterinary Staff

Many NVA clinics report that only one or two veterinarians are willing to perform declaws. Most refuse, recognizing the procedure as unethical, harmful, and wrong. 

Declawing causes lifelong pain, arthritis, behavioral problems, and harm to cats. It also causes severe moral stress for veterinary technicians, assistants, and staff who are forced to witness, assist with, or clean up after a procedure they know is wrong.

NVA’s compensation and ownership model rewards the few veterinarians who are willing to declaw, while sidelining those who refuse. This prolongs suffering—for animals and for the professionals sworn to protect them.

 Hypocrisy at the Top: The Reimann Family

The Reimann family has publicly acknowledged that their ancestors profited from extreme human suffering during the Nazi era. In response, they created the Alfred Landecker Foundation and pledged to confront cruelty and prevent suffering when it is known.

Their foundation states: “We believe that all people have the right to live without fear, persecution, and suffering.”

Yet under their ownership, NVA continues to allow a practice that causes fear, pain, and suffering to animals—and deep moral stress and injury to veterinary professionals.

Declawing has been banned for decades across Germany and much of Europe because it is cruel, unnecessary, and below the standard of care. NVA, a German-owned company, has no excuse for allowing it in the United States.

The Facts NVA Cannot Deny

* NVA’s own medical leaders said declawing is inhumane
* That word was deleted from the final policy
* Declawing still occurs in many NVA clinics
* Many NVA veterinarians refuse to perform it
* The company and declawing vets profit from it 
* Moral injury among veterinary staff is real and ongoing

 We Demand Action

We call on the Reimann family, JAB Holding, and National Veterinary Associates to immediately:

Ban declawing across all NVA clinics, except for rare, legitimate medical necessity for a cat like an injury or neoplasia
Restore the Medical Advisory Board’s original language acknowledging declawing as inhumane
Notify all clinics clearly and unequivocally that elective declawing is prohibited

If sister company Ethos Veterinary Health—and other major veterinary groups like VCA, PetVet Care Centers, and Mission Veterinary Partners—can ban declawing while respecting medical autonomy, NVA can and must do the same.

Please sign this petition.
Cats cannot speak for themselves—but we can.

Tell the Reimann family:
You cannot erase suffering with silence.
Stop declawing. Stop the cruelty.
Do the right thing—now.

Email- mail@AlfredLandecker.org

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2023 Petition
The Truth About National Veterinary Associates (NVA)

National Veterinary Associates (NVA), one of the largest veterinary group comapnies in the U.S., owned by the Reimann family through JAB Holding Company (which also owns Krispy Kreme, Panera Bread, Peet’s Coffee, and more).

Despite NVA's 2025 public declawing policy claiming, "NVA strongly opposes the declawing of cats and does not support the practice of elective declawing across our network of veterinary hospitals," this company still allows this inhumane, cruel, and inhumane procedure in its clinics.

CitytheKitty.org and supporters have been reaching out to NVA and the Reimann family since 2022 about banning declawing. 

In 2022, NVA told CitytheKitty.org that they “do not support declawing” and said they told their clinics that it “should not be performed.”
That was a lie as they never told their clinics declawing should not be performed.  Declawing continued in many NVA clinics. 

March 2025, the Medical Advisory Board drafted a new declawing position with the input of CitytheKitty.org that was stronger and had this sentence in it: "The Medical Advisory Board (MAB) strongly opposes the declawing of cats and considers the procedure inhumane outside of the exceedingly rare medical exception that necessitates amputation to treat disease or injury."

NVA said they didn't expect any significant changes to the policy and it would be sent to all clinics and posted publicly.

Instead, in June 2025, someone at NVA made the decision to override their own Medical Advisory Board and deleted this sentence, ”The Medical Advisory Board (MAB) strongly opposes the declawing of cats and considers the procedure inhumane outside of the exceedingly rare medical exception that necessitates amputation to treat disease or injury,"  softening the awful truth and NVA quietly buried this watered down declawing position on their website. https://www.nva.com/newsroom/elective-declawing

As of December 2025, as far as we know, the policy had still not been distributed to clinics like they said they would do and declawing continues in many NVA hospitals, including 4 paw declaws.

Many NVA declawing clinics say that they only have one or two veterinarians who perform their declaws, which shows that most NVA vets refuse to do it, recognizing it as unethical and wrong.

Meanwhile, NVA’s business model rewards vets willing to declaw, with productivity bonuses and joint ownership opportunities, sidelining those who uphold professional integrity.

This structure not only prolongs preventable suffering for cats—including chronic pain, arthritis, behavioral problems, and permanent disability—but also causes moral stress, burnout, and emotional strain for veterinary staff forced to witness or participate in this horrific animal cruelty.

Why would any clinic continue a practice that is widely recognized as wrong and harmful, and that puts its veterinarians in moral conflict?

 
Hypocrisy at the Top: The Reimann Family and Their Legacy

The Reimann family’s fortune, which now includes NVA, was built in part on human suffering, profiting from forced labor and supporting Hitler’s Nazi regime.

After confronting this dark past, the family created the Alfred Landecker Foundation, pledging millions of dollars to fight oppression, persecution, and suffering. Their own foundation states: "We believe that all people have the right to live without fear, persecution, and suffering."

And yet, under their ownership, many cats in NVA clinics go through extreme fear, pain, and suffering, enduring inhumane amputations for profit or weak excuses. 

Declawing was banned decades ago in Germany and across Europe because it is cruel, unnecessary, and below the standard of care. NVA, a German-owned company, has no excuse for allowing it in America.

 
The Facts NVA Can’t Deny

NVA’s medical leaders said they consider declawing inhumane, yet it is allowed in NVA clinics.
NVA deleted the word “inhumane” from its own policy draft.
Many NVA veterinarians refuse to perform declaws, but the NVA clinics that continue to offer the procedure, profit from the few veterinarians who are willing to do it. What does that tell you? The declawing vets are making money from this animal cruelty. 
NVA’s website touts transparency, ethics, and excellence in veterinary care—but these words are hollow if declawing is still allowed.
 
We Demand Action

We call on the Reimann family, JAB Holding Company, and NVA to immediately:

Stop allowing declawing in all NVA clinics and restore this sentence to the official  NVA Medical Advisory Board's declawing policy. "The Medical Advisory Board (MAB) strongly opposes the declawing of cats and considers the procedure inhumane outside of the exceedingly rare medical exception that necessitates amputation to treat disease or injury."

Notify all NVA veterinarians that declawing is prohibited except for legitimate medical need for the cat.

If companies like Ethos, which is NVA's sister company, and other's like VCA, Mission Veterinary Partners, and Fear Free Pets can ban declawing while operating under similar medical autonomy models, NVA can and must do the same.

 PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION.
Cats cannot speak for themselves—but we can.

Tell the Reimann family: you cannot erase suffering with silence. Stop declawing. Stop the cruelty. Do the right thing—now.

Email: mail@AlfredLandecker.org

🔗 Read the full story and investigation: https://citythekitty.org/a-legacy-of-cruelty-reimann-familys-veterinary-company-nva-allows-declawing-despite-calling-it-inhumane/