Mike Bordes hopes his proposal to ban the declawing of cats has a successful second life in the N.H. Legislature.

The Laconia Republican said Monday he is sponsoring anti-declawing legislation similar to a measure he backed last year, House Bill 231.

The state House passed that bill, 225-147.

But it was tabled, or removed from consideration, in the Senate on a controversial voice vote. There appeared to be about equal volume for the “ayes” in favor of the tabling and the “nos” against tabling, but Senate President Jeb Bradley declared, “The ayes, in my opinion, have it.”

Before the vote, Sen. Howard Pearl, R-Loudon, said declawing is a seldom-done procedure and that veterinarians, if asked, tell cat owners about its alternatives and risks.

“House Bill 231 is looking to solve a problem that only a select few are claiming as an issue,” he said.

Bordes, who has two cats — Wake and Anchor — said declawing is animal cruelty.

“It’s equivalent to cutting off a person’s finger at the middle knuckle,” he said Monday. “The cat loses a defense mechanism, it can’t climb a tree. And the other issue is they resort to biting instead of scratching within the home.”

Bordes said his new measure, like HB 231, includes an exception for declawing procedures that are medically necessary. (The legislative language and bill number for Bordes’ latest proposal are not on the state website yet.)

He said declawing isn’t as prevalent as it once was, but he doesn’t have statistics on how often it is done in New Hampshire.

Some of those who oppose a ban say it would set a bad precedent for lawmakers to place such a restriction on veterinary practice. Others say declawing could save a destructive cat that otherwise might have to be euthanized.

On its website, The Humane Society of the United States recommends against declawing, saying it can lead to “nerve damage, phantom pain, pain from bone fragments left behind or arthritis, and pain-related behavior issues like biting and avoiding the litter box.

“For these reasons and more, a growing number of veterinary organizations oppose declawing.”

It says scratching posts provide an alternative to cats so they don’t harm furniture. There are training techniques to encourage use of the posts.

Frequent nail trims are also recommended. There are also caps that can be placed on a cat’s claws if necessary.

Bordes said someone complained to him once about a cat damaging furniture.

“I said, ‘Kids also draw on the walls with crayons but we don’t chop their fingers off for it,’ ’’ Bordes said.

Rep. Nicholas Germana, D-Keene, who has a cat, Picasso, is a co-sponsor on Bordes’ legislation.

Germana also supported Bordes’ legislation last year.

Germana said that in legislative discussion on Bordes’ previous bill, questions were raised on how a ban would be enforced and how often such procedures are done.

“In the end I felt that there is no harm in simply saying it can’t be done regardless of how it gets enforced,” Germana said.

Several veterinarians testified last year that they wouldn’t perform the procedure unless it was medically necessary.

Last year, Dr. Sabrina Estabrook-Russett, owner of Court Street Veterinary in Keene, wrote a letter to lawmakers in support of a ban on declawing. She said there is evidence that declawing can lead to lameness, arthritis and behavioral problems.

“The lack of clear legislation outlawing this procedure inherently insinuates to the public that the topic is negotiable, and therefore demands can be made of their veterinarians to compromise our ethics and operate,” she said.

The American Veterinary Medical Association has a policy that discourages the declawing of cats as an elective procedure, noting the procedure puts the animal at risk for lingering pain and surgical complications. It classifies the procedure as an amputation requiring pain-management medication.

But the association also says in its policy that it “respects the veterinarian’s right to use professional judgment” on the issue.

Maryland, New York and a number of cities and countries outlaw the procedure, according to Alley Cat Allies, a Maryland nonprofit that seeks to protect and improve cats’ lives.

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