West Hollywood, Calif. ? Saying it hoped to send a message to other communities, the West Hollywood City Council unanimously passed a measure that bans the declawing of cats.

“We would just encourage our neighboring cities to follow our lead,” Councilman John Duran said after the council’s 5-0 vote.

West Hollywood, a city of 3,500 people surrounded by Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, already has a law on the books designating its residents as pet guardians rather than pet owners.

Although cat declawing is banned in several European nations, animal advocates said they know of no such restrictions in the United States.

The procedure, known as onychectomy, costs $100 to $300 and removes the first joint of each toe in a cat’s paw. It’s usually done to keep cats from scratching people and furniture.