Declawing is a horrid practice. The surgery involves more than simply removing the claws, but the entire nail bed and a portion of the digit. A cat's claw is not like a fingernail or toenail; rather, it is a movable digit attached to muscle by tendons and ligaments, allowing the cat to extend and retract its claws.
Only cats can do this, and without them, a cat can't grasp, hold, or even establish proper footing.
It is also very painful for the cat. Think about a surgery that involved removing your entire fingernails and toenails, as well as a portion of the finger or toe. Declawing a cat is even worse. Removal via laser surgery is less painful but but it doesn't change what the procedure actually does.
After the surgery, a declawed cat will hobble around painfully, use its litter box, and learn to adjust to life without one of the most effective tools that God gave a cat. Not every cat is able to make the adjustment.
Plus, there is the fact that if it should ever escape to the outdoors, it will be almost entirely defenseless, and even unable to retreat to a tree.
My suggestion is that anyone who believes they need to have their cats declawed would be better off thinking of another type of pet.
