I mean what if it somehow gets out and gets into a fight. What's the cat gonna do? pat the opposition down?

[b] [/b]

Never declaw a cat. Its their main defense system and if you declaw them you are putting them in danger.

[b][i]YOU'LL NEVER TAKE MY CLAWS!!!!!!!![/i][/b] Oh wait, this post is agreeing with me...?

Lazy owners are too cheap to purchase a scratching post for their cats to use so they decide to mutilate the animal instead. A cats claws are not only its main weapon but its main TOOL and removing them is psychologically damaging to the animal. Akin to removing your fingers at the second knuckle. If you're going to mutilate an animal don't take it as a pet.

Is there a "who cares?" option?

It's all fun and games until they snag your favorite pair of pants.

I used to be for declawing cats until I learned that you are basically cutting off the tips of their fingers, not just removing the claws. It causes all sorts of health problems.

I hate cats and I'll never have one so I don't think my opinion should be valid.

As long as you only declaw their front claws. If your cat were to escape it can still survive with only back claws. I had a cat named Tazzy who ran away when I was young and he found his way back home after a week. He only had his back claws. That cat lived to be 20, I was only 14 when he passed. Anyway if you're thinking of declawing just do the front.

As long as an owner keeps their cats nails clipped and dull, declaring isn't necessary. I don't have a problem with it though

Whatever happened to putting mittens on them?

I used to have an inside cat, so I talked to my parents about this all the time. It became more appealing after I had to change my bedsheets and blankets a few times due to them being almost ripped to shreds, but I firmly believe that declawing cats isn't right (except for certain medical reasons), and this is why: 1) No matter how much bullshit you see on the internet, cats [i]need[/i] their front claws to catch food. Yes, they do defend themselves with their back legs/claws in addition to their front ones, but they [i]will die[/i] if they live outside and aren't able to sustain themselves. 2) The procedure itself is unnecessary mutilation. In many countries, it's actually illegal - declawing a cat is equivalent to someone cutting your finger off at the last knuckle. Doesn't sound good, does it? 3) It's a painful surgery with a painful recovery period. And, regardless of the pain, the cat will still have to use its feet to walk, jump, cover up its shit in the litterbox, or whatever the hell it normally does. Lots of cats have gotten infections after the operation, too. There are more reasons, like problems with them using the litterbox and personality changes, but those are pretty much the main ones. There are some good alternatives to declawing, too, like providing them with a scratching post, putting protective coverings on your furniture, making sure grabby little kids stay away from the cat, trimming its claws very carefully, use special caps that cover its claws to take off the damaging sharp edges, or even letting the cat stay outside if it's safe. http://www.catscratching.com would be a good website to look at. A declawed cat can still be happy and (mostly) healthy with a loving home but I would [i]never[/i] take that chance, especially if it has a habit of darting out of the house. I don't have time to cite sources but most of this is from my personal experience with cats and from all the resarch I've done. [spoiler]tl;dr declawing cats is inhumane and can lead to physical, emotional, and behavioral problems, and there are safe alternatives to surgery.[/spoiler]

Imagine if you chopped all your finger tips with the fingernails off. That's declawing cats.

Both of my cats are declawed with a new method where they cut the tendon that allows them to extend their claws. Both are very happy indoor kitties. [spoiler]If I had an outdoor cat I would not declaw because that's their defense but I don't think having outdoor cats is a good idea anyway. [/spoiler]

I only declawed my cat's front paws. This way, they don't scratch up furniture and the cat can still climb a tree to escape danger. The cat only needs the back claws to climb. My cat even learned to defend itself with its back claws.

Just trim the cats nails and get them a scratching post you lazy pet owners.

I would've gotten my spawn of Satan declawed but he has fiv Mother-blam!-er broke a fish tank because of his claws >:(

I'm pretty neutral on that question