Is Declawing Humane?

Question
Hi,

I have two three year old cats, Fira and Explorer. These guys have always been bad about clawing the furniture and woodwork, but in the last year, it's only become worse. I've tried everything I know to do: spray water at them to discourage the behaviour, loud noises, claw covers. None of it has worked.

So, I'm seeing no alternative to declawing. My question is, is declawing humane? Does it decrease a cat's quality of life or prevent her from necessary activity like bathing or scratching? And also, one of my cats has respiratory problems (symptoms similar to FIV, but we've had him checked and he's negative), and I'm unsure whether he could make it through the surgery; do they completely anesthetize them?

I'm very concerned about this. Your educated opinion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time!

Sincerely,

Celeste

Answer
i am totally against declawing for the following reasons.

YES they totally anesthetize them.
Declawing usually means removing the toe down to the first knuckle.
Some vets will simply pull the nail out, not removing the end of the toe, but the nail can grow back and the proceedure has to be repeated. However the removal of the end of the toe is the most common form of declawing. I personally think its cruel.

other things to try for the clawing of the furniture.
cats do not like slippery or sticky things touching their feet. if you have the scratch guards, buy some double stick take and cover the guards with it all over, so that the cat will get sticky feet when trying to scratch.

keep in mind, you can buy CLEAR scratch guards for the corners of your couches and chairs.

there is also something called "soft claws" they are colored nail tips that cover the claws rendering them blunt. ive included a webpage with several products you might want to try instead of declawing.

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_list.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302...