Thanks everyone, for your comments and support.
We brought the cat home yesterday. I set up a small room for the cat with blankets, food and litterbox. My cats showed some interest, but don't care very much since the kitty is out of their sight. Immediately upon arriving, she ate a whole can of cat food, mixed with medication (I'm guessing it's been about a week after the surgery) - and she refused to eat in the hopital. My husband, who brought her home, said she even rubbed her head against his finger on the drive home: a sign she's a sweet kitty after all. We are planning to give her full rest for the couple of days. She doesn't appear frightened anymore and won't hiss, but growls a little bit when we go near and when she eats. I guess she will get better. It still appears that she feels pain... she tries to walk lightly on her feet and her posture looks a bit crooked.
Before I came to work today I checked up with her and surprisingly, she was on the windowsill, not on the blanket. So I guess she can jump! I only hope she's not in too much pain.
She's a darling with huge eyes, white eyelineer and a potentially wonderful classic tabby coat. Once she gets off sickbed and fills out, I think she's going to be one beautiful cat. Her eyes are so big and expressive.
My two girls have great personalities, although one of them is a bit shy. I think they'll be able to get along, if the newbie isn't too timid herself. And I heard it helps if all the cats are the same gender?
One more question for you... Is the cat going to live in constant pain for the rest of her life? What effects does declawing have on aging? For ex. arthritis?
We're thinking about names. Any suggestions will be welcome...
To clarify a few things: I'm not located in the US, but in Korea. About the vet-- yes, it is the vet whom I regularly go to who did this job to the kitty. But until now, I never realized what he thought about declawing, as the topic never came up in our discussions. Personally I think that in Korea, there aren't that many vets who know a lot about cats outside the lab, as not many people keep cats as pets. Many older Koreans still believe in the superstition that cats are evil and bring bad luck. Recently more and more mostly younger people keep cats as pets, but the number is very minor and I still constantly get comments such as "Why do you have cats? They aren't faithful to their "owners." Get dogs instead." I hear that many vets (not just my vet) regularly "recommend" declawing to first-time cat owners here, and many owners blindly believe what their vets say, who may be only thinking about money to be made in the surgery. So I don't think reporting is an option here. Fortunately, many cat lovers are growing awareness of the ill effects of declawing, and trying to stop it from happening. But I don't think that'll happen anytime soon, unless the vets all turn into cat lovers.
That was too long... Thanks for your support again. I'll try to keep you updated on how she does!
P.S. I forgot to say this, but I learned from the vet that this cat came all the way from the US. It was adopted by a female student as a kitten, who brought her all the way here when she came to Korea. Then, when things didn't work out at the student's Korean parents' house (again, something to do with older people's superstition, I imagine) she was abandoned at the vet's, saying she was bought at an expensive price from a breeder. To me, she is a beautiful cat but not a purebred as purported by the vet -- I think it may have been the student's ploy to get the vet to adopt her. Or maybe the student was deceived into believing it herself to begin with. That makes me even sadder, as it seems to me everyone thinks about animals as money. If she hadn't been believed as a "purebred", she wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble. Either way, I hope the fact she was brought all the way here means she did receive some love and care as a kitten...
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