I want to briefly revisit this old thread because I cat-sat Milo over the weekend. He has not been declawed at all and that is not going to happen. One question, though. He still has his dew claws and boy, are they sharp! He LOOOOOOVES to be combed, so I took Cassie's nail clipper over there thinking that I could just try to take the pointy ends off after I combed him. He was so NOT okay with that! I went back to pets and combing, and he purred so I know I was forgiven

So here is the question: What is the function of a dew claw? Is it wrong to have only those removed? Milo does go out on the screen porch. He has his own piece of old sisal out there and a scratching post inside, and he uses both. The shelter from which he was adopted has a statement in their contract that adopters agree not to have the cat's claws removed. Does that include dew claws? He is not going to have his other claws removed.