First of all, Ben, I would assume that when your vet told you that most cats don't "know" they've been neutered, he was probably speaking to most human men's fears of castration that they so often transfer to their pets. Your cat does not "know" that he will no longer have a sex drive, that was probably what he was referring to. By the same token, your cat probably does not "know" he ever had a spermatic cord, either. But I would think a cat's toes are a way different matter, as they use them everyday to walk, manipulate items, and defend themselves. I can't help but think they "know" something is amiss then. Of course, this is something that can only be speculated on our parts; none of us knows truly how a cat thinks are what they are aware of.

My first cat, Zebo, now at the rainbow bridge, was declawed. He was a large, powerful cat when he was young, and I lived in rental housing and had a baby beginning to crawl. Zebo never had a vicious bone in his body; in fact, he was quite the wuss. But he still could inflict nasty wounds by not even trying. I decided to get him declawed. I knew nothing about the procedure, and did not receive anything from my vet until AFTER I picked Zebo up. I cried for three days when I read his toes had been amputated. I cried as I tried to help him use his letter box. I also cried each time I had to take him back to the vet in the ensuing years for abcesses he would get when the neighborhood cats attacked him and he was defenseless (yes, I tried to keep him inside, but since he was already an inside/outside cat, he was constantly escaping).

Of course, this is a very personal choice, and I think most people would agree amputation still is better than euthanasia, but I think most peoples' concerns on this board is that there are still too many people like me, who are not fully educated on the procedure, its risks, and alternatives before deciding to declaw. If I had it to do all over again, I would just put my furniture in storage and put armor on my baby, but leave Zebo's toes alone!