Jenny - I really do not think anyone is "pro-declaw". It is more a matter of not being informed and those who do declaw - do so believing they are doing what is best for everyone, or just do not think. I don't even think it is necessarily a selfish "protect my furniture or my skin" thing. My cats do major damage with their BACK claws. It is just part of having a cat. I don't have any furniture more precious than my cats!! I also have plenty of scars from back claws. Declawing a cat, in my experience - has always been done along with neutering of indoor cats as a means of "pampering" - expensive and never giving enough thought that it might be harmful. The answer is information.

That said - it never helps to make anyone feel guilty AFTER the declaw is already done. THAT is meanspirited and does more harm than good IMO. It does nothing to change attitudes. My cats are all declawed, although I only had it done myself once - to Emily and Eliot - the others all came to me already declawed. YES I feel awful now that it is over and will not get another done! Sometimes I look at their little paws and want to cry!!

So, I think your work to bring information can be, and is, very helpful as long as it is not done with an attitude of superiority - but with an attitude that wants to educate and protect the cats. Those who have already declawed are not bad or irresponsible owners. They just have not been informed and reached the decision in their minds to a degree that takes time. I believe a gentle but continual message is the best way to go.

The arguments given at your site - well I doubt they can be challenged with any logical responses. It will be interesting to see - because, as I said above - I don't really think anyone can be truly "pro-declaw", once they know what declaw involves. There are surely a few isolated cases where declaw *does* save the life of a cat - and these people do not have to defend what they do if they honestly make the decision believing that it saves the cat from being killed. Example: hubby says you can only keep this cat if you have him declawed! Well, then I suppose I would have him declawed so that I could keep him! First, I would try everything I could to stop the behaviors that upset hubby, but if nothing made hubby relent and the mandate continued...I would not choose divorce! Maybe the kitty keeps scratching my children?? But I would surely be very sad and suffer with my kitty, but I would not give my kitty away!!! I guess that also depend on my attachmnet to the cat. I suppose I should put his welfare first, but if he was already part of my family and I could not give him up, then YES I would declaw rather than lose him Maybe selfish but my decision. I hope I never have to make such a decision!!!