Like Katie's Cubby - there will always be exceptions and cases that can't be faulted. Like I said, if I was faced with an ultimatum of declaw or lose my pet - I would sadly declaw to keep my pet! I also don't see the furniture argument because MY furniture is shredded from BACK claws. My arms and legs both bear proof of back claw damage! I figure it goes with having a cat!! Trimming helps but scratching still happens accidentally.

I keep my kitties indoors because there are too many dogs running free plus traffic. It would be wonderful to live out in the country and be able to leave the door open and have kitties free to roam I would think - but not in the city! This may be part of the reason declaw is so much more common in the US? .....cats as pets are usually kept indoors?? Well, at least the people I know of keep their cats indoors but it is for safety reasons. I also worry about fleas - but then I understand that better products are now available - drops once a month and such.