To cats, clawing is a natural, healthy, and important behavior.
Cats claw to exercise and enjoy themselves, to maintain the
condition of their nails, to stretch their muscles, and to mark
their territory—both visually and with scent. Declawing is not
like a manicure. It's a serious surgery that involves 10
individual amputations—not just of the cats' nails but of the
last digit of each toe as well. Cats often experience extreme
pain when they awaken from the surgery and often have difficulty
walking. Declawing results in a gradual weakening of leg,
shoulder, and back muscles. Because of impaired balance caused
by the procedure, declawed cats have to relearn how to walk,
much as a person would after losing his or her toes. After the
surgery, the nails can grow back inside the paw, causing extreme
pain unbeknownst to the cat's guardian. Without claws, even
house-trained cats might start to urinate and defecate outside
the litterbox in an attempt to mark their territory. Declawed
cats might become morose, reclus