My friend introduced a female kitten to a household with an older female and male cat. The older female cat started having severe territorial issues and was not ready to accept the new member. The owners were always on guard to make sure that the two did not come into direct contact but a few times the older cat got its way and beat up the kitten really bad. The kitten had to get stitches twice. It was difficult to guard the cats since owners used to go out and the servants weren’t as careful. So we asked the vet how can we make the older cat accept the new kitten and prevent it from beating up the little soul. The vet asked us to bring the older cat to the clinic and get it declawed! I had read a few articles on declawing before and was shocked that a vet would recommend something this cruel! I told him that the process is very painful for the cat and would cause other problems as well but he was insistent that it is perfectly alright to get your cat declawed.
People should seriously think it over and research the subject before they decide to get their cats declawed. Cats are declawed for various reasons; to save the owners from minor scratches every now and then, to keep the home furniture intact and so on. If you love your furniture that much or cannot bear a minor scratch then perhaps you are not meant to keep cats.
Declawing is considered inhumane in certain countries. This is no simple trimming of the nails rather it involves amputating a part of the digit, to which the nail is attached. If you picture this in humans it would be like cutting off the first joint of the finger to which the nail is attached! How can this be minor and painless? Cats use their paws for all sorts of things like walking, grooming themselves and scratching their litter. And after the painful process of declawing the cats are supposed to do all these chores on their own.
Behavioral Change in Cats after Declawing
Some people have reported that their cats changed after they got them declawed and the most common behavioral problem was associated with litter box. Owners complained that after declawing the cat stopped using its litter box. Who can blame the cat for acting that way? When using its paws to cover the litter was a painful experience the cat associated the pain with the litter box and stopped using it.
Alternatives to Declawing
There are painless alternatives for declawing, they are not permanent fixes like declawing but here you have to decide what comes first? Your own comfort or the well being of your cat!
One idea is to trim your cat’s nails regularly. You can use a regular nail clipper for this purpose or if you are really into it you can buy nail clipper especially designed for pets. All you have to do is clip the pointed part of the nails and you can do it every alternate week and with time your cat will also get used to this routine.
Another idea which I absolutely adore is Soft Paws! These are beautiful nail caps for cats. They come in a variety of colors. All you have to do is trim the nail a little and then put the cap on! And when the nail grows back it removes the cap on its own. And if you use the colored caps you can instantly spot that the cap needs to be replaced. This is way better than any French manicure! And is pretty funky if you use the colored nail caps so treat your cat with Soft Paws and give it something to show off to other cats 
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Don’t forget to mention scratching posts and rugs. People are afraid their cats will destroy their furniture. You have to give them something that it’s okay to scratch on.