This guide is written by my cat Leo.

There are 2 types of "declawing" humans feel the need to perform on us cats, by far the most common is called Onychetomy and the least common is Tendonectomy.

Onychetomy involves amputation of each individual claw and end toe bone joint. This removes the full claw and the bone it is attached to. It is a serious surgery. A human comparison would be to remove someone's fingers at the last knuckle. After the operation your supposed friend will suffer impaired balance and will have to learn to walk differently, as would a human who lost their toes in a similar operation. Often our feet become more tender for ever and we stop using our litter box or burying our business to avoid the discomfort.

Tendonectomy does not involve actual amputation at the joints, but rather the severing of the tendons that allow us cats to extend our claws. Even with this type of surgery, you will have to trim your friends nails every 4-6 weeks to avoid complications. This option is not very well favored by most vets, because of the possible affects of not keeping the nails trimmed properly. Some vets have also reported arthritis and joint fusion problems relating to this operation.

Some common misconceptions:

• Without claws my friend will stop marking territory in the house: This is just not true. If we want to mark the house we will just start to urinate and defecate outside the litter box, a common marking practice.
• A decalwed cat is a more gentle cat: With no claws we can feel defenseless. With no way to feel safe many other cats develop neurosis and may even become a biter.
  
  

Dr.Nicholas Dodman, a prominent veterinary behaviorist, writes in The Cat Who Cried for Help:

AVAR (Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights) says:

Your feline friend can learn with your help:

• Trim our nails. If our nails are well kept and short it removes much of the need to claw on things.
• Buy or make several scratching posts for us. Just having the posts is not enough, you must take the time to teach us to use them. (In future articles we will teach you how to make a scratching post from items found at the local stores!)
• Show us what NOT to claw on. Just remember we need an alternative. Imagine someone telling you where you could not walk and never telling you where is was acceptable.
  

We are not inanimate objects placed here for your entertainment. We are living and breathing beings as you humans are. We feel, we think, we breath, we sleep, we love. If you plan to place the well-being of a piece of furniture above the well-being of an animal friend you should reconsider the adoption and consider the adoption of an animal friend whom you do not feel the need to harm.

From Leo's human friend:
If you still fee you have to declaw your cat, please consider Soft Claws first. They are plastic caps that you glue over your cat's claws. They prevent your cat from scratching your items, kids and other pets. They are not expensive and are well worth a look at..

Final Words
Please remember that I am NOT a veterinarian or trained cat specialist, nor is Leo (he is just a wonderful cat). My advice and guidance is from person experience, self learning and talks with several vets (this subject, like my guide on seizures is mostly from having to deal with megacolon in our cat Leo). Before you take my advice to heart make sure you consult with your cat's vet and make sure that they agree with my advice. After all, you and your vet know your cat far better than I do.