Are you for or against declawing your cats?

Absolutely no way. To me it is mutilation. I know a lot of people don't mind mutilating their animals in order to fix an inconvenience or make them more aesthetically appealing (like Shar-Peis' eyes or docking ears), but I can't understand that. Declawing a cat is akin to what would happen if someone lopped off the tips of all my fingers and thumbs! Eek! I'm glad you clip the claws of yours. That's what we do, too. IMHO, if a person can't accept a cat's natural tendency to scratch and modify things in their own house accordingly, then that person shouldn't have a cat.

I have 2 inside cats, and two outside cats. The decision whether to declaw them or not lies with where they live. The outside cats need their claws to hunt, and protect themselves. The two inside have been declawed to protect the furniture, curtains and all. The inside cats were declawed when I got them from a rescue site. Previously, when I had cats inside the house that weren't declawed, I had lots of furniture, draperies, and clothing that was totally ruined. It's a natural action for cats to claw at wood and things, to keep their claws sharp, which is why they go after the furniture and all. I'm glad the inside ones are declawed, or I never would have accepted them into my house. The outside cats...I'm glad that they DO have their claws, because they need them to survive. I personally don't see anything negative about declawing a cat that's going to live harmoniously inside of a house, but on the other hand, I think it's wrong for an outside cat to be declawed because they lose their natural defenses.

I used to think declawing a cat was a good idea but when I found out it was just like cuttin off our fingers to the first knuckle I thought different about it. I would hate to have that done to me so a cat is no different. You cant always gaurentee a cat wont get outside so if they do and they are declawed they are defenseless. Its just not fair. My moms cat isnt declawed and she goes inside and outside whichever she prefers at the moment. My sons cat which is there also is declawed. He was that way when he got him. He wants outside so bad but we cant let him because of this. He has ventured out before and we didnt know it. Luckily he didnt get hurt.

If I had a strictly indoor cat, I would probably declaw it... but since I used to live in the country, and I haven't had a cat since I've moved to the city I've never had an indoor cat before. Mine used to roam inside and outside whenever they wanted, so we didn't declaw them, because they are hunters that needed there claws plus also for defending themselves outside where they might get in a fight too, like you said.