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UPDATED RESPONSE BELOWAs a young girl I worked as a vet assistant who would declaw cats. When I saw the procedure I was horrified.The cat gets sedated. The doctor presses on the cat’s paw, extending the nail and then takes what looks like cat nail cutters, puts them between the last joint and the claw then cuts it off in one loud crunch. It’s horrendous! It’s truly shocking.These cats would have their entire paw completely bandaged up for Weeks (a few days spent in hospital). The cats would have to use news paper for cat litter for a long time.It is like having your fingers cut off at the last joint! The cats even have to learn to walk due to the missing part of its digits.If you need to declaw your cat, you shouldn’t have a cat to begin with !1–20–18Adding more details from the experience since I have read through all of the comments I felt it was necessary to do so. Warning graphic.Yes, you are all right, the procedure is extremely cruel. I will never forget the friendly orange tabby, (the client’s cat), I brought in for the declaw. Once ready and asleep, (being the first time I was to witness this procedure), I stood there speechless and horrified.I will NEVER forget the sound it made. Breaking bones! The procedure is disgusting and to top it off it was my job to clean the remains of the severed appendages into the trash. The doctor wrapped his paws in padding with tape and into a cage he went to wake up.That cat couldn’t stand for days, and when he did, as he had to use the litter box with news papers, the cat switched paws frequently to use as little pressure as possible. I felt so so sorry for that animal. That was 1999.I volunteer and also a foster for my local animal shelter. We get surrendered declawed cats in sometimes. In our application for adoption if you mention wanting to declaw, you are instantly denied.I know what they went through. I saw. I have witnessed clients bring in their declawed cats that had gotten outside and attacked by a dog or another cat as they can not defend themselves. So these poor cats come in for stitches and drainage tubes with antibiotics just so their owners can have leather couches and god knows what.If you ever get to feel a declawed cat’s paw, you will instantly feel their digits are too short; like something is missing. what’s missing is the tips of their god damn front paws!DECLAW HORROR STORIES-PART TWOConscious Companion

A bunch of them, actually. I’ll focus on Indiana State Prison, since in 2018 a rather controversial documentary was released regarding their death row inmates. It wasn’t what the inmates did, or how they behaved…It was that a few of them had feline companions.Now, I watched this documentary myself, and I thought “wow! These cats are so well behaved!” Some of them rode around on their humans shoulders as they left their cell for their morning coffee. Some were just happy to lounge. They didn’t look like they were angry felines. In fact, they seemed happier than a lot of cats I’ve seen in my time doing rescue.This is one of the inmates being interviewed by Trevor McDonald through his cell. His cat is up on his shoulders, getting a better look at what’s going on from a vantage point.So, why is it people that have committed horrible acts of violence on others are allowed to have a pet? What makes those felines safe?There’s a method to the madness. The program has been in place for over 20 years, and if you mess up? You don’t get a cat. The prisoner is subject to vigorous application and must have a record of clean behavior before they’re even considered. The cat can also be taken away at any time, which of course… no one wants. Most of the prisoners bond with their feline friend more than they ever would anyone else. It keeps a person in line.The prisoners are allowed to purchase the cat commissary items such as treats, a lead, and are subject to inspection to ensure the cat is very well cared for. I think this is the one place someone wouldn’t have to worry about the well-being of the pet, all things considered.Prisoners are also allowed to pet sit for other inmates. This can help foster good relationships between others, instead of the typical tense situations. If someone is staying in a cell with others though, it’s up to the entire cell to be on their best behavior in order to get permission to have a cat.The cats stay with the prisoner until their term is up, or in the case of death row inmates— their life ends.One of the frequent questions I’m seeing is “what happens to the cat when the inmate moves on?” I’m having some trouble finding definite answers to this question. I’ve been looking around though, and it seems different facilities have different measures taken.For example; the WISKR program in Idaho only has the inmates foster the cats during a period where the cats need rehabilitation, not long-term. This means the cats are put up for adoption after they complete the inmate program.The FORWARD (Felines and Offenders Rehabilitation with Affection, Reformation, and Dedication) program at Pendleton is a more long-term housing. These cats do not live in the cell-blocks with the inmates, and instead have a large room that the inmates can visit for nine hours a day. The cats can be adopted by prison staff, or families of the inmates. It’s likely that many people who become attached to their feline friends go on to adopt them later on.Allendale County correctional institute pulls their cats from kill-shelters that are likely to be euthanized. The program “MeowMates” is unlike the others, due to the cats being housed with the prisoners. Some of these are feral cats, who need a lot more attention than many homes can provide. The program as of 2017 has raised 18 motherless feral kittens within the system. These cats only spend a few months with their inmate, then are put up for adoption.Something interesting I found while doing some research is a program called the Prison Pet Partnership. In Gig Harbor, Washington, inmates run an entire grooming, training, vaccination, and kennel service, for cats and dogs. The inmates handle all the work regarding the animals left with them. Here’s the website, that lists the entirety of their services. Prison Pet PartnershipEDITThis answer legitimately got flagged as spam.I’m one foot out the door on this website I swear to god.

First, the beginning…A stray cat was suffering from the hardships of street life. He had contracted mange, a skin disease that spread throughout his body. He was so badly infected by microscopic mites that had burrowed into his skin, his eyes were shut tight by a thick layer of crust. He had lost large patches of hair over his ears. He was bony and starving, unable to find scraps of food because he had been unable to open his eyes. He was weak and lethargic from hunger and dehydration. The poor cat was dying.Photo Credit: Carmen MoralesOne afternoon, a man spotted the diseased cat on his driveway, eating ravenously from the food bowl he had set out for his own pet cat. Rather than chase the starving intruder away, the kindhearted man captured the cat by enticing him with tiny morsels of food inside a cage. The man knew he wasn’t qualified to care for a cat in such a dire condition though, and posted for help online.Photo Credit: Carmen MoralesCarmen, a cat foster and rehabilitator, responded to the post and picked up the vagrant cat the following morning. The first stop was to the vet’s office. The cat was microchipped and his owner was contacted, but the owner declined to take him back. Carmen took the unwanted cat home.Because of his white coat, she named him Cotton. Over the next several weeks, Carmen worked long, arduous hours to save him. Daily, she rubbed ointment over Cotton’s sores, fed him a special diet, applied antibiotics to his wounds and coconut oil to his skin. Daily, Cotton purred in return.Photo Credit: Carmen MoralesDay by day, the mite infestation decreased. But still, Cotton couldn’t open his eyes. The vet had warned Carmen that even if his eyes did reopen, they would most likely be damaged. Cotton may remain blind for the remainder of his life.That didn’t stop Carmen from giving Cotton the love and care he needed. Over several weeks, Cotton slowly began to improve. He began to gain weight and his fur began to return.Then, one magical, fairy tale day, Cotton opened his eyes. The blind cat, once so close to death, was finally able to see again. Carmen was rewarded with the sight of his most beautiful eyes.Photo Credit: Carmen MoralesBut this story doesn’t end quite yet.Carmen’s mission was only partially complete. Now that he could finally see and was healthy, she knew it was time to give Cotton up for adoption. It is, after all, the ultimate, albeit distressing, goal of animal rescuers.She posted his photo on her website and the adoption applications began streaming in.Now, there are some who believe cats are aloof. They don’t show affection, much less, love. But I know cat lovers will heartily disagree.Cats do feel love and give love in return…Cotton meowed for Carmen whenever he couldn’t see her, even if she was but a room away. He curled up beside her daily, and nightly, bedded beside her; he followed her through the house and through the hours of day and night.After all the suffering Cotton had been through, Carmen couldn’t put him through the heartbreak and confusion of being abandoned once again, even if there were strangers now willing to take him. Carmen had a change of mind and heart. She decided not to give him away.Photo Credit: Carmen MoralesShe realized the need to find Cotton a new home had been supplanted by a more empathic ideal. Cotton, the once lost, blind and unwanted cat, was healthy and happy. He had chosen his forever family; his forever home. Carmen wasn’t going to take that away from him.Photo Credit: Carmen MoralesThe end.Please note that I am merely the story teller. I wrote this answer to share the incredible, beautiful journey Carmen and Cotton have chosen to take together.Below is more information about Carmen:Carmen Morales Weinberg is the founder and owner of Animal Friends Project, a non-profit organization in Florida.[1][2]Footnotes[1] ANIMAL FRIENDS PROJECT… Trap, Neuter, Heal … Love[2] 'Blind' Cat Has The Most Beautiful Eyes When He Finally Opens Them