If your doctor recommended the amputation of the first joint of each of your fingers to permanently prevent your nails from growing, would you sign up for it? Of course not. And you'd definitely look for another doctor. Yet people bring their cats to veterinary clinics every day to undergo such a mutilation. Why? Because their cats act like cats. They use the couch or rug to sharpen their claws, or they've scratched family members and visitors once too often. Declawing is a nifty solution to annoying cat behavior, right? Not at all. Declawing can, in fact, lead to more serious problems—even to your cat's death.

A woman I once worked with was haunted by a tragic accident that befell her two beloved cats when she and her husband left them alone in the house with two young dogs they had recently adopted. Her husband returned home to find the torn apart, dead bodies of the cats and their dogs sitting quietly nearby. She blamed the incident on leaving the animals alone together too soon, and on the fact that the puppies happened to be Huskies (Huskies have a reputation for acting aggressively toward cats). But the most significant fact to me was one that she wouldn't even begin to consider, for understandable reasons. Her cats were declawed. They had been deprived of their first line of defense. When the dogs cornered them, it was all over for the cats.

Declawing is a painful and difficult operation. Curiously, it's a procedure restricted mostly to North America, and many vets—to their credit—refuse to perform the surgery. Others claim that there is no physical or psychological damage from declawing, and even recommend the further mutilation of declawing the back paws. "Declawing" is a misnomer, because not only are the claws removed, but also the first joints of the cat's paws. This can lead to balance problems and an inability to cling to precarious surfaces such as trees or high ledges. Cats may be natural gymnasts, but even they can sustain fractures or internal injuries from a fall. Declawing eliminates an important means of defense, leaves the cat feeling nervous and confused, causing her to resort to biting, and can even lower her immunity to disease. As a shelter volunteer, I encountered a number of declawed cats who, to compensate for the loss of their front claws, had become aggressive biters. Many had been surrendered by the very people who had arranged for their declawing. Sadly, these cats could not be put up for adoption and had to be euthanized.

A cat bite is one of the most lethal animal bites because of the bacterium Pasteurella multocida in a cat's saliva. If you're bitten by a cat, you'll probably have to spend a few days in the hospital on IV antibiotics. In contrast, cat scratch fever, which sometimes results from being scratched by a cat, can cause fever, malaise and enlarged lymph nodes, but is not nearly as serious as the infection from a cat bite.

If the welfare of your furniture is more important to you than the welfare of your feline, I would suggest that you consider finding another home for him and adopting a stuffed animal. But if you can't bring yourself to give your cat away, there are other options, including homemade or commercial scratching posts, trimming your cat's claws regularly by clipping off the white points (your veterinarian or groomer can also do this), or investing in artificial nails that can be attached to each claw to sheath it. When administering medicine to a cat, wrap him firmly in a towel or blanket with only his head sticking out. Use an animal carrier whenever you transport your cat by car; never let him run loose and possibly panic and scratch while you're driving.

You can also train your cat not to scratch. If her claws are already attached to your skin, remain calm and disengage them by pushing the feet slightly forward. Then move the cat away with firm words of disapproval, and ignore her for a few minutes. This may have to be repeated several times before the cat gets the message.

Unlike spay/neuter surgery, declawing cats--like chopping the tails off Poodles and other purebreds to supposedly improve their looks, or cutting the floppy ears of Pitbulls and Rottweilers and making them erect to give them a more aggressive look--is a cruel, unnecessary procedure performed purely for the benefit of humans. Spaying and neutering ultimately benefits animals because it decreases the chances that unwanted litters of puppies, or abandoned dogs or cats, will end up euthanized at a shelter or dead on the streets. In contrast, there's nothing but lifelong discomfort and danger for cats whose paw tips are lopped off.

Having pets, just like having children, is a responsibility as well as a privilege. When you adopt a cat, you're adopting the negative as well as the positive aspects of the animal. Although a cat is not a human with fur and should not be treated as such, she has unique physical and psychological characteristics that must be nurtured, not destroyed. If you're too busy to look after the best interests of a cat, or your own selfish desires take precedence over her health and safety, in my opinion you have no business sharing your house with one.