Declawing a cat does not mean only removing its nails, as most people think. When you declaw a cat, (perform an onychectomy), you remove bone, tendons and ligaments along with the claw. This would be the equivalent of slicing off every human finger and toe at the first knuckle. Declawing can have horrendous physical and psychological effects on a cat. Declawed cats lose their ability to climb, play, and mark territory. Paws swell and they develop abnormalities that can render them crippled. A hurt and scared cat is aggressive and with no claws it resorts to biting. Other behavioral problems occur such as not using the litter box because it is too painful to stand on the litter. These cats are never the same and are usually taken to shelters because of their behavioral problems, which results in the cat being euthanized. Declawing is not necessary, it is mutilation. It is inhumane and a cruelty to animals.