To ban or not to ban? More people believing declawing is animal abuse

[Occulus]

22. I had to have one of my cats declawed; it was entirely my fault

At the time I got him (he was given to me a tad too early, I think- kitteh was palm-sized) I didn't have a lot of friends and he wasn't properly socialized early on, so he definitely has his own ideas now, ten years later, about who gets to touch him. Had I left him his front claws, he'd have sent people to the hospital for stitches because of how hard he swats when he doesn't like someone.

He did that to me once, very recently. I was suffering a severe sinus headache (really, a sinus migraine), and my moaning and crying was freaking him out. Instead of running and hiding, he came up to the bed, made a small, hurt noise, and swatted me on the shoulder. HARD. It actually stung.

I was so surprised and, well, touched, that I forgot the headache. He really is a sweetie.

Oh, and I won't ever declaw a cat again. That was the last time. He really would have seriously injured certain people if he had them, though.