The decision one makes to own a pet equates to many additional responsibilities. This animal has many needs in order to live a comfortable, long and healthy life. Each type of domestic animal has specific needs and each owner may have specific wants for their pet. For example, when an owner decides to crop their dog’s ears, this is not a necessity for the pet’s survival, but more a want of the owner to give their dog a more “desirable” appearance. On the other hand, cat owners who choose to declaw their cats, have made a choice that is not necessary for the wellbeing of their cat, but to maybe protect their furniture and possibly themselves from a cat’s scratch. Although this may seem like minor or just a simple procedure, before an owner decides to declaw their beloved feline, they should first be educated before making this life-altering decision.…show more content… In many European countries it is considered inhumane and, in some cases, even illegal. The procedure of declawing a cat is not just removing their claws and is far more serious than a simple manicure as some would like to believe. In giving this procedure some retrospect, if it was performed on a human being, declawing would be like cutting off each finger at the last knuckle. According to the Humane Society of the United States(n.d.), there are three different procedures that can be performed in declawing a cat. The first and most common method being amputating the toes with a scalpel or guillotine clipper. Another way of declawing is to use laser surgery where a small beam of light cuts through the cat’s toe tissue, then it heats and vaporizes the bone and claw. The third procedure is called tendonectomy, where the tendon that controls the claw in each toe is severed. At this point, the cat still has its claws but loses the ability to extend them to scratch as they normally