Not here they don’t. Not actually illegal (yet) but Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons does not permit it, unless for therapeutic reasons, and will probably discipline any member who does it
The only worry I have, Audrey, is that the cat might transfer his previous claw-based aggression to a biting aggression, which is going to be much, much worse. I don’t know how often this happens, but it’s one of the issues raised by the strongly anti-declawing forces. If this happens, and if you can’t train him out of it, I’d see no alternative to having him euthanized: cat bites that draw blood are pretty dangerous.
Daniel
Aren’t “indoor pets” pretty much unheard of in England, though? That would explain the scarcity of declawing, but actually not permitting it makes me feel a little better about the US vs. the UK in the “nutty government telling you how to live your life” department.
Oh, and yes, Audrey, of course you did the right thing. When you actually do something awful, believe me, we’ll let you know.
I have two cats with claws, two that are declawed in the front. You shouldn’t feel bad, or guilty, or anything like that. My kitties who are declawed are just as content as the two that aren’t. I don’t things would be livable if Elroy, my massive boy kitty still had his claws. He already has the capacity to smash the breath out of me as he is.
-Lil
Yup - laser or scalpel, the surgery is the equivalent of snipping off the last joint of a human’s fingers.
I am also militantly anti-de-clawing, and I will not judge you for your decision, audrey. You did what you thought was best for you and Parker. We all have our own lines; I had a cat who peed and crapped all over the house all the time, and he had to go live with someone else, because I will not have an animal peeing and crapping all over my house.
By the way, if I were you, I would train him to not sleep in your bedroom while he’s still nice and young. I don’t know how anyone can stand having their pets bugging them all night. My husband’s cat sounds a lot like Parker - she was apparently a massive pest when she was a kitten, but she’s grown into a wonderful, affectionate cat. You just learn to recognize her warning signs and get your hands away before the biting and clawing starts. 
You did the right thing. {HUGS}
I agree with everyone else, that if either the claws go or the whole cat does, it’s the claws. And there’s no point in beating yourself up over making a difficult choice, whether or not we agree with it.
BUT . . . Did you try anything else? Keeping his claws trimmed wouldn’t have kept him from scratching you, but it might have prevented most of the puncture wounds. Plastic caps on his claws might have worked as well. Neither is a perfect solution, but I would have tried both before declawing.
Thanks for the reassurance, Dopers.
I’m feeling better today because it’s obvious Parker is; the vet said to keep him “quiet” for a few days til his paws heal, but I don’t see how it’s possible. If I didn’t know better I’d say nothing happened to him; he’s back to his usual maniacal antics, running around, jumping on and off everything, playing “sneak attack” on my feet when I walk by, etc. (Which no longer hurts!)
I give him his pain meds every twelve hours; the only thing I’ve noticed is that when the twelfth hour approaches he begins licking his paws more than usual. Like they’re bothering him. This ceases within a few minutes after giving him the meds.
As for your question, Alan Smithee, about why I didn’t try other methods first…when I spoke to the vet about having him declawed, she said that the younger they are, the better, because the heavier they are, the harder the healing is. (Five or six pounds is a lot easier on the paws than ten or twelve. And keeping a cat from jumping on and off stuff is virtually impossible without restraining them to a cage.)
So while I did think about the plastic cap method, I was afraid that if it didn’t work, it would be too late to get him declawed without hurting him a lot more. He was five months old when I got him, and he’s six and a half months old now; I didn’t have much time to decide, considering he weighs a little over seven pounds already…which I found out after the surgery. Had no idea he’d already grown that much. How come you can never tell how fast your pet is growing? He’s going to be a big fat ol’ lap cat. I love it.
Sorry about the lack of pics! The only ones I have are on my cell phone, and I don’t know how to upload them for you guys.
Trust me, however, when I say he’s a beautifully soft and fluffy black kitty who’s formally dressed for all occasions with a white dickey and snappy white spats on all four paws. And elegant white whiskers to match his tiny white mustache. The one that makes him look like he’s smirking, just a bit, even when he’s asleep.
He’s purring for you all as we speak. 
I would probably have done the same thing in that situation. I don’t like declawing, but I’d do it if I felt I had no other realistic choice. I wouldn’t do it without good reason, but it sounds like that’s what you had! So don’t beat yourself up.
‘Bugging’? :eek: Not ‘bugging’. Cuddling. Snuggling. Purring. It’s lovely to have your fuzzball(s) tucked into the crooks of your knees or up against your tum all warm and purry. Nothing finer than having the fur family to keep you warm at night.
Yeah, well, that would be fine if I’d ever seen a cat that actually sleeps at night.
To my amazement, one of our cats jumps on the bed when we go to sleep and usually sleeps there all night. Then he gets several hours more of ZZZZs during the day between frantic fits of freaking out.
Ophie sleeps with us at night, I usually go to bed first and she’ll come up with me. She starts at the bottom of the bed for a while and gradually works her way up, and eventually in, so at some point in the night she’ll be under the duvet and curled up behind my knees.
When I get up in the morning, she’ll transfer her affections to 'im indoors, get under the duvet with him and stay there until whatever hour he choses to haul himself out of the pit.
She has a brief break in between because when I’m up she’ll follow me downstairs for food and a wander outside. By the time I’m ready to leave the house, she’s usually back upstairs under the duvet.
Declawing is a last resort treatment, but a valid one once you get to that last resort. Seems like you were either there or damn close. So, don’t sweat it.
Declawing is bad when it is done routinely and mostly to prevent mild damage to ones furniture. It’s also dangerous to have it done to outdoor cats but you have made the right choice to have the cat indoors only.
Most cats in the UK are not “indoor” cats - I have a problem with the concept. My cat has the sharpest claws in the world - a set of hypodermic needles on each front paw, but he has never damaged the furniture (leather, too) and knows not to even try to sit on it, and doesn’t really damage us either (he is a kneader, though, so with the love there is some pain). I could never blunt his claws, though. He fights alot (he has been snipped), and every week when I get home I have to look him over for more damage. Fortunately, it is generally minor.
As to the rules on declawing - this is the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the professional body that licences vets. The vets themselves have made (or at least endorsed) this decision collectively, and enforce it internally - I guess the govt could act to enshrine it in law, but it probably is not necessary.
I certainly don’t feel that the govt tells me how to live my life - the nanny state impression seems to be primarily whipped up by the Tabloid press to beat up the govt - then they turn around and demand more legislation to keep the immigrants/ex-cons/nonces etc under control and observation - so there is no middle ground for the govt.
Si
What about the cat he fought?
Ah. See, a great many cats (and some dogs) in the U.S. are strictly “indoors.” I don’t see why you have a problem with that–different countries, different customs. I imagine big city-dwellers as in London have apartment-only kitties. Anyway, it explains why more cats here are declawed than in the UK.
I wish I knew 
In fact, my son heard (from a school friend) about a black and white cat in our neighborhood that terrorised the other cats and stole their food…
My cat IS black and white, so your guess is as good as mine.
He gets into a local wood a few streets away - gets filthy, and gets ticks (yuck), and quite happily stays out all night and all day too.
I LOVE my cat - a real Felis catus (semi)-domesticus (I know, deprecated name. pedants)
Si
Your kitty is loved and has a good home. I declawed mine for the same reasons. Personally, I think you made the right choices. Having it done with the neuter means he only had to be anesthetized once. The only other thing I made sure of was to have it done by laser and I’m glad I did. There was no apparent pain, no bandages, and no bleeding. My kitties don’t bite. (Yes, they do eat pennies but I seriously doubt that the declawing caused that).
You call the vet if there’s any change, right?