Aside from being overweight Belle and Paws were de-clawed from their previous owners. Both of them had their front claws removed while still keeping their back ones. We were never given a reason why. We were just told that it was done when Belle was spay and Paws was neutered. Paws still has his extra toes. We believe Belle had extra toes too but the vet removed them when Belle was declawed. If you look under Belle’s paw, it looks slightly deformed where extra toes would be.
We abhor the practice of declawing cats and we’ve never sent a cat to have it’s claws removed. Without questioning the motives of anyone, usually this is done because owners are trying to save their furniture or a cat has displayed a propensity to use their claws violently. Owners sometimes feel there’s no other option or it’s the responsible thing to do. They are wrong.
There are always options to de-clawing your cat
There are sometimes consequences and side effects to having your cat’s claws removed. A short google search will bring up stories and experiences other owners have had with declawing a cat, as well as problems the cat may have later in life. We encourage anyone thinking of removing their cats claws (front, back or both) to at least research a little before making the decision. 
You’ll hear from your veterinarian, “Surgery has come a long way since them days”… blah blah blah.
Do your research before making the decision. In fact, start your research with a good write-up over at the Humane Society. Do an internet search on cat-declawing to read other’s experiences.
If you’re worried about cat’s claws, there are ways to mitigate that. You can start by learning how to trim your cats claws from YouTube. It’s really not that hard to do and can be over in minutes. It is a cat and cats do have claws. You knew before getting the cat that it had claws.
We’ve never met a cat that liked their claws trimmed, cut or removed, so if you’re thinking it’s hard for them, you’re right. It is. The whole process of getting over the loss of their claws can be long and many times uncomfortable.
Belle and Paws both experience the visual and functional side effects from surgery that removed their claws. It’s not the first time we’ve seen the side effects in cats either. Every cat is different just like every cat may have different issues if you remove them. Much to our surprise, both Belle and Paws use scratching posts just as much as cats with claws.
