I had one cat declawed, in 2001 one, and then, never again. I soon realized what a great injustice I had done to my cat. She was the least friendly of all my cats to my child. The declaw led to her walking in a gait unnatural to cats, and by the time she reached middle age, she walked on her wrists, and developed painful arthritis. She never lost the instinctive urge to scratch, it was quite sad to see her on a scratching pad, pawing away at it. Yes, I was a coward back then. I was afraid of a landlord. A cat that no longer has claws has lost one of the most important things that make it a cat. Getting the last digits of one's toes amputated should never happen to any living, sentient, feeling creature. The adverse effects of declawing  on a cat's health and emotional well being have been scientifically proven.It should only be allowed as a last resort for a cat that has itself allergies, or problems with the paw that can't be fixed any other way. Cats need claws. Period!