Speaking of declawing cats..

West Hollywood Becomes First in State to Ban Declawing

I read this part near the end of the article: "Other pet advocates say cats are turned in to local pounds because they scratch." You know, if you don't like to be scratched, maybe you just houldn't have pets? I don't like it- I still have scars from when I was 8 years old, when Alfie scratched the living shit out of my right hand. But I personally think declawing an animal is cruel (and I sure as hell wouldn't give up a cat that was part of my family just because of it). I don't just think it's mean because you're removing a part of their body, either. If a cat is an outdoor cat, all the more reason to leave the claws. They need them as defense against other animals, as well as to get away from a predator- to climb a tree, etc. And even if your cat is an indoor cat, what if something happened to frighten him or her and they got out (lightning, firecrackers, earthquake, etc)? They still need to protect themselves until they can be brought back indoors.