Onychectomy

A surgical operation done under general anesthesia, it is also known as declawing.   The nail beds are removed so that the claws cannot grow back again.  This is generally done only to the front paws to prevent destructive scratching.  Cats do not regularly scratch with their back paws because they remove those nail sheaths by chewing.  

Declawed cats are essentially defenseless since they cannot scratch or climb properly.   This operation can also create a fearful cat once it realizes that it has lost its best defense.  A declawed cat must be an indoor cat for the rest of its life. 

Few subjects create so much controversy.   On the one hand, a cat that is destroying expensive furniture or scratching others is likely to be given up.  This procedure may be the last opportunity to keep it in its home.  On the other hand, it is an irreversible and painful operation that strikes some as cruel. 

It is definitely a last resort after all other behavior modifications have been tried.  Some veterinarians refuse to do this operation.