I could go into the moral arguments against declawing. I could tell you that declawing is inhumane. That we, as humans, do not have the right to choose to surgically alter any living thing that cannot understand and give consent for the procedure when there is no solid medical reason to do so. I could also get into the details of the procedure itself, since it is, after all, amputation.

I could get into many aspects of why you should not declaw your cat, but I would be a hypocrite. You see -- three of the cats I've called family have had their front claws removed.

So what I am going to do is relate to you my personal experience with the declawing procedure, and why I would never put another animal through it.

A number of years ago, my beautiful 6-year-old tortoiseshell Persian started to limp. Now, having three rather feisty cats at the time, an injury is not unheard of, so I didn't think much of it at first. A limp here, a few missing whiskers, a cut or two -- these are all normal occurrences in a multi-cat household.

When it didn't go away after a few days, I suspected the beginnings of arthritis. Gizmo had, after all, reached middle age, and the weather of late had been damp, conducive to arthritis.

She didn't seem to be in terrible pain, but I did worry, since I had to leave her in someone else's care while my husband and I went away for a week. My mother was given explicit instructions to take her to the vet immediately if she deemed it necessary.

Upon our return from vacation, I was dismayed to find that Gizmo's limp had worsened, so we immediately made an appointment with our veterinarian.

This was a new vet, since we'd moved to the area recently, and boy did we get an education.

Gizmo, like our other two cats, had been declawed as a kitten. My excuse for it then, as ashamed of it as I am now, was that the cats were wrecking our furniture. The vet that we went to then was a good vet, competent, and he did not try to dissuade me from having the procedure done, so I thought it was fine.

Well, our new veterinarian, after examining Gizmo thoroughly, explained to me that some of Gizmo's claws were growing back -- underneath the skin of her paws. I was horrified. She had sharp nails growing in underneath her skin.

The new vet (who was wonderful through all this) explained to me that if even so much as a few cells are left after the declawing procedure, this can happen. It doesn't happen often, but it is possible, and the only way to remedy it was more surgery. The nails wouldn't break through the skin on their own, and my cat would continue to suffer.

So my poor, precious kitten had to have surgery all over again. It broke my heart. The procedure is more difficult as a cat ages. There are more risks, and it would require a several-day hospital stay. My Gizmo was so shy and timid, that the trip to the vet alone traumatized her enough, no less a long stay, and surgery.

This procedure is expensive and painful. For my cat to have to go through this twice was unthinkable, and of course, I blame myself.

I wish when I'd originally planned on declawing my cats, that the vet would have sat me down and explained to me just what was involved. I wish he would have told me how painful this procedure was, and that there was a possibility of something like this happening later in their lives.

My Gizmo, thankfully, recovered 100% from this procedure, but I will always remember what she went through.

Please, before you consider declawing your cats, think about it very, very carefully. Talk to your veterinarian. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Find out exactly what is involved, risks and all. Ask your veterinarian about alternatives because there are alternatives -- and then make your decision.

I know you'll make the right one.