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To answer your questions: No, you shouldn't declaw a cat, you should properly train it. No, declawing shouldn't be illegal as most folks don't have the stones to properly train a cat. And yes, declawing is cruel but sometimes necessary, but never with a properly trained cat.

My buddy had a cat named Simon which he trained from a kitten. When cute widdo Simon kitty would scratch or bite - WHAM !! - he was thrown against the wall at high velocity.

It took some persistence and effort, but Simon grew into the best behaved, most lovable cat I ever met. And Simon had all his claws AND his balls.

He was an indoor/outdoor cat, and the terror of the nearly rural neighborhood. My buddy decided to raise German Shepherds. They were a 110 pound female, and a 140 pound male (gargantuan). Simon weighed around 20 pounds. The dogs grew up around him.

He was truly a wonderful cat. You could call him and he would gladly come. If you invited him on your lap he was always polite about it. Even if he was FALLING off your lap or the couch, you NEVER saw or felt a claw, and he had big sharp ones. If you told him to get down, he would immediately jump down.

Aha, say our cat fanciers. "An most unnatural wuss cat, RUINED by abuse !"

If you had seen, like I did, Simon hanging from the FACE of one of those German Shepherds, by his claws, you'd quickly lose that "wuss" idea. Simon's somewhat torn up ears would give you a clue about his fearless attitude about challenges from other animals. The shepherds had already learned "You don't mess around with Simon" no matter what.

But claw or bite a human, even a relative stranger ? NEVER ! Kick ass around the whole neighborhood, dominate two very large German Shepherds like they were puppies ? YOU BETCHA !

But then Simon was a properly trained cat. A joy to his owners, and to their guests.

Unfortunately many cat owners allow their cats to train THEM, and end up with obnoxious, ill-mannered animals that destroy their property and are annoying pests to their guests.

You’re right, you have to be as firm with a cat as you would with a dog and properly train them. Sometimes even more so than a dog.

I have an old torbie who was ferocious when we got her. She’d bite, scratch and hiss and we had to physically teach her not to (nothing too drastic; a smack of the nose or firm swat). She looks like a mini-Scottish wildcat and I think her primitive little mind respected that physicality. Our black-and-white boys, however, were natural-born mushes and never needed such disciplining.

She’s still a hissy, mean old cat, but she’s as sweet as pie when she wants to be be, drooling and purring and rubbing up against our legs for affection. Her scratching and biting days are over and she still has all her teeth and claws. As she was the undisputed Queen of the house she kept the dogs in place with just one paw raised menacingly but had learned better than to ever bite or scratch any humans again.