I poo poo’d the idea of outlawing de-clawing.
I declawed my cat and he was never the same. After the operation, they cut the “finger” at the knuckle to get rid of the claw ... he never held his paws the way they should have held them. He held them limp ... like he had lost his “cat capabilities”.
My chihuahua picked on him endlessly until he died.
Others may declaw .... I NEVER would again.
It sounds like your vet did a very bad job. Most declawed cats have what is called phantom claws. They still do their little claw action but there are no claws. The cats I have had that were declawed functioned exactly the same only they were unable to destroy things.
Cats even fight largely with their back claws. I adopted an old cat that had been declawed but still went outside sometimes. So I followed his previous lifestyle and let him go outside. He was TOUGH to other cats in the neighborhood. He was very large and had no problems at all. That is probably not best for every cat, but it was perfectly great for him. I think he was viewed as the boss of the neighborhood.
I will admit to declawing two cats. One did fine.
The other was never the same. It changed her life for the worse.
Therefore I will NEVER declaw another cat.
Cats are meant to be indoor/outdoor animals anyway.
Did it once to a cat I had years ago; never again. You are right, the cats “change”.
The cat or the chihuahua?....................
I agree. A cat should be allowed to be a cat. Otherwise, get a dog.