Illinois Public Media (Feb. 22) – The [declaw] procedure involves general anesthesia and amputates the third digit of the cat’s toe, said Gene Pavlovsky, medical director at Veterinary Medicine South Clinic and instructor of primary care at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. “An inability to use the claws changes the natural way that a cat might exercise or display their preferred methods of sharpening their claws,” Pavlovsky said.
https://will.illinois.edu/studentnewsroom/story/proposed-bill-may-ban-cat-declawing-in-illinois