I could probably write a huge thread about this - but I won't.

Firstly, unless you are using an animal for strict breeding or showing purposes, it needs to be spayed or neutered. That is the most important thing in responsible pet ownership. If you love animals, why would you want thousand (or more), unwanted and unloved animals suffering and dying?? Spayed or neutered animals have no sense of "ego" where they feel like less of a man (or woman) because they can't procreate. Actually, they can still go through the motions if they want, they just can't make babies. If you have an unspayed or unneutered pet (that's not being strictly used for breeding or showing purposes), you are an irresponsible idiot who shouldn't have pets to begin with.

As far as declawing goes, I personally do not declaw my cats. I trim their nails and train them to use their scratching posts. Although, I understand why some people do it - in my opinion, if it's a matter of declawing a cat so it can have a happy, comfortable life in someone's home rather than being taken to a shelter and possibly euthanized, I'd say declaw the cat. However, I always recommend everyone try alternatives before actually declawing. Some people think that just because they have a cat, it needs to be declawed. You cannot train a cat not to scratch - but you can train it to scratch in appropriate places. We recommend declawing as young as 3lbs, because it's less painful for the cat and they heal faster when they're small.

I would say more, but I have to go to work. I'll go into more detail about both of these issues later tonight.