By Caroline Marcus. Expensive furniture and cats have never been in a good combination. The owner prizes his furniture, but his beloved cat loves to scratch them. One solution: Declaw the cat. This act requires not just the pulling off the nails but the amputation of flesh and bone and is so inhumane that it has been banned in 20 countries, including much of Europe, as well as Australia, Japan and Brazil. Today, West Hollywood in California will spearhead its banning in the US when it becomes the first local government in the country to outlaw the practice. The surgery, which also deprives a cat of one of its natural defenses, is not illegal in Singapore. But while some vets here do perform this painful operation, most frown on it, pointing out that there are other solutions, such as providing scratching posts for the cat or trimming the tips of its claws. The Animal Recovery Centre, Clinic for Pets and Namly Animal Clinic all refuse to do the procedure because it is too cruel. They are prepared only to advise on alternatives or suggest that the pet owners go elsewhere. Declawing a cat could be compared to a human having fingers amputated at the last joint. The cat may walk uncomfortably for up to a week after surgery. One Singapore clinic to Streats that it performed surgical claw removal, or onychectomy, about once a month. The cost of the surgery ranges from 0 to 0, excluding the cost of medication and hospitalization, which can be for as long as three or four days. “The reason it is so expensive is to discourage people from doing it, otherwise people would be rushing in.” said Dr. Edmond Tan, 45, of Edmond Tan Veterinary Surgery in Serangoon, who does the procedure about two or three times a year. Most vets say that if a pet owner asked that his cat be declawed, they would first explore other options with him. Placing scratching posts around the house or trimming the cat’s nails every three weeks are both effective alternatives. “I would seriously try to talk the owner out of having his cat declawed and would only carry out the procedure in cases where I was completely satisfied that it was necessary to save the cat’s life.” Dr. Tan said. He cited a recent case in which a couple wanted to buy expensive furniture and the husband threatened to get rid of the cats if they were not declawed. Under such circumstances, declawing the cats was a better option than putting them down or giving them away to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), where they might be put down later. SPCA executive officer Deirdre Moss, 51, views the procedure as utterly inhumane and a form of animal abuse. “It’s wrong to declaw a cat if you see the need to, you shouldn’t own a cat in the first place,” she said. Photos: From far left – The procedure, a cut-off joint, the cat in recovery.