Even when Mui-mui destroyed half of the old kitchen door with her clawing, none of us entertained the option of having our cat declawed. I mean, it was just so unnatural. None of our other cats had that nasty habit until Duchess came along. Still, I can’t bring myself to think about having her declawed.
Well, I came across this page that says there’s a way of dealing with a cat’s clawing. The trick is not to discourage clawing which is something natural for cats–that’s how they sharpen their claws. The trick is to provide them with something they can claw until they get tired.
As a scratching post, we placed a piece of tree branch (about two feet long) vertically in a corner of a room the cat frequents, protecting the floor from falling fragments by placing the bottom of the branch into a cardboard box. When the bark is worn down, we turn the branch around and eventually replace it with a new one. [The Miami Herald]
Neat. 
I remember the many sleepless nights I went through while deciding whether to have my dog neutered or not — guess guys take such things seriously.
Anyway, finally had my dog go through with it when he started getting sick more often.
But getting a cat declawed is taking away its only means of self-defense.
Yeah, I have no problems getting her sprayed either since three pregnancies a year can really take a toll on her health. But declawing… I mean, if we were talking of humans, that would be torture.