[ThetaGirl1997]

I have four cats, all of which are declawed. I don't recall any of them acting like they were in pain after the procedure, and they haven't had any problems in the 2+ years since. The cat is anesthetized during the procedure, and mine were given pain medicine afterwards.

As for the litter problem, you should use shredded paper in the box until toes are healed competely - after that it shouldn't be a problem. If regular litter is used when the toes are still a bit tender, the cat may associate any pain from digging in the litter with the litter box, which would cause the problems with not using the litter box.

I honestly don't think a vet would do the procedure if they really believed it was painful and inhumane. However, since your cat is a bit older (and used to the claws, as someone said) I would try to find an alternative, only because older cats may have complications from the anesthesia.