Well, I really don't think people should get it done on their cats at all: I feel like most people do it just because they don't want he cat to claw up their furniture.
If you place the condition of your furniture over a living thing, maybe you shouldn't have a pet. And besides that, there are tons of scrAtching posts when placed properly and when the cat has the right incentive, then the cat won't be inclined to use your things.
A friend of mine got her cat declawed because they were worried about him scratching her then infant sister- I understand the fear there, it seems like a more legitimate reason than the above, but you're never supposed to leave small children around animals anywAy, no matter the pet or how sweet or patient the pet is, because kids sometimes don't understand how to treat animals until they are older.
I've heard of some other people saying that they'd use it as a last resort, if the cat was attacking them or their other pets, but it has always seemed to me that, the scratching Is a symptom of something else, maybe an illness or dysfunction or pet/human/living situational incompatibility. Removing the cats claws in a situation like that would only stop the cat from showing what's wrong in one way and they might try in another. In a situation like that, I would prefer to rehome a cat rather than remove its claws.
I hear in most other places, cat declawing isn't allowed, which is great and a sad look at the state of affairs in the US. At the end of the day I feel like there are so many other options to consider (scratching posts, slow reintroduction, soft claws, rehoming) that declawing shouldn't be an option and certainly it shouldn't be as routine and the first thing people get done when trouble starts.
