Another reason that rescue places won't adopt to someone who wants to declaw cats, is that a very high percentage of declawed cats end up with behavior, personality, or litter box problems that cause them to be dumped, put to sleep, or taken to the pound.
Declawed cats know they can't defend themselves with anything but their teeth, they tend to be easily upset by change, other animals, and people, and they tend to over-react to situations. Obviously, I'm not saying all declawed cats are like this, but when you've owned, handled, fostered, rescued and met hundreds of cats, you see a higher percentage of declawed cats with problems, than clawed cats with problems.
Almost every cat I have known, that freaked out beyond reason in a situation that did not call for it, was declawed.
Many, many cats that come into rescue places already declawed are being dumped off because, according to the owners who are dumping them, they're mean, they're not good with other petts or kids, or they pee outside the litterbox.
I trim my cats' claws. I will never declaw a cat (I used to show cats, including rescued ones from the pound...not all cats in cat shows are purebred). I will strenuously try to talk people out of declawing because I have seen the long-term effect on a cat.
If you can't live with a cats behavior without cutting body parts off of it, then don't get a cat. If you're worried the cat would claw your kids, then don't get a cat and declaw it, because if you can't teach your kids to treat the cat with respect, they're going to end up BITTEN rather than scratched, which is worse. Plus a cat should not have to live in that kind of environment.
It is entirely possible that these things are not caused by the declawing itself...but by the overall treatment of the cat by a human who would cut body parts off of the cat for convenience.
There are many adult cats for adoption that are already declawed. You should be able to find one. Whether your family can pass the requirements for adoption, remains to be seen. In my experience, people who get offended and mad because their kids who were 'only hyped up on sugar' raised flags in a rescue worker who is tired of pouring their heart, soul and money into an animal and wants the best for it, tend not to pass inspection with careful, reputable rescues. I guess I'm old, but if I misbehaved in front of strangers when I was with my mother, she didn't excuse my behavior as 'caused by a sugar high.' She got madder that crap at me and I got punished, for not behaving and embarrassing her in front of people.
