I agree, Stella. Yikes. It sounds like a terrible thing to do.
I'm really against de-clawing kitties, too. I mean, people gotta do what they gotta do or whatever, but...wow. I just think its too weird. I have three and none of them are declawed. I trim their nails constantly, so they never have the sharp tips on them to scratch stuff. And, you can get little rubber tips called Soft Paws to put on, too. I guess I feel like if you're going to get kitties, find other options than declawing, cuz cats have claws.
Not to offend...just my HUMBLE opinion.