I have to disagree on it being a violation to "force" a contract and home visits. Personally, I think it would be rude to think I could get something and not expect to accept the terms being asked for, upfront. There are plenty of people out there who are interested in the meeting those terms. If you don't want to declaw, go somewhere else as you suggested.

Personally, I am glad people are standing up for animals. If your cat is going to get outside (clearly it has a history of that), it needs to be able to protect itself. It is not a stuffed animal.

When I bought my dogs (BOUGHT not even adopted) I had to apply much like it was an adoption. I have no problem with that. The terms insisted upon by the breeders did nothing but improve the chances for my dogs' safety and quality of life. If I couldn't make sure they were safe, cared for and loved, I don't have any business getting them. It is a huge, long term responsibility to take in a pet. Cats live even longer and that needs to be considered. A twenty-something getting a kitten may still have the cat in his forties. I'm not doing my dogs a favor - they are doing one for me. That's the way I feel about it.