As Barkingdog mentioned, a tendonectomy would not be a good idea. Here's what
The Paw Project has to say:
Tendonectomy or Tenectomy is a procedure in which the tendons in the toes are severed. The cat still has its claws, but is unable to control them. This procedure does not necessarily protect people from being scratched, and it is associated with a high incidence of abnormal claw growth and muscle atrophy. In a 1998 JAVMA article, Jankowski, et al., concluded that "owners should be aware of the high complication rate for both [tendonectomy and declawing] procedures and of the need for constant trimming of claws of cats that have undergone tenectomy."
Jankowski also reported that 55% of the cats having tendonectomy were still able to scratch with their claws to some degree, and that 10% of the cat's owners had the cats declawed after the tendonectomy procedure for this reason.
In March 2003, the AVMA stated that tendonectomy is "not recommended."
Dr. Wendy Feaga, a Maryland veterinarian, wrote in Veterinary Medicine (May 1998), regarding tendonectomy, "I hope this cruel practice is stopped immediately." She describes a post-tendonectomized cat that "had badly arthritic toes and did not move around comfortably. The toenails were thick and disfigured, and the toes were painful on palpation. I was horrified."
Robert Goldman, DVM, says, "Veterinarians who recommend tendonectomy for cats will tell their clients that they have to trim the cat's claws at least every week. If the client is going to have to trim the nails every week, why not just trim the nails and avoid the tendonectomy procedure all together?"
Also, whenever I hear someone say their cat was declawed and is fine, I want to tell them about some of the absolutely heartbreaking stories from the other side of the coin. There are many cases where the cats *aren't* fine, where they suffer terribly for the rest of their lives, their owners living with extreme guilt for what they've done to them. Why would anyone want to even take that chance? Why don't we pretend that declawing isn't even an option, like in so many other countries where they also have kids and cats living together?