With declawing cats illegal in dozens of countries, the practice is becoming much less widespread. There are many ways to avoid hurting your cat by removing its claws. First, it is important to know that it’s normal for cats to scratch. They usually do it to “trim†their claws or to mark their territory.
Give them a place to scratch at will
Because cats are just acting naturally, their owners should give their pet a suitable place where they can claw without causing problems. Cat “trees†or scratching posts are very useful. Available in many models in most pet shops, cat trees allow kitty to scratch to her heart's content. However, you should make sure that the tree is set up in an appropriate location, i.e. in an area where your cat will have at least some privacy. Furthermore, if your cat doesn't seem to be very interested in the cat tree at first, encourage her to adopt this new object by adding catnip and rewarding her when she uses it.
Making the furniture unpleasant
If your feline is not content with a cat tree or scratching post, you may need to go a step further and make the furniture unappealing. You can do this by putting foil on the legs of chairs or furniture that your cat tends to scratch. The noise caused by the foil will make your cat's experience less pleasant and he will try to find other places to claw. This would be an opportunity to encourage him to scratch his cat tree. It usually only takes a few weeks to change this habit, so take heart!
Buy scratch guards
Your cat doesn’t like the scratching post and your attempts to make clawing the furniture more unpleasant aren’t working? Don’t panic, there’s still a solution! Scratch guards can solve your problem. Colourful and effective, these furniture protectors will make your kitty’s paws look like she just had a fresh manicure. You can find claw guards fairly easily in pet shops.
Whichever solution you choose to prevent your cat from scratching your furniture, it's important to be patient and give him time to adjust. Above all, don't be discouraged!