Declawing a cat is not like a toenail trim. It is amputation of the toe bone near the claw and it seems to be an "American thing."
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I have had many cats and always nice furniture at the same time. If you spend time scolding the cat by saying no when the cat begins to scratch, you can train him or her not to do it. Cats hate to be told 'No'. If you add hitting a bit of newspaper against your own hand, this reinforces the no. Never hit a cat or spray a cat with water. They want to please you and hearing your displeasure stated firmly will do the trick.
If you train them consistently and patiently, they will learn to act properly in your home. When we get a new cat or kitten in the family, I leave them in a room without furniture when I go out, such as a bathroom or laundry room, so they can't get themselves into trouble while I am gone. I train them to use the scratcher boxes you can get at Target that they can stand on and scratch or give them scratching posts made out of rope or carpeting. I rub catnip liberally on the items that I want them to scratch and praise them for scratching these.
Each cat is different. Some are extremely easy to train and then some are just downright stubborn. Whatever the case, you will be doing your cat a tremendous favor by not amputating his claws.
Cats are very intelligent and loving creatures. I never thought they were until my husband and I got our first cat--a Siamese mix named Maia that taught me everything I know and love about cats. Please take a moment to explore these links before making up your mind to do this. They can't speak up for themselves so those of us who oppose this inhumane practice must. And if you still decide you are going to do it after educating yourself, you must never let the cat outside again as it will not be able to defend itself. As a responsible cat owner, you are responsible for keeping your declawed, defenseless cat safe indoors.
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