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My cat scratches furniture. What are humane alternatives to declawing?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Himalayan | Male | unneutered | 2 years and 8 months old | 9 lbs

everyone keeps telling me that declawing my cat is bad, but my cat keeps scratching my furniture .what should I do to stop that?

3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr Stafford, BVetMed, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on July 28th, 2017

Unfortunately it is very difficult to get them to stop once they start. All you can really do is install a few scratching posts and hope these entice the cat. I would not advocate declawing a cat, it is routinely performed in the US but illegal in the UK. It can make it dificult for them to climb and balance.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Mara Howard, DVM
Veterinarian
I'm sorry to hear that you are having issues with Milo scratching furniture. Firstly, I would make sure to keep Milo's nails cut very short. I would also give him lots of appropriate things to scratch on and various options for variety (different textures, horizontal scratchers, vertical trees, etc. I would also encourage playing with Milo and getting him
Interactive cats toys (puzzle boxes, etc.) to keep him mentally stimulated. If there is a degree of stress that is causing his behavior, I would recommend contacting his regular veterinarian to discuss options on what can be done to help with any anxiety he may have. Good luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Anna M., DVM
Veterinarian
I agree with the input from the other two, and would just like to add that there is a product that some use with success to deter scratching of furniture. "Soft paws" are soft rubbery nail covers that are actually glued to the cat's claws to protect surfaces that the cat might scratch. I get mixed feedback from clients, and I think it comes down to how compliant Milo might be with sitting still for you to apply these! Anyways, it might help you - wanted to make sure you knew about this option!.

Here's a link:
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/soft-claws-blue-cat-nail-caps

Hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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My cat keeps scratching the couch. What's the best way to stop her?

I recommend trying Soft Paws. They are nail caps that you glue onto your cat's claws, and it prevent damage to the furniture when they try to scratch. You can order them online, and you may be able to find them in a pet store. I hope this helps!

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Training & Behavior

Help! My cat keeps scratching my leather furniture. What can I do?

This is such a frustrating battle. Here are a few suggestions that may or may not work. You can try giving him something else to scratch on like a tall scratching post or a piece of wood from outside. The scratching post needs to be tall because they like to stretch while scratching. Feliway also make a product now called feliscratch to help redirect the scratching to the scratching post. You can also apply soft paws to their nails so that even if they try to scratch, they won't do any damage. I hope this helps!

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My cat is destroying furniture. Should I declaw or try other options?

I'm sorry you are having problems with Elliot. I would discourage you from having him declawed. Declaw surgery involves amputation of the last bone of the digit. So if you look at your fingers, its the equivalent of cutting off your finger below your fingernail, at that top knuckle. Now imagine having to bear weight on it. Especially in adult cats, recovery can be very painful, long, and difficult, and can even change their personality to some degree. This article has some more information regarding declawing: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-quick-facts-to-consider-before-deciding-to-declaw-your-cat/ I do understand your frustration though; perhaps there are some other things you can try before giving him back to a shelter. This article has some great suggestions I think you will find helpful. https://www.petcoach.co/article/scratch-the-surface-why-cats-scratch-and-how-to-redirect-this-nat/ I hope that helps! Good luck with him!

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Should I declaw my kitten? What are the dangers and alternatives?

Yes absolutely! Declawing causing severe pain to your cat and possibly can result in aggression following the procedure. This is seen often. You are essentially removing the entire bone and flesh from your pets lower paw, which is like a mini-amputation. We don't recommend this unless absolutely necessary, which is often in cases where the cat is causing serious harm/injury to a debilitated/senior/sick owner and there is no other alternative for the cat. It is best to keep Oliver intact if possible. You can also try out soft paws for cats, which are soft nail covers that can stay on for an extended period of time, protecting kitty from scratching you or your furniture. https://www.softpaws.com/ I hope that this helps and best wishes with your fur baby Oliver moving forward. Take care.

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Help! How do I get my cat to stop scratching all the furniture?

Here is a link to an article that explains this problem and how to rectify it. I have also linked some Feliway products and some Soft Paws that you may want to try. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/common-cat-behavior-issues/destructive-scratching https://www.feliway.com/us/Why-Use-Feliway/how-to-stop-a-cat-scratching-furniture https://www.feliway.com/us/Products/feliscratch-by-feliway https://www.softpaws.com/soft-paws-cats/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7CDkqZAqIc

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

Should I declaw my 3-month-old kitten to prevent furniture damage?

This is a highly debated topic even amongst veterinarians and the truth is that there is no right or wrong answer here. The biggest concern veterinarians have about declawing is that it is very painful for cats and may cause life-long pain or other complications. However, vets who have been doing this for a long time note that most kittens/cats do just fine. Often, people want their cat declawed to prevent them from destroying furniture/curtains. It is well known amongst shelters, that this is a big reason for people giving up their cats. Since shelters are limited with how many cats they can take, many of these cats may be euthanized, because of this. So, many vets agree that the chances of complications and pain are not as big of a concern as possible surrender, abandonment and/or euthanasia of the cat. I say that if you think you can manage to keep her with her claws on, then it's best not to get her declawed. If you think that she is just too destructive and you can't keep her with her claws, then it may be worth discussing with your vet about declawing or other options. I hope that helps.

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My 5-year-old cat claws furniture. What are my declawing options?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Mitzi is not too old for declawing but declawing at this age can lead to more pain and potentially chronic pain. The recovery in older animals is typically longer as well. For the clawing at furniture, if you have not tried Soft Paws yet, I would consider doing so. These fit over the nails and prevent the claws from damaging furniture. They have to be re-applied every 2-3 weeks typically. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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