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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

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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.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Mara Howard, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    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!

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    Answered By Anna M., DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    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!

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