Actually - could they not get a couple of catnip cardboard scratching posts - they aren't too expensive - and see if the kitty uses them?

She might not NEED to be declawed...not all cats scratch furniture.

I put one of mine behind a living room chair...my mom decided to move it when she was over one time...and the chair corner got scratched. So - the scratching pad went back behind the chair!

This way, kitty gets a chance to at least be trained a bit - and if that still doesn't work, they can see about the declawing.

But - maybe see if it's needed....