We found out the hard way that it's very important to have LOTS of other things for kitties to scratch! When we first got Josie, she didn't have anything to scratch except the couch! But then when we got Brodie, we had TONS of scratching posts & pads and he doesn't even offer to scratch the couch!

Also, it seems to help if you keep their nails trimmed. They don't scratch as much then.

Good luck if you decide to go with the soft paws! I've never used them but I've thought about it!