Remember me telling you of Gizmo? My mom had her declawed so she wouldn't shred the furniture. Unfortunately, Giz loved to be outside so we then had to train her to a harness and leash. She still managed to get into some fights with local roamers and always came out on the losing end. As a result I swore I would never declaw any cat. My own 2 now, Missy and Sam, refuse to use a scratching post but love my old rattan chair from college. It's ugly as sin but I keep it just for them. It definitly saves the rest of my furniture.