A long time ago, one of my cats was chased by a big dog which was roaming around in the neighborhood. The cat ran back home in a hurry but the dog was still after her. Being cornered, she climbed up a tree just outside my window -- I was watching the whole scene. I felt sorry for my cat, but I was also very impressed. I wished I could climb a tree as quick as my cat!

My cat could put herself out of harm's way by climbing up a tree thanks to her claws. I am personally against declawing of cats unless the owner has a very serious reason that nobody else could argue against. Since the majority of the cats living in the United States stay in the house all day, many cat owners face issues daily concerning claws - especially the scratching of furniture. I don't consider protecting furniture from cat scratching to be a good enough reason for declawing.

Why do cats scratch furniture? Scratching behaviors are a normal, natural instinct. By scratching, cats can remove the frayed outer layers of their claws. Every time I find these outer sheaths on the floor, I know that our cat's claws are getting sharp. Scratching also helps cats mark their territories. Cats stretch their muscles through scratching. Cats maintain their physical health by scratching.

You may think to yourself then, "I accept that I can't stop my cat's natural scratching behaviors, and I don't want to declaw my cat. What options are left to me? I need to protect my furniture, too!"

One approach that is popular and widely used is making your furniture (or whatever you don't want your cat to scratch) "unattractive" to cats while redirecting their attention to something you want them to scratch instead (a scratching post, for example). Buy a scratching post that matches your cat's needs - one tall enough for the cat to stretch and scratch, and sturdy and stable enough that it won't topple when the cat puts weight on it. Finding material that your cat likes is also important. Place the scratching post close to the furniture which your cat routinely scratches and then cover the furniture with something your cat doesn't like (such as sticky tape or plastic). Encourage your cat to use the scratching post by enticing him/her by using things he/she likes (toys and treats). I sprinkled catnip on the scratching post, and it worked. Keep doing this until the cat gets used to scratching the post. Gradually, move the scratching post away from the furniture a little at a time to the location you want it to be, but please keep in mind that your cat has to accept the new location, too, or he/she may go back to the original furniture.

By the way, the bottom part of the tree that my cat climbed up when chased by the dog was always bare because my cat used the spot for scratching regularly. It served as a natural scratching post. The tree (a pine) was taken care of by professional trimmers and looked beautiful (the kind that you see in beautiful traditional Japanese garden pictures), but my cat didn't care about preserving the beautiful appearance of the tree. She kept stripping the bark with her claws. My cat just loved the big natural scratching post!

You can find more information about scratching behaviors of cats here.
For information on declawing and scratching, click here.