We’ve had 12 cats over the last 44 years, the first 5 kept their claws and we had some furniture damage, but not a lot. We had to be diligent in disciplining them. For the most part they were good about scratching only their designated posts.
Our next group we declawed the 4 kittens at an early age, and they were playing the next day like nothing happened. The mother cat, who was about a year old, was also declawed at the same time,had only a little more trauma. She hobbled around for a day or two, but was fine thereafter. All of the declawed cats could climb trees just fine. Eventually we stopped letting them outside because they were getting old. We’ve used Soft Paws (caps) on the rest and those have saved a lot of furniture. Declawing is not cruel if you do it early and take care of them properly afterwards.
“Declawing is not cruel if you do it early and take care of them properly afterwards.”
This is completely untrue. Ask any vet. This is your excuse for putting your furniture over an intelligent, sensitive living creature.