You did a good thing for your beloved cat. We have leather couches, and unfortunately, the kitties scratched them up a bit when we first got the set. There are plenty of posts for them to scratch and they've long stopped scratching the couches, but the marks remain. I shrug it off. The couches are still comfortable and the cats are happy and affectionate. I would never remove my cats's distal phalanxes (that's what declawing is) just for the furniture's sake.
You mention getting new furniture in your post, and that made me think of the one time we ALMOST had a scratching problem.
Years ago, I came into possession of a beautifully-crafted old wing chair. It was lovely, with a channel-back and wonderful woodwork. Trouble was, the upholstery was extremely worn and need replacing. So that’s just what I did. I picked out some nice (too expensive) fabric, and had the upholsterers do their magic.
Thrilled, I brought it home and placed it in JUST the right spot in the house.
The cats went berserk. I could barely keep them away from it, and I feared that they would destroy it if I left it unattended. Anyway, I think I figured out why they were so fascinated by this chair. I think the smell of the new upholstery upset them because it didn’t smell like home.
So...I covered the thing in some old flannel nightgowns of mine and left it there for about a week. The cats suddenly lost interest, and when I took the nightgowns off, they no longer gave it a second look.
These days, that chair still looks really good, but it seems that it has become the dog’s favorite sleeping spot when we’re not home. (It’s right next to the front door; I think he thinks it’s his sentry post.)
Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Regards,