I would never declaw a cat. It's cruel. If you have a cat that cannot be broken from destroying furniture, either you have a problem or the cat has a problem. Either way, it can be worked out. Even if the cat has to be put down, it's more humane than declawing. All of mine played with me in wrestling and such games without ever clawing me. Oh, I got clawed, but only when a cat was frightened for some reason. All of mine were taught not to mess with the furniture. It's very simple... growl when they do it and chase them, catch them and bring them back to the furniture they were clawing... if they claw again, GROWL !!! It's not rocket science.