Should I declaw my cat?

No. Declawing isn’t nail removal. It’s surgical amputation of the last bone of each toe, equivalent to removing a human fingertip at the first knuckle. The AVMA discourages elective declawing; many countries and several US states have banned the practice. The cats who undergo it often develop chronic pain, litter-box avoidance (the litter hurts) and increased biting (since the primary defense is gone). The right answer for furniture scratching is the right scratching post in the right place, soft nail caps if needed, or temporary furniture protection while the cat learns to redirect.

When to call a vet: if your cat is scratching anxiously, repeatedly, or causing real damage despite a correct post setup, that’s worth a behavior consultation, not a surgical solution.