When I got married and moved in with my husband, Puss was one year old and Cleo was about three months old. Our fifteen-year-old condo had bamboo wallpaper. Bamboo wallpaper and cats with claws aren't a good combination.

My husband insisted we get the cats declawed. Not knowing any better, I complied. My vet never tried to tell me that declawing wasn't a good idea. Luckily, the declawing surgery didn't really seem to effect Cleo and Puss too badly. Puss no longer hung out in high places (like cabinet tops and the top of the refrigerator), and Cleo had a tendency to nip if she got annoyed.

Now I know that declawing is a big deal: imagine having the first joint of all your fingers amputated. That's what declawing is like for cats. Because their claws are one of their defenses, a declawed cat is often a nervous cat and has more of a tendency to bite. Their balance is impaired, too — that's why Puss stopped hanging out in high places.

The truth is this was a needless operation. Cleo and Puss clawed our wallpaper out of boredom, most likely. They didn't have any scratching posts — nary a one between the two of them. No cat trees, no cat beds and not that much play time either.

What can you do if you don't want your furniture ruined but you don't want to declaw your cat?

• Make sure there are multiple scratching opportunities.

• Cats often like to scratch after sleeping and eating, so make sure there's something to scratch near where they eat and sleep.

• The cat trees at the pet stores are usually covered with fluffy carpet — similar to the carpet that's on your floor. The fluffy carpet isn't really a rough enough surface, so don't be surprised if your cat declines to use the store-bought scratching post. Also, how will your cat differentiate between the fluffy carpet on your floor and his scratching post? Sisal, or the wrong side of carpet, makes a better scratching surface. Commercial carpeting has worked well for us, too.

• The scratching post needs to be tall enough and strong enough. If the scratching post topples over on kitty while he's scratching, chances are he won't go back there again.

  Scratching isn't only about claws; it's about stretching and working out tight muscles, too. Your cat needs to be able to stretch out their body to scratch. A scratching post about three feet high will work for most cats.

• Variety is usually appreciated. Try both vertical and horizontal scratchers. There are sisal scratchers that you can hang on a doorknob; my kittens love this (it also has a bell). You can even get wall-mounted scratchers. Try both vertical and horizontal. The inexpensive carboard boxes work well.

We've been lucky — there has been almost no scratching of furniture in my house. At present, we have roughly eight different scratching posts scattered throughout the house. There's one by their food bowl, another near the love seat they tend to sleep on.

What can you do if your cat is scratching?

• Cover the furniture with something kitty doesn't like: sticky paws (double sided tape) or some plastic.

• Rub catnip onto scratching posts to make them more attractive.

• Booby trap the furniture with a soda can with some pennies in it, so that if kitty scratches, it makes a noise.

• Make sure kitty isn't bored — give him enough play time. At least half an hour (it doesn't have to all be at once) is a minimum.

• Squirt kitten if you catch him in the act. Of course, this won't stop kitty when you're not around.

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