how do you prevent Cats from scratching your furniture without de-clawing them?

[Skoot]

my cats are destroying my furniture...but i am STRONGLY against de-clawing!
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to resolve this common, but difficult problem?
Thank you,
Scout

[divegirl]

Try a cat scratching post..... my babies have a 5' cat tower and haven't touched the furniture once :O]

Lisa x

[Ethel]

Thankfully de-clawing is illegal in the UK, so that is not an option.

Get a water pistol and 'shoot' the cat whenever you see her scratching things you don't want her to scratch.

But make plenty of alternatives available, so she can scratch. It is an important function for her

[moonshadow]

Adding to divegirl's suggestion,spray the scratchpost with catmint spray they love it.

[EmEd1984]

you can actually get a clear plastic protector that will attach to your sofa to stop them. i would guess that after a while of trying they might give up so perhaps you could just use it temporarily.

i saw a 'different' idea recently...cute or cruel though??
http://www.softpaws.com/

[Aggi]

Buy some lemon soap and rub it over the furniture. It won't stain the material but the cat will hate the smell. It's a cheap option and it works. Good luck!