I agree with not having it declawed. And our caus love the sturdy scratching post with the rope on it. We also have one with actual tree branches with the bark on it that a previous cat loved. Then we have another with carpet that a different cat likes. Some like to scratch vertically and some like to scratch horizontally. We have both. I clip my cats' claws every 10 days or so to keep them short. You may have to start out with someone holding the kitten and the other one clipping. Just be careful not to clip to the quick which is the pink part. I usually just clip the tips. If you squeeze the paw a little their claws will come out and you can get to them easier. I have had to wrap one of mine in a towel because she was in a mood and wanted to scratch me. She has extra toes on all her feet and long hair so it takes me a long time to get hers done. Other times she lays still and growls at me. Good luck with your kitten.