Well our two have a very large scratching post and they do use it all the time, being bengals, they are forever climbing trees (and getting stuck, stupid f*ckers) so they sharpen their claws that way. I think claw covers would be cruel, you get a cat/s deal with the consequences. My cousin in the US has had her cat de-clawed and I felt so sorry for the poor thing seeing it try to climb a fence and failing miserably.