True, vets do declaw all the time. Ok however, is questionable. Think about how vets make their living. Exams, maintenance shots, neutering, spaying and an occasional injury. Provide your cat with his own place to scratch.
Cats have scent glands in the paws and they are creatures of ritual.
If you see your cat going towards that beautiful tapestry chair, take him to the scratching post, carpet square or cardboard corrugate you can get at the pet shop for a few dollars. Gently take his paws and move back and forth on the substitute, for his scent will now be on the desired object. Cats are very intelligent and will get the idea fast. What I do is take my own finger and scratch on the post. When getting a new kitten, keep him in a room when you are at work so you are around to monitor the incidences of forbidden scratching.