Cat absolutely refuses to use posts

Hello, I'm having major problems with my cat using her scratching post. I've used every deterrent I can think of and find on the internet including foil, air freshener, water spray, citrus spray etc. but she just moves to another part of the sofa and starts clawing again. She also doesn't seem to respond to catnip, feliway etc so spraying those on the posts have not worked.

I've got 3 different posts made of 3 different materials. One cat tree which she'll sit on but won't scratch, one stand alone post which is similar to the one she had in the rescue shelter and one horizontal cardboard scratcher. I've moved all of these around the living room in front of where she is scratching and again, she just moves to a new spot. She's now not only scratching our sofas but is now starting on the carpet which needs to stop immediately as we're in a rented flat! 

I'm at a loss with what to try really because she doesn't seem to respond to anything I do. She used her post in the shelter but she had nothing else to scratch there as everything in the pen was plastic/concrete. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated because I really am at a loose end here!

It depends how important your sofa is to you. If it were me, I wouldn't care, but, strangely enough, I have never had a cat who claws the furniture.

Have you tried spraying the trees with catnip spray to attract her to them?  I do that when I get a new toy or tree for the cats to get them interested.  

Do you trim her nails regularly?  

Here's an article that may help.  It mentions Soft Claws, which may be another solution for you.

You can also try putting sticky tape on the surface where she likes to scratch.  This discourages some cats because they hate the feel on their paws.  Furniture protection strips are available at most pet stores or you can try using double sided sticky tape.  Meanwhile the scratching post should be nearby so your girl has an alternative place to scratch right at hand.  This method doesn't always work, but it's certainly worth a try.    

Sprinkle some catnip on the cardboard scratcher, which will attract the cat. I also placed the upright sisal posts in front of the corner of the chairs the cat liked to scratch. Mine have gone right to it, so I don't know if this will help, but give it a try.

I don't know if this would work in your case, but I've noticed that with mine, they don't claw the sofas or chairs that have throws on them.  I guess it cramps their style? I don't know.  But they don't mess with the big sofa.  They used to, until I put the throw on.  There are 2 chairs in my bedroom that they don't bother until the throw comes off.  Then they start using it.  Maybe my kitties are weird.  

Of course I bought these really expensive eastern red cedar scratching posts a number of years ago, which they cut a wide swath around, even after I scrubbed them both down with cat nip.  Nope.  They were having NONE OF IT!  

I have the same problem you have.  Purchased a cat tree with sisal posts. My cat has NO interest.  Purchased another post with a different type(?) of rope that my cat appears more attracted to, however it's too short as he's grown since I got it for him. He has NO interest in the cardboard either, Gave to my daughter, since she has 3 cats.  They scratched that cardboard up (like normal cats SHOULD).  I was happy to see it didn't go to waste, but frustrated that my cat would rather scratch my couches 

Is the cat still using the scratching post that is too short?  If this is the case then I would try to find a taller scratch post of the same material.  The only thing that worked for me to get my cats to stop scratching my couch was to get the right height scratching post and put it directly in front of the area where the couch was being scratched.  I also put couch covers on my furniture too. The combination of the two stopped the behavior. We have 6 scratch posts in front of pieces of furniture that my cats used to scratch.

Hi FernEden, please do not worry, this is a fixable problem! Look at this from your kitty's perspective. Why do cats scratch? No to make their owners miserable by destroying their furniture. In fact cats have no concept of 'furniture'. They scratch to keep their nails nice and sharp but probably also in your case, they scratch to release stress. Cats also have a tendency to scratch when they wake up. Does she sleep on your couch? 

In case you've tried, don't punish her for this behaviour. It is completely natural for her! She will not understand, as she clearly hasn't so far. For some reason she likes to scratch the couch (many cats do). In my own case I have solved this by buying an unscratchable couch, but I have friends who just let their cats scratch their couches. They look awful, so they put a plaid over them or something. This would also be my best advice for you because I'm a great believer in accomodating cats in their natural behaviour as it is we who want cats to live with us.

Have you tried Sticky Paws? The box says "inappropriate" which I don't agree with, but other than that, it has worked for me to keep my kitten from crawling in behind the amplifier (nice warm spot, but lost of chewable cables). Also don't forget to have a daily play session at the moment. You may be too stessed out by this to not want to 'reward' her with your attention, but keep in mind that she has absolutely no concept of any wrong doing. Also play (hunt) releases stress, so maybe less scratching the couch.

Keep us posted please!

Yes, he still uses the post which is too short. I have it placed on the corner of the couch where he likes to scratch.  I MUST find post(s) with the same type of rope! I purchased a  couch cover which surprisingly doesn't fray when he scratches it! Looks more like a boat cover than a form-fitting cover, but it works. I've even tried catnip on the cardboard to encourage scratching, but it didn't work for him.

....oh yes and the Sticky Paws doesn't stick well to the fabric on my couch.  I even caught my kitty "PLAYING" with the tape that fell to the floor.

Haha, Petey, not very useful then.. Worked well on my book case. 

I'd never think of punishing my cat for scratching.  I'm a firm believer in allowing a cat to do what cats do.  Though I admit I gently push him away once I see him begin to scratch.  I KNOW I can try harder by purchasing more posts than I have available to him now.  He has ONE he likes which I've established is too short and no other place to scratch, so it's my bad.  The cat tree (with sisal included) doesn't interest him.

I clip his nails weekly

She's such a strange little cat. I've only had her a month from the shelter and she's 13 so it's not as if she's a kitten. Maybe she just likes the feel of the leather because she's never seen it before? She doesn't respond to any type of catnip at all and she's not massive on playing at the moment (apart from the mad 5 minutes where she runs from one end of the house to the other!) Hopefully as she settles in more, she'll play and use her posts! Putting a blanket over the sofas that I don't want her scratching has seemed to work for now and there is one that she can scratch if she absolutely needs to, I'd rather her scratch that one than the carpets!! She's just a little monster who doesn't like to use anything cat related at all, if it's something humans use then she's all over it haha

From day 1 at 3 months old - now almost 9 months, my kitty doesn't appear to be interested in carpeting.  I have both couches covered, one with a couch cover and the other with a blanket.  What I think(?) I notice is he's not a "horizontal" scratcher, but vertical....if that makes sense.  He hasn't scratched the "seats" on the couches, however the SIDES are more appealing.  Because he's never scratched the carpeting in the bedroom, I'm a little leery about getting him a post covered in carpet, but this may be what he'll go for. I know I'll have to get 3 more posts to begin with. I'll take it from there  

Petey, could you maybe try getting a tall post and covering it in different materials so you can figure out which material he likes best? I was worried about getting a carpet one in case Mabel started going at the carpets too but maybe a home made multi fabric one could work?

That's not a bad idea, FernEden!  I was even thinking of going around my neighborhood where some trees have been cut down in order to find the perfect sized "small" log, and attach it to a base where Dublin could actually scratch bark from a real tree.  This of course would mean de-BUGGING that sucker before it comes in the house.  I hate critters!  Thanks again!