Why Your Cat Won’t Use the Scratching Post

My one cat loves her giant slanted cardboard scratcher. The other cat loves the carpet-covered poles on her cat trees. The first cat is not interested in carpet, and the second cat is not interested in cardboard. Both cats avoid the sisal rope-covered poles on the cat trees. They both avoid furniture. You have to offer enough scratching surfaces until you find out what each cat prefers.

I have used Glad Press n Seal wrapped around my couch and other surfaces to make it unpleasant for my cats to scratch. It works well and sticks without leaving residue.

Watched this video in desperation. I don't know what direction it is that our cat likes... But he likes to lay down on his side and scratch the couch from there. There's a scratching post next to the couch but it's obviously the wrong shape. I have been thinking of getting a sisal carpet and attach it to the other end of the couch, but it's only half solution as he should learn not to touch the couch at all. Has anyone built anything that resembles the end of the couch?

My cat does not scratch on the scratching post at all. She doesn't scratch in the horizontal scratcher either. She does not scratch on the couch but she does scratch on the carpet. We do not know what else to do.😫

Hello! Thanks for this video. Newly adopted 8 month old cat likes to scratch the carpet beside my bed. The scratching post is like 3 to 4 steps away beside my night stand. How do I get her to go to the post? If I place the scratching post right beside my bed for now, will I be able to move it back beside the night stand and she will eventually use it in that location? She has used this post if I show it to her and if i place it beside my bed so it is not that she doesn’t like the post at all!

Wow, what a great lesson. I learned something new.

I have done so much reading and video watching and still have problems with my cat. She scratches my living room carpet. I have a few different types of posts with horizontal, vertical and diagonal options with different materials. I have cardboard scratchers that are horizontal and diagonal. I've gotten old mats and rugs to see her she would prefer those. Nope. She ONLY uses the carpet on the floor. The issue is, she doesn't favor just one spot. She picks around ALL of my furniture and even in the middle of the floor. If I put a scratcher/post there, she picks in front of it on the carpet. My carpet is being torn up along the whole bottom of my sofa, around the legs of my coffee table, around my TV stand, in front of my air conditioner and spots around where I have tried moving the posts. Then there are spots in the middle of the room. I tried claw caps on her, but it's extremely difficult to keep them on as she does not like being restrained or have her paws touched for more than a couple seconds. I've accepted the fact that I am not getting my damage deposit back when I move but I would really like to get her out of this habit. Catching her doing it is even a challenge as she has learned that she can't get caught if she only does it when I am sleeping or at work. I feel like I am running out of options. :(

My kitty (about fourteen weeks) doesn't scratch the couch, but doesn't scratch the scratching post on the cat tower (which is by the window); she's lately taken to using my knees as a scratching post and I provide a distraction in the form of a soft toy or a paper airplane or crumpled paper, as I do when she's gnawing my hands (she's doing better about not doing that...the vet said she'd grow out of it). I'll try to make a horizontal scratching post.

OMG THANK YOU JACKSON!!! I bought an expensive cat scratching post and was heartbroken that my cat Jedster hadn’t touched it for the last two weeks. I tried it by his cat tree, and moved it by my couch. I used catnip and no luck.

Watched your video, disassembled the base of the vertical scratching post, laid it horizontally on a rug and almost instantly he was scratching it! Lol. I had no idea there were different kinds of scratching that cats prefer. Mind blown. Thank you!!! I was really starting to regret my purchase and thinking of donating it.

Now that I’ve experienced amazing results from your video I’m going to see what you have posted about wet food. My cat won’t eat it, I’ve tried almost every brand and style. He will only lick it a little and then walk away, lol. Can’t wait to see what I’m missing.

My kitten attacks my bed sheets. I don’t know why and she won’t scratch her post or her cardboard scratchers 😭

This just gave me a crazy idea for my cat. I make vertical corner scratchers. And place them on the corners of the couch. So now mr.whiskers, can hang with the scent. And scratch where he wants

My cat likes both horizontal and vertical. The horizontal one (cardboard wave shape) she also likes to sleep on. I have a little sisal pole one for vertical.
I am sure she would do sloped as well.

thank you

I didn't want to cover my cat in double sided tape, until you mentioned it.

Don’t want to hear their life story get to the point time wasting

My cat likes the material on the chair.

Even tough I hve plenty of cat scratchers they still scratch my furniture even though they are 2 nd 3 yers old.I also spray cat spray on the furniture and when it dries they scratch.I hve covers over the furniture.

Hello, everyone! I hope somebody in this awesome hive mind community will have an idea!
So, our cat, super sweet, doesn’t scratch anything she is not supposed to, so no issue there. BUT she does not and has no interest in sisal scratchers. She loves her cat tree, for lounging, bird watching, playing, but the scratching post on it, nope. I even removed the ramp and moved it to different places, but no luck. What she does love for scratching is a rope basket from TJMaxx. She’s almost destroyed it, it’s lost all integrity of a basket, but she kicks it around the floor, wrestles with it, bunny kicks it and so forth. So the whole “make sure it’s sturdy and stable” doesn’t apply to my cat, apparently. Has anyone come around a scratcher that’s rope like and can be manipulated/played with by a cat? Any and all recommendations would be amazing, I’ve been googling to no avail! Thanks amazing Cat community 😊

I really like these kinds of videos! Seeing how people have actually implemented your advice in their living spaces is really helpful to think about how I can improve my own, and the problem solving aspect of it is really interesting and educational!

Wow! Thank you Jackson. I have treasures of info from this video.

What if your cat is scratching on the side of the couch and doesn't use the several scratching posts right next to the couch??

My cats love the "rug type" mats for scratching most of the time although they do like to hang out in the kitty condo cat trees by the window. What I have always done when I get any sort of "scratching" item is rub it down well with a good quality cat nip, I rub the cat nip between my hands, and then rub it onto the item, all over it and sprinkle a little bit on it too. This seems to keep them scratching in all the right places the majority of the time. I "reapply" the cat nip in the same way every so often.

You're videos are so helpful. I was watching for years before I adopted my cats.

Damn...my own scent. That explains why his most used scratching post is my office chair. 🤦🏻‍♂️

That's going to be my problem when i move out of the hostel into a unit I'm going to spend some money to get a cat tower but terruh doesn't scratch pole cat scratch tower things when she was a kitten but scratch pads but if i put some food on the tower to get her to sit on the tower

My cats use both the scratching post and carpet and I don't mind it's cute but they mostly use the carpet better so now I know why lol.

@JacksonGalaxy Cuz esosilly yeseeiyuz! Yeeyus!

One of my cats destroys... I mean absolutely shreds feather wand toys. Is Jackson's air prey toy stronger?

Make catnip water and infuse it😊

How do I get my cat to use sisal scratchers. She is a horizontal (mostly) & vertical scratcher. She uses cardboard scratchers but only the periphery. Sometimes she uses the sisal on the cat tree but only briefly. I haven't tried the angled scratchers. She will be a year old next month. She is the the only cat In my apartment.

Jackson, I took.your advice years ago. I put a scratching post ( I rubbed some catnip on them) and put them by my furniture. My cat loves them.

both my cats love a sisal door mat, they like to scratch them cuz they're on the ground. outside, they use the tree trunks occasionally but they are floor scratchers. they have each a cat tree with sisal on the bottom tier but seldom use that

My two cats I love one scratch’s on this horizontal scratcher we have the other loves the carpet on the ground

Hi how can I stop my cat scratching the walls

I go with the adagium that: if cats scratch chairs and couches, the furniture is not less comfortable. They’re cats, and I love them! And as strange as it sounds, permitting them to do that saves the rest of our house. ( they don’t like the scratch poles at all)

We have kitties that adore horizontal cardboard scratchers and sturdy vertical sisal posts. We have to first turn then replace the horizontal cardboard scratchers when they’re “worn out”. They LOVE when the cardboard is new❤️

I read somewhere (isn't that where all information comes from?) that cats develop a sort of "preference" for what they habitually scratched as kittens. It kind of makes sense when you think about it (at least to me!). My cat was in a shelter that had a lot of carpet type scratchers and when we brought her home, the second she stepped on the carpet, she started doing a little "scratch dance". As soon as she feels the door mat, before entering the house, she stops and scratches. She gets drawn to the kitchen chairs a little, that's the only furniture she's interested in (the seat, where I imagine, she smells us!). Hope someone finds this interesting or maybe someone can try testing this with their kitten and see if it helps.

She wants to mark her territory, just give her stuff similar. My cat learned easily I just observed where she scratched.

How can we stop our Yonges 🐈 cat from urinating on my wife ,s clothing chris i leve in Calgary Alberta Canada

Put cat nip on the scratchers

New fan! Help! One of our cats loves to claw our new carpet. Near doorways, closets, and sometimes near chairs. We already bought four horizontal scratch things with cat nip in them but now this cat is going other places. We have three horizontal scratchers in our room, she scratches underneath while the other cat scratches what she’s supposed to.
Would you like me to send you a video of where they’re scratching? Btw Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a classic!!!
I’m guessing a device that says “NI” won’t help either. ;)

Now I can stop my cat from scratching my wallet

I will have to try some suggestions for my two ...they scratch everything but cardboard.

PUT ALUMINUM FOIL ON COUCH OR COUNTER CUZ THEY DON'T LIKE NOISY THINGS

I DON'T SIT IN MY SIDE OF CHAIR N MY CAT CLAWS IT CONSTANTLY. I'VE BOUGHT SCRATCHING POSTS N BOARD, I'VE EVEN PUT CATNIP ON IT. I PUT IT NEAR THE CHAIR-----COMPLETELY IGNORED BY HER

I use the cat scratch spray where he would scratch on furniture, and that detours him. Smarty kat SCRATCH NOT

You're the best! Thank you!