How old are your cats?  The earlier you start, the better.

So far, all of the cats that have "owned" me have quickly learned to use
scratching posts.  First, it is essential to have several scratching posts
scattered around your house or apartment.  You cannot expect a cat to go
"looking" for a scratching post -- it needs to be convenient.  I have one in
every room of the house except the kitchen and bathrooms, and they vary from
very expensive to very inexpensive.  Second, different cats like different
types of scratching surfaces, so you may need to experiment.  Therefore,
don't buy a "supply" of posts all at one time.  Some cats like sisal (that
has been the preference for all of mine), some like carpeting, and some
prefer corrugated cardboard.  Some people are even successful by bringing in
stumps or large pieces of wood from outdoors.  Also, some cats prefer
upright scratching posts whereas others like them either horizontal to the
floor or at an incline.  There is an Alpine Incline made of corrugated
cardboard that many people use.  One of Duffy's favorites is one of those
circles (I have forgotten the name) that has a track around the outside with
a ball in it and a circle of corrugated cardboard in the center.  He uses it
as a toy, as a scratcher, and often even for lounging!  I also have two cat
trees that include a pole covered with sisal for scratching.  Whatever you
use, it is important for the post to be (1) tall or long enough so the cat
can stretch out to his or her full length -- except for something like the
circle I just described -- and (2) sturdy enough so that it cannot topple
and scare the cat -- once that happens, your cat may refuse to use it again.
If you look at some of the pictures in my albums, you can see some of the
ones I use.  The links are under my signature.

Now, how to get a cat to *use* the scratching post?  You want to *attract*
the cat to the post, not try to "scare" it into using a post by yelling or
using a water gun.  In my case, I was *very* attentive for a few days, and
that's all it took.  I would watch my cat, and at the first sign of the cat
scratching the carpet or furniture I would say "no" (firmly but not yelling)
and then would do something to attract the cat to a scratching post.  In
some cases, I would draw a toy (fastened to a string) up and down the edge
of the post until my cat grabbed at it in play.  As soon as my cat would
"grab" or scratch at the post -- which would invariably happen -- I would
*praise* excessively.  Other times, I would simply tap on the post or
scratch at it with my fingernails and call my cat over.  Again, it was like
play to them but they learned to use the post.  Once they began to use the
post regularly, I no longer needed to pay much attention.  Occasionally,
even now one will start to pick at a chair, and I will then go to the post
and call.  But they have not done enough of that to cause damage -- they use
the scratching posts almost exclusively.  Sometimes they will even run to a
post, scratch vigorously, and then look over at me as if to say, "See what a
good boy/girl I am"!  Even Duffy learned quickly and was using the
scratching posts within two or three days.  He is blind and obviously did
not know what a scratching post is when I first adopted him, so I expected
that it would take a lot of time and patience.  In actual fact, it did not.
He took to scratching posts "like a duck to water."  Moreover, he was
estimated to be between and 3 and 5 years old, and he learned as quickly as
a youngster.

Good luck with yours!

MaryL

Photos of Duffy and Holly:      >'o'<
Duffy:  http://tinyurl.com/cslwf
Holly:  http://tinyurl.com/9t68o
Duffy and Holly together:  http://tinyurl.com/8b47e

There's no way I could train Isis to use a scratching post. I bought one.
and struck out. It was just another dud 'toy' that Her Majesty found boring.

In my case there was one couch that she loved to rip and tear up. That was
it. That one piece of furniture. Luckily for me it was a $50.00 hand me
down. My answer to the situation was to buy a cover for the couch at Sears.
When I open the door to that room she *still* makes a beeline for the couch
and starts doing scritch-scratch on it, with one wary eye on me since she
knows she's doing a Forbidden Thing, but I'm cool with it because after she
gets her little thrill all that's happened is a cover is slightly gnarled.

If your cat has fallen in love with one piece of furniture you can buy an
inexpensive cover for it and let her have at when she's knows you're not
looking - unless she buys into the scratching post in which case your
problems are solved.

Mike in Illinois

Get one that is taller than your hip.  Cats like to stretch when they
scratch, and most people buy scratching posts that come no higher than your
knee, which provides no support for the cat.  The bigger, the better.

Sorry, Mad Dog, I think I was meaning to reply to Pete's post.
Don't know what happened there!

--tension

Like your answer :)

Yes they do. Or don't you need your fingertips either..?

Just shows you, doesn't it.

Yes it is, but you still do it.

God knows I don't dislike America, I have many good friends there and have
spent much time there over the years, but sometimes I despair.

Fortunately on my last visit I found this place http://www.natcat.org/ and
spent the best part of half a day at their Newport Beach shelter, so
there's still hope. Thanks to Dawn and the others for showing me around

Ivor

if you don't think that cats with out claws can't catch birds, chipmunks,
groundhogs or any other thing their heart desires that they could catch with
claws, you are seriously mistaken.

Cats with out claws still can climb trees, or curtains, and can be just as
destructive as cats with their claws.  Granted, you won't get the pulled
apart couch, but they will still have their rear claws, and there is a lot
of damage those can still do.

I am not sure what the OP wanted to know.  Yes, Declawing is very popular in
the states and other countries.  Why?  Because vets tout it as being
acceptable and ok, and there are no  problems with it.  Why do they do that?
because declawing is a very expensive procedure and it makes them a lot of
money (same issue with dry cat food, but that is a rant for a different
post)

I don't have figures, but I bet 90 to 99% of people who have declawed cats
don't know how dramatic the surgery is, how much pain the cat goes through
while it is healing, and the possible side effects that most vets will tell
you "aren't documented"   Well they aren't documented because no one has
done an official study on it.  When I worked at a vet clinic, I went through
and marked all the declawed cats, and all the caution cats.  ALL the caution
cats were declawed (the scariest cat we had at the clinic had no claws and
no teeth) - but not all declawed cats were caution cats.

Yes, lots of cats are declawed with out incident, and go on to live
seemingly normal lives, but knowing what is involved, and how much pain they
go through, and the possible side effects (biting, inappropriate
elimination, possible arthritis from walking differently and throwing joints
off, etc) it floors me that people still do it.

The reason cats like furniture to scratch, is because it is big, and sturdy,
and doesn't move when they scratch it, and it is tall enough to provide a
good stretch.  When provided with scratching posts that are at LEAST 3 feet
tall and that has some heft to it, most cats will use them.  I have six
cats, and I have a 10 yr old couch that would be a scratching haven if I
hadn't provided appropriate scratching posts.  My couch is in great
condition...

Per Dan Espen:

From what I've heard, they actually do.   Something to do with their gait and
the arthritis that sets in when they have to walk without claws.   Also
secondhand - my impression is that claw removal on a cat is functionally more
akin to toe and finger amputation in a human than toenail/fingernail removal.