If your cat ignores the scratching post, check the location, movement, usable size and scratching direction before replacing it. The fact that it matches the curtains may not have made it into her assessment.
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The quick scratching-post checklist
- Location: compare where the post stands with where your cat actually scratches. Use the placement guide if those are different rooms.
- Movement: check the base and joints on the floor where it is used. Resolve wobbling or sliding before encouraging use.
- Access: move shoes, baskets or furniture that block the scratching face or the space for the cat’s body.
- Size: check the uninterrupted surface, not just total height. Our usable-height diagram shows the distinction.
- Direction: note whether your cat reaches up, scratches flat along the floor or uses an angle.
- Pattern: write down whether this is a never-used purchase or a previously used post that has been abandoned.
These checks organise what you can observe; they do not diagnose the reason. Record one change and what happens afterwards. Changing the room, material and height together leaves you with another expensive mystery.
Is it in a useful place?
Cats Protection recommends offering a post beside existing scratching and suggests a spot near the cat’s bed. For homes with several cats, it recommends separate posts in different places.
Compare the actual routes through your room. A post behind an occasionally open door is not always available. One squeezed into a gap may fit the room while leaving no room for the cat. Work through the sofa and doorway layouts before buying a different footprint.
Does it move, or has the cat outgrown it?
Inspect the assembled item against its instructions: loose connections, damaged parts and an uneven base are practical faults to resolve. Stop using an insecure structure while you address it; catnip is not a fixing method.
Cats Protection’s behaviour guidance notes that adult cats can be left with posts intended for kittens. It calls for room to stretch and enough support to lean against. Do not assume the post still fits simply because it fitted when you bought it.
If a component has failed, check the exact compatible replacement before ordering. See repairing or replacing cat equipment; a new covering cannot repair a broken base.
Does the surface match how your cat scratches?
The same behaviour guidance distinguishes horizontal scratching from upright use. If the carpet is getting scratched, try an appropriate flat surface rather than assuming a taller version of the ignored post is the answer.
Material and direction are separate choices. Our cardboard vs sisal comparison explains how to compare them without changing everything at once.
A flat option, if that is the missing piece
The Catit Senses Oval Scratcher is a standalone corrugated-cardboard board, as described by the manufacturer. It is one way to offer floor-level scratching; it does not promise to stop furniture scratching. Check the sizing caveat in our buying guide if space is tight.
Check the board on AmazonEncourage investigation without forcing it
Cats Protection’s behaviour advice suggests play around the post with a fishing-rod toy and advises against taking the cat’s paws and scratching with them. It also warns against telling a cat off for scratching.
The current scratching guide recommends praising use of the post and mentions catnip as something to try. Encouragement is an addition to a suitable setup, not a substitute for one. There is no need to assemble a basket of training products before checking the base.
For the game itself, use our guide to playing with your cat: offer a suitable toy, allow a catch and keep supervised toys out of reach afterwards.
What if the sofa is still the favourite?
Note the precise area and body position, rather than recording only “sofa again”. Does your alternative offer that position in that location? Does it move when approached? That gives you a useful next adjustment.
Keep a suitable scratching outlet available. Once it is being used, Cats Protection suggests moving it gradually if another position is needed. Neither one successful scratch nor one ignored afternoon establishes a permanent result.
When to ask for help
If a cat stops using a previously suitable post, or you notice other changes, contact your vet. Cats Protection advises a veterinary check before behavioural referral, so medical causes can be considered. If appropriate, your vet can help you find a qualified behaviourist.
The scratching guidance also explains that worry or conflict can be involved. You cannot establish that from damage to a sofa alone, and another post may not address the underlying problem.
Sources and scope
Welfare guidance and the manufacturer description linked above were checked on 13 September 2026. This is a practical troubleshooting guide, not a behavioural diagnosis. Browse Scratchers & play or read our editorial standards.