Cats scratch for a variety of reasons. One reason, researchers have discovered, is to communicate with one another. Another is to sharpen their claws. For whatever reason, it is normal, natural cat behavior, and it should be expected and tolerated, not punished.
On the other hand, you also don’t want your furniture (or, in our case, carpet) destroyed, either. You can protect your property while still refusing to be hateful to your cat easily enough. First of all, providing scratching posts is essential. Two or three are a must; if you like, providing even more—one or two in each room—can even be done to ensure the least amount of property damage. Kittens and young cats will likely take a liking to these posts quickly, especially if you put them near places they enjoy scratching already. Use favorite toys, such as play mice or jingle bells, to play around the scratching post to garner interest. You can even purchase scratching posts that already have toys attached to them, which will also interest your cat.
If your cat still isn’t interested, get creative. Try scratching the post yourself! You’d be surprised at what might work. You also want to keep it out in the open, in the main parts of the home. It might not be a beautiful sight to see, but if you keep it out of sight—say, behind the couch, like we did for a while—it likely won’t get used. Older cats can be harder to change, as they already know what they enjoy. After all, how hard is it to convince a loved one who drinks whole milk or who eats white bread (like my husband) to make healthier choices? You can still provide encouragement, such as treating the posts with catnip.
You can also discourage cats from clawing up furniture in a more humane fashion. Remove the furniture or carpet, for example, or cover it with a hard plastic that can’t be scratched as well. Be sure to keep providing the scratching posts while you do this, and your cat will likely get the hang of it.