Switching to sisal scratching post for Oriental Shorthair

Switching from a carpet-covered post to natural sisal is actually a really smart move — carpet tends to snag claws rather than file them cleanly, and a lot of cats lose interest in it quickly. Scratching is completely normal behaviour: your Oriental Shorthair is maintaining her claws and leaving scent markers, not causing mischief. The goal is just to make sure the new post matches how she actually scratches. Before I suggest something specific, can you tell me — does she scratch vertically, horizontally, or both? And where in the house does she tend to do it?

That wobbling is almost certainly the problem. Oriental Shorthairs are lean but they scratch with real commitment — they push their whole body weight into it to get a proper stretch. A post that shifts underfoot isn't satisfying and can actually put them off scratching posts altogether. You need something tall, rock-solid, and wrapped in coarse natural sisal rope rather than woven carpet. The texture lets her really dig in and drag her claws through, which is what the sofa and doorframe are giving her right now. What's the space like near where she usually scratches — is there room for a freestanding post, or would wall-mounted work better for you?

Perfect. In that case I'd go with the Scratching Post by Feandrea — specifically their tall sisal model, around 71cm high with a heavily weighted base. It's wrapped in natural sisal rope (not carpet), it genuinely doesn't wobble even when a cat leans hard into it, and the height is right for a full adult stretch on a slim-bodied breed like yours. Place it right next to the sofa corner she's been using, not across the room — the point is to intercept the habit, not replace it with a detour. Once she's using it consistently for a few weeks, you can inch it to a slightly better spot if you want.

A little encouragement helps. Rub a small amount of dried valerian or silver vine into the base of the sisal — Oriental Shorthairs tend to respond very strongly to both, more reliably than catnip in some cats. You can also dangle a toy near the top to get her front paws up on it. Once she's scratched it even once, her own scent is in there and she'll come back. Don't cover the sofa arm with anything scratchy or she may just find a new spot — better to let her gradually prefer the post on its own terms.

Good call. One last thing — when the sisal eventually starts to fray and look a bit rough, don't replace the post. That worn texture is actually more appealing to cats than a fresh one, so threadbare is a feature, not a flaw. You should get a long time out of it before she needs a new one.