Cornish Rex gave up scratching post

A wobbly post is one of the most common reasons cats give up on scratching furniture altogether — they try it once, it shifts under them, and they lose all trust in it. Scratching is completely normal behaviour for your Cornish Rex; they're not being destructive, they're maintaining their claws and marking territory. The goal isn't to stop the scratching but to redirect it to something stable and appealing. Before I suggest a replacement, can you tell me where your cat tends to scratch — vertical surfaces, horizontal, or both — and what materials seem to attract them most, like fabric, carpet, or wood?

That tells me a lot. She's a confirmed vertical scratcher who likes resistance and texture — rough weave fabric is basically premium scratching material from a cat's point of view. The fact that she did use the post initially is actually really useful; it means she's not averse to a post, the wobble just put her off. Cornish Rex are lean and active, and even though they're not a heavy breed, any movement underfoot during a full stretch is enough to make them walk away. What did the base of the old post look like — was it a flat weighted base or did it have legs?

That's exactly the problem. A 30cm lightweight base simply can't anchor a post properly when a cat stretches up and pulls. You need a post where the base weight exceeds the force of the scratch — and for a vertical sofa scratcher, height matters too, because cats want to fully extend their spine. I'd point you towards the Feandrea cat scratching post — the tall sisal version, usually listed around 71cm. It has a much wider, heavier base (around 40cm square with solid chipboard weighting), wraps in natural sisal rope rather than carpet, and the construction is genuinely rigid. Sisal also mimics that rough-weave resistance your sofa offers, so it should speak to exactly what she's been going for. Place it right next to the sofa arm she uses — don't move it until she's using it consistently, then shift it gradually if you want it elsewhere.

Sisal is actually closer to what she's seeking than fabric posts are — it's rough, it shreds satisfyingly, and it holds claw marks which signal territory, which is part of why she's scratching in the first place. Cats often prefer it once they try it. To help her make the switch, rub a little dried catnip into the base of the post on day one, and try dangling a wand toy near the post so she naturally reaches up toward it. Don't move or cover the sofa arm just yet — that can create frustration. Once she's using the post reliably for a week or two, you can put a sofa protector on the arm to make it less rewarding without removing her options entirely.

Good choice — it's one of the most stable posts at that price point and it should hold firm even when she's going at it properly. The key thing is just placement right at the start: next to the sofa, not across the room. Give it a week and you should see her making the switch.