This is a specific conversation about Cat scratching furniture — redirect it properly — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
An 8-month-old Abyssinian ignoring a scratching post is really common, and it's almost never the cat's fault — it's usually the post. Scratching is completely normal behaviour: cats are conditioning their claws and leaving scent marks, and they have no intention of stopping. The goal is just to make the post more appealing than your sofa. Before I can point you in the right direction, can you tell me: where is your cat scratching — vertical surfaces like the side of the sofa or a door frame, or flat horizontal spots like a rug or carpet? And what material is taking the damage?
It's mainly the corner of the sofa, so vertical. The sofa is a woven fabric — kind of a rough texture. And the post I have is one of those short carpeted ones from a pet shop.
inparticular.ai
That tells me a lot. Two things are working against you here. First, short posts are a big problem — when a cat scratches vertically they want to fully extend their body and get a proper stretch through the back and shoulders. A post that's only 40–45 cm high doesn't allow that, so it feels unsatisfying and they go back to the sofa. Second, carpet texture. Your cat is clearly drawn to that rough woven fabric, which is much closer in feel to sisal rope than to carpet. Can I ask — how tall is the post you currently have, roughly?
I think it's about 40 cm? It wobbles a bit when she uses it too, actually.
inparticular.ai
The wobble is the final piece. Cats won't commit to a post that moves — they need resistance to get the claw-conditioning benefit, and an unstable post feels unsafe. So you've got three strikes: too short, wrong material, unstable base. The fix I'd recommend is the SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post. It's 81 cm tall, covered in natural woven sisal that's very close to the texture your cat is already choosing on the sofa, and the base is wide and heavy enough that it doesn't shift at all. Abyssinians are active and athletic, so the height really suits them — she can get a full stretch. It's consistently one of the better-reviewed posts on Amazon UK and it holds up well over time. Place it right next to the sofa corner she's using now, and once she's using it reliably you can gradually move it a few centimetres at a time if you want it elsewhere.
That makes so much sense. Should I do anything to encourage her to actually use the new one, or just put it there and hope?
inparticular.ai
Don't leave it to chance. Rub a little dried catnip into the sisal on the first day — Abyssinians tend to be quite responsive to it. You can also dangle a wand toy near the base so she ends up pawing at the post during play. If she goes for the sofa corner in the meantime, don't shout — just quietly move her to the post. And it helps to put a double-sided sticky tape strip on the sofa corner temporarily; cats hate the texture and it nudges them toward the post without any stress. Within a week or two most cats have made the switch.
Really helpful, thank you. I'll order the SmartCat one today.
inparticular.ai
Good luck — I think you'll see a difference quickly once she realises the new post actually lets her do what scratching is supposed to feel like. If she's still lukewarm after a week, check the placement first before assuming anything else needs to change. Cats are creatures of convenience, and proximity to where they already want to scratch makes a bigger difference than most people expect.
