Cat ignores scratching post? Fix it for Bombays

Two months of catnip spray and still no interest — that's a frustrating one, but catnip is rarely the missing piece here. The most common reason cats ignore scratching posts is that they're too short for a full stretch, too wobbly when pressed, or the wrong texture. Bombays tend to be solid, muscular cats, so a post that shifts even slightly will get written off immediately. Before we dig into what to try next — how big is your cat, does he or she scratch vertically or horizontally, and what's actually getting damaged around the house right now?

That tells me a lot. A 45cm post is almost certainly too short for her — a Bombay at full stretch typically needs at least 60–70cm to feel satisfied. And sofa corners are a giveaway: she wants vertical resistance with something she can really dig into. Sisal rope can work, but a lot of cats actually prefer sisal fabric, which has a coarser, more shred-friendly texture. Can I ask — does the post she has wobble at all when she touches it, or is it mounted solid?

That's almost certainly the main issue. Cats test a post before committing — if it moves, they reject it as unsafe and go straight back to the sofa, which is rock solid. You really need something that doesn't budge at all under full bodyweight pressure. Given her size, her vertical scratching style, and the fact that she's already proven she'll scratch consistently — she just needs the right target — I'd point you toward the Molly and Friends Tall Sisal Scratching Post. It's around 70cm tall, has a wide heavy base that stays put even with a determined cat, and is wrapped in sisal fabric rather than rope. It's one of the few posts that genuinely doesn't move when a solid cat leans into it. That stability, combined with the height and texture, matches everything she's looking for in that sofa corner.

Place it right next to the sofa corner she uses — not across the room, right there. You're essentially offering a substitute in the exact spot she already chooses. You can gently take her paws and drag them down the sisal a couple of times so the scent glands in her paws register it, but don't force it. Skip the catnip spray — it didn't work before and it can actually distract from the scratching instinct rather than trigger it. Once she discovers the post doesn't wobble and gives her that full stretch, most cats switch over within a week or two. After she's using it reliably, you can slowly inch it a few centimetres away from the sofa if you want.

Good luck — I think you'll notice a difference quickly once she realises it doesn't move. The sofa damage should stop pretty fast once she has a proper alternative right there. If she's still hesitant after a week, try rubbing a little of her existing post's sisal onto the new one to transfer her scent — that sometimes speeds things up.