How to get your Cat to stop scratching things?

[Sepukku]

For cats I've generally found the cheaper it is, the more use they will get out of it. They flip out over plastic bags and cardboard and shit but if you buy them expensive toys they will ignore them.

My sister's cat is scared to death of plastic bags and hides for hours when someones returning from grocery shopping. Got itself tangled in one over its head when it was young and ran through the house pissing itself. Thank god I was away at college and didn't have to join the rest of the family in the cleanup lol

[Callisto]

In the eyes of a cat, those plastic rings off milk jugs are god-tier toys.

I also installed carpeted shelves on the wall for the cat to jump around and scratch on(she's declawed in front, but she still will claw at things as if she has them; we're getting another cat in the next year most likely so I don't want her to set a bad example).



Materials were pretty cheap, just a solid plank cut into pieces, got a run of cheap carpet and cut it to fit, wrapped around and staple-gunned it.

[Alolbont]

Three cats in mom's house, all would scratch anything and everything.

I picked up this scratching post:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o06_s01_i00

And, once every couple of weeks, spray it lightly with this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o06_s00_i00

For the first week, cover up everything they would scratch (couch, chairs, etc) with blankets... So the only thing they have to scratch in the entire house, is that post. Try to give them some positive reinforcement anytime you see them using the post too (petting, attention, treats, etc).

After that, the cats never scratch anything else.

I have that exact post and my cats like it reasonably well. I need to buy another for upstairs and I think ill have my scratching problem solved.

[Zauriel]

low powered airsoft pistol. jus' sayin'

[Judai]

The cheap cardboard scratchers are solid. Currently living with 4 cats, 1 mine(declawed before I found him), 1 my sister's, 2 my mom's. Obviously it doesn't matter where mine scratches, 2 of the others love those cardboard scratchers, the other doesn't and scratches walls and other wooden things. We started putting clear deodorant on the walls she scratched and she quickly stopped. We occasionally have to reapply some but she pretty much gets the point now. She also runs like a bat out of hell if you even look at her when she tries to do it, so she knows it's wrong.