How to get a cat to use a scratching post: 5 causes to rule out

In the vast majority of cases, a cat who won't use their scratching post has nothing against the post itself: the problem is where it's been put, or how tall it is. Before buying another one, work through the diagnosis below, in order — that's how to get a cat to use a scratching post they've been ignoring. The five causes are ranked by frequency, and the first two alone account for most situations.

Cause 1 — location, in two cases out of three

It's the first thing to check, and it's almost always the right answer. A scratching post isn't a piece of furniture you tuck away wherever it's least in the way: it's a territorial marker that needs to be seen, and a stretching tool that needs to be there at the right moment.

Three signs that this is the issue:

• The scratching post is in a room whose door is sometimes closed.
• It's in a corner, behind furniture, or somewhere your cat never passes.
• Your cat scratches somewhere else — and that somewhere is a place they pass through, or their bed.

The deciding test: move the scratching post right up against the spot they already scratch, so the two are touching. Wait 48 hours without changing anything else. If your cat tries it, you have your answer, and all that's left is to move it away gradually, 10 cm a week. The list of locations that work is in where to put your cat's scratching post.

Cause 2 — not tall enough

The second most common cause, and the easiest to measure. Scratching is first and foremost a stretch: your cat digs their claws in, stretches their back and shoulders, and lengthens their whole body. A scratching post that's too short doesn't allow that movement — it only allows claw maintenance, which is the least motivating of the three functions.

An adult cat at full stretch reaches 45 to 60 cm with their front paws. Below 40 cm, a vertical scratching post will never replace the arm of a sofa, whatever its location or material.

The deciding test: wait for them to stretch of their own accord against a wall or a piece of furniture — it almost always happens when they wake up. Mark the highest point their paws reach, then measure from the floor. Compare it with your scratching post. If the difference is more than ten centimetres, case closed: the post is too short.

Tall enough to stand up and scratch
Fifty centimetres tall: they can stand up against its corrugated cardboard walls to scratch, or slip through the large round entrance and tuck themselves away. Discover the scratcher house →

Cause 3 — instability

This one is abrupt and final. If the scratching post has toppled over even once under your cat's pull, there's a good chance they'll never go back to it. The link between the object and the nasty surprise is made in one go and isn't easily undone.

It's a classic trap with tall but lightweight scratching posts: the taller they are, the greater the leverage, and the wider or heavier the base needs to be.

The deciding test: give the top of the scratching post a firm tug, roughly as a four-kilo cat hanging on to it would. If it moves, wobbles or slides across the floor, that's your cause. A non-slip mat under the base, or a heavier model, solves the problem — but sometimes you'll need a different one altogether, because the bad association sticks.

Cause 4 — the material doesn't suit them

Much rarer than people think, but real. Every cat has their own preferences, often carried over from what they scratched in the first months of their life.

Two set-ups are worth noting. Carpet poses a particular problem: it looks too much like rugs and sofas, so a cat who learns on it has no reason to tell the scratching post apart from everything else. And a cat used to cardboard since kittenhood may snub sisal, which grips differently — and the reverse is just as true.

The deciding test: lay a plain piece of corrugated cardboard flat next to the existing scratching post for a week. It costs very little and tells you a lot: if your cat takes to it straight away after ignoring the other one, the material was indeed to blame. The full comparison of materials is in which scratching post to choose for your cat.

Cause 5 — the object was “spoiled” by a bad introduction

The last cause, and the only one that comes from us. Three things are enough to put a cat off a brand-new scratching post:

Carrying your cat to the scratching post or placing their paws on it. It's the most widespread mistake, and it has exactly the opposite effect: the object becomes linked with being physically made to do something.

Having used it as a place of punishment — taking your cat there after they've scratched the sofa, for example. The association is made with the telling-off, not with the behaviour you want.

Having moved it suddenly once they'd adopted it. A scratching post they've adopted is part of their mental map of the territory; moving it to another room in one go often means starting again from scratch.

The deciding test: there isn't really one — it's a diagnosis by elimination. If the four previous causes have been ruled out, leave the scratching post alone for two weeks without ever taking your cat to it, with a single application of catnip at the start. Many situations resolve themselves once you simply stop pushing.

The diagnosis at a glance

If everything checks out and they still won't use it

Two possibilities remain, and they go beyond the scratching post itself.

They scratch somewhere else, and you're fine with it. Some cats adopt a doormat or a rope basket and won't change. As long as the furniture isn't under threat, there's no problem to solve.

They don't scratch anywhere. This is more unusual and deserves attention: a cat who suddenly stops scratching may be in pain — arthritis, shoulder pain, an ingrown claw. If the behaviour has disappeared recently, talk to your vet rather than looking for a better scratching post.

Finally, if your cat is ignoring their cat tree too, the problem is probably the same for both — we've looked at it from that angle in my cat won't use their cat tree.

What we recommend in this situation

If the diagnosis points to height or instability — the two most common causes after location — also take a look at our corrugated cardboard scratcher house: 50 cm tall with a 31 × 33 cm footprint, a milk-carton-shaped house whose walls they scratch and which doubles as a hiding place. Put it where they scratch now, backed against a wall so it doesn't move.

If your cat mostly scratches when they wake up, the scratcher lounger solves the location problem at the root: the scratching surface is built into the bed, so they don't have to take a single step.

Frequently asked questions

Should you throw out a scratching post your cat refuses?

Not straight away. Move it first, and test it for 48 hours against the scratched area. If the object has ever toppled over, though, the bad association is hard to undo and it's often better to start again with another one.

Can catnip save the day?

It helps catch their attention the first time; it won't fix a bad location or a post that's too short. A single application at the start is enough — and about a third of cats don't respond to it; it's genetic.

My cat used to use their scratching post and has stopped.

Look for what has changed: has the scratching post been moved, washed, or the room rearranged? A washed scratching post loses the scent your cat had left on it. A sudden stop with no identifiable environmental cause warrants a trip to the vet.

How long should you trial a scratching post?

Two weeks for a new object in a new location, only 48 hours when you're testing a move. Beyond two weeks without a single attempt, it's not a question of patience: something is wrong with the set-up.