cat ignores scratching post and ruins my couch

I noticed my cat is scratching the base of my leather sofa again, even though I have three different scratching posts in the room. He ignores the posts and goes straight for the furniture.

I have tried moving them closer to the sofa, but he still prefers the leather. I am not sure what is wrong since he is usually a very sweet boy.

leather is smooth. cats hate smooth for claws. they want texture.

what kind of posts? cardboard?

Thank you for the reply. Two are cardboard and one is sisal. The sisal one is actually leaning a bit, so maybe that is why he avoids it. He is a new rescue, so I think he still has some trauma from his previous home.

I wrote down his history in this thread: Bob's rescue background and quirks. Does that ring any bells for anyone?

Hi Denise, I am so sorry you are dealing with this. Bob sounds like a sweet boy.

Since he is a rescue, it might be that he is trying to mark his territory or is stressed. Have you looked at encouraging post usage? It has some gentle tips on using catnip to draw them to the post.

Also, if the sisal post is leaning, it is definitely too unstable for him. He needs to feel safe when he stretches. durable posts for big cats might help you find a heavier base, even if Bob is a tuxedo and not a giant.

Quick question: are the posts old? If they are frayed, cats will avoid them. when to replace a worn post has a good guide on that.

I have a Maine Coon, Bear, who was destroying my couch until I got a heavy-duty post. See keeping Brutus off the furniture for similar heavy cat issues. It might apply to Bob if he is strong.