wrote in message
...
I'm the one who has considered bringing in a stray, and did not want
to declaw her.

Before I commit to letting her in full time, I've been letting her in
for short periods (an hour or so), supervised.

I bought a sisal scratching post, and one of those cardboard
horizontal scratching pads.

When she comes in, she goes straight for my recliner and starts
scratching it.

I gently pick her up and set her next to the post.
She hasn't used it once.

But 5 minutes later, she goes back and scratches the chair.

I can't let her live inside until I can trust her.
How do I train her to scratch the post?

Mitch,
Thank you for continuing to care for this cat. Believe me, you can have both
the cat and unshredded furniture, but it will take some adjustment for both
you and the cat. Some accommodations will be temporary on your part.

You say that the first thing the cat does after entering the house is to
head to your recliner for a scratch. This is probably because the cat is
excited and happy to be inside with you. When we come into the house, our
cats usually greet us and then scratch one of our conveniently located
posts, at which time, we lavishly praise them. From time to time, we join
them and scratch a little on the post ourselves to reinforce the behavior.

Your problem may be the location of the scratching post. When the cat comes
inside, does she have to pass the chair in order to get to the post? I
suggest that at least for now that you make the location of the post more
convenient than the chair to the entrance she uses to your house. This may
involve moving the post, the chair, or both. I know that it seems like a lot
of trouble, but once you get the kinks worked out, you will be rewarded more
than you ever imagined and you can put some things back the way you want
them.

You can make the post more attractive by rubbing a little catnip into the
sisal.

In addition to making the post more convenient, you can take some temporary
measures to make the chair less attractive. A product called something like
Sticky Paws is a tape that you put on places where you do not want the cat
to scratch. Also, you can use Feliway (on the chair, not the cat), which is
a behavior modification spray. If you use Feliway, you may find that the
cat rubs her face on the chair. This would be a normal reaction. Perhaps
an Internet search would lead you to some non-toxic sprays that are
unattractive to cats. Be careful to make sure that the product label
specifically not toxic to cats. They are sensitive to many chemicals.

Now, when the cat comes inside, you go to the post and make noisy scratching
sounds while calling to her. She is very likely to join you.

If the cat still goes to the chair, continue to pick her up and take her to
the post and initiate a scratching session.

She should catch on pretty quickly.

Good luck.
Annie