Congratulations on not declawing the cats.

The cats aren't uninterested in scratching posts, if they were they wouldn't be scratching the furniture. Although you've clearly made an effort, the techniques you've described really aren't considered very effective scratch training techniques, although they may help when used with other training methods.

Since I don't know what kind of scratching posts you have I don't know if they are tall enough and stable enough for your cats. We know something is keeping them away, I don't know if it the techniques you've used, the height, surface, direction, location, or stability, but something about them isn't right for these cats.

The use of anti-scratch spray has likely backfired in a big way. One reason cats scratch is to mark objects in their territory with their scent via the scent glands on the bottom of their paws. The use of the spray covers up and/or destroys the markings, requiring them to repeatedly re-mark the object. The next time your mom gets new furniture she should spray it with Feliway before exposing the cats to it. Feliway is a synthetic cat marking pheremone and will make them think the furniture has already been marked.

It would be awful to declaw them at this age, I doubt they'd be the same afterwards and they may have permanent pee problems and other behavior problems. I doubt she wants to trade her current scratching problems for a house and furniture that stinks of cat piss.

Sounds like Softpaws is the way to go for you, given their age, and I do think can still try using proven and effective training techniques as well.

Here is the Softpaws link: http://www.softpaws.com/

I highly recommend this book to you: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140288546/

And these links contain alot of articles on scratch training and protecting the furniture during training.
http://www.catscratching.com
http://www.hdw-inc.com/declaw.HTM
http://lisaviolet.simplenet.com/cathouse/declaw.html
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/P...52/declaw.html
http://www.declawing.com/

http://www.hsus.org/programs/compani...declawing.html
http://www.geocities.com/~luvcatz/declaw-index.html

http://amby.com/cat_site/declaw.html#issues


[This message has been edited by EileenKay (edited October 06, 2000).]