I have good news about my moms cats...they have started using the scratching post for some reason now!!! Yeah for the kitties! Maybe they knew how much we did not want to get their claws hacked off and they decided to be good I would also like to add that they have not scratched the furniture anymore in about 1.5 weeks! My mom had stopped using that stinky spray on the furniture as soon as I was advised to stop using it and they don't seem interested in the furniture anymore. I am so proud of them It's so cute to see them scratching on the post like good little kitties. I thank everyone for the fine advise. This may not be the end of the furniture scratching problem but it sure looks to be coming to a close, and I know they have it in them to scratch on the post and not on the furniture. I bookmarked the "make your own kitty scratching post" and the "softpaws" links in case the problem happens again.

I guess I don't know as much about cats as I do about dogs but both my mother and I prase the cats for using the post and they seem to like the positive attention when we prase them. The seem to know that they get negetave energy when the scratch the furniture and they get positive energy when they scratch the posts. I am thankful for all the helpful advise...all of it! If it happens again I will remember the hints and check out the softpaws and maybe make a nice, big scratching post.