Pouncer acts as if he might die if I shut the bathroom door so that he can't enter... he's even learned how to open it!

There's something about a cat and a closed door - especially a closed bathroom door... all that splishy water going round and round after the flush!

As for scratching inapproriate things, you really need to get more appropriate scratching post she won't knock over. I made all of my scratching posts, its really quite easy. You can ask for scraps of carpet from your local carpet warehouse or store. All you really need is some board, wood screws/nails, glue, and either carpet tacks or a staple gun. If you want a really easy one, you can secure some rope to the end, and hang a straight carpeted board from a door knob. Allen and Pouncer's favorite scratching post cost me all of $15 and its a HUGE square. They like to sit in it, on top , and its TALL so they can really stretch out and scratch.