How can I encourage my cat to use the scratching post?

Make sure you have a large scratching post, as Ocimom said. Something with shelves would attract her attention more. You can rub catnip on it. Use this in combination with spraying her with water when you catch her by the couch. Have a bottle of bater near by, and if she starts scratching, try to sprits her with a bit. Most cats hate water, and will quickly stop.

If this doesn't work either purchase special sticky tape or plain old duct tape, attach to her scratching area on the couch sticky side up. She'll get tangled one or twice and stop! And yes I agree with other answers. Trimming claws helps with furniture scratching.

Another approach would be to place her on the scratching post, and gently run her paws along it, showing her what to do. Sometimes scaring a kitty doesn't work (:

I wish you best of luck with that couch!

1. Keep nails trimmed weekly. I find my cats will scratch more when nails are long.
2. Have decent size scratching post - nothing less then 5 feet tall - taller the better with lots of shelves, etc. on it.
3. Use sticky tape made for furniture (can be bought in Petco or Petsmart
4. Try the SoftPaws nail caps for the front claws.

Get several scratchers. Different kinds. Cardboard, sisal, carpet, vertical, horizontal etc. Get a nice big cat tree. Put catnip on the scratchers.
Also keep her nails clipped so that she cant do damage when she scratches your couch.
That's what I do with my cats. Works great. You can also try tape, nail caps, feliway etc.

Most of the things sold as scratching posts are useless. They are too short and flimsy for a cat to get a good scratch. Get instead a proper piece of cat furniture with three or more levels. One or more posts need to be wrapped in sisal (rope). Put it in front of a sunny window. Rub catnip on it, and soon she will be attracted to that and not the couch. Cats have an instinctive need to scratch and stretch, so you need to provide a place to do that. Also get one of those cardboard scratch boxes that are sold in Walmart and pet stores - even the grocery store. Many cats love them! I have many cats, all with claws, and my furniture is intact. I do however keep claws trimmed, and we have a proper piece of cat furniture in 4 rooms. For your couch, get some double sided wide tape (Walmart, Lowe's, etc) and put that on the corners and edges of the couch. Cats hate the feel of it on their paws, and it's a big deterrent to scratching.

Put some catnip spray on the scratching post. That might help. We cut down a tree and I brought in a few logs and the cats like to scratch those. Cats are destroyers of furniture, that's for sure.

Cats will not scratch everything they sell in a store, so try another one. My cat has two he scratches and one he ignores totally, and yet he will continue scratchibg bed headborad. I look at him and he stops, i turn away he continues. Cats are funny

maybe you can give her some treats when she decides to listen to you

rub some cat nip on it.

You yell and she runs, that's not how to show her which is the place to scratch. Don't wait for her to use the couch, go over to her and calmly talk to her as you set her by the scratching post, put her feet up on it and let the feet go. Scratch the area yourself with your fingers, pat her and walk away. Keep doing it.

AND use double sided sticky tape on the couch.

1) Trim her nails. You should be doing this at LEAST every two weeks. The duller the nails are, the less damage done. The cat also may feel the NEED to scratch since the nails feel so long.

2) Repeat 1

You're denying her food because she scratches the couch? The cat won't understand that, idiot.