There are various reasons for which cats scratch your belongings. Here are some reasons why:

• Exercise the muscles and tendons of the claws
• Marking their social territory as claws contain scent glands
• Maintain excellent claw health
• Create a feel-good experience

What can you do?

Make the furniture unappealing. Consider wrapping the part she likes to scratch with tin foil or double-sided sticky tape, as cats hate the feel of tin foil or sticky surfaces. 

To train cats to scratch on scratchboard, an optimum scratchboard requirement includes the following points:

• Vertical poles must be strong and tall enough to allow the cat to extend its body. Some cats prefer horizontal marking poles. Try both to see which your cat likes, or provide one of each.
• The scratchboard should be located in prominent areas in your home, not in the basement.
• Cats often scratch when they wake up from a nap so put one near the cat’s sleeping area.
• The scratchboard selected should be tall enough to allow your cat to stand on her back legs and reach above her head with her front paws for a cat to stretch their claws and be stable.
• Scratchboard wrapped with corrugated cardboard or cloth can be considered.
• Attract your cat to the post using catnip. Sprinkle the catnip on the base and into the fabric or hang bags of catnip from the top.
• Spend time near the post encouraging your cat to interact with it. Play with the cat near the post and incorporate it into your play.
• The most important step is to reward the cat every time he/she uses the post. Have yummy food treats nearby and give one to the cat whenever you see him/her scratching the post.