Scratching isn't a habit cats can be trained out of, because it isn't really a habit at all — it's a physical need built into how a cat's claws and muscles work. If your cat is shredding the sofa arm, the fix usually isn't more discipline. It's giving them a better place to do the exact same thing.
Why cats scratch in the first place
Scratching serves a few overlapping purposes for a cat. It sheds the outer sheath of their claws to keep them sharp and healthy. It stretches the muscles in their shoulders, back and legs — often most visibly first thing in the morning or after a nap. And it leaves both a visual mark and a scent mark from glands in their paws, which is how cats communicate territory to themselves and other animals in the house.
None of that is about your furniture specifically. Your cat isn't targeting the couch because it's valuable — they're targeting it because it's tall, stable, and positioned somewhere they pass often.
What actually stops furniture scratching
Punishment tends to backfire, because the cat doesn't connect a delayed telling-off with the scratching itself — it just learns that you're unpredictable near the couch. What works better is redirection: giving them a scratching surface that's at least as satisfying as the furniture, placed somewhere they'll actually use it.
That means putting it near the scratched furniture, not tucked away in a spare room, and matching the material and orientation to what your cat already seems to prefer — some cats want a tall vertical post to stretch up on, others go for a flat or angled surface they can drag their claws along at ground level. Our cat essentials range includes a few different scratcher styles if you're not sure which your cat will take to.
Making the switch stick
Once the new scratcher is in place, a few things help it win out over the furniture:
Location matters more than quality
A great scratcher in the wrong spot gets ignored. Put it exactly where your cat currently scratches, then gradually move it an inch or two at a time if you need it somewhere else.
Make the old spot less appealing
Double-sided tape, a throw rug draped over the arm, or a citrus-scented cover can make the furniture temporarily less attractive while the new scratcher gets established.
Reward the behaviour you want
A treat or calm praise when you catch your cat using the right scratcher reinforces the association faster than any correction on the wrong one ever will.
When it's more than furniture
If scratching is happening alongside other changes — increased anxiety, spraying, or aggression — it's worth talking to a vet or cat behaviourist rather than assuming a new scratcher will solve it on its own. Most of the time, though, redirecting a completely normal behaviour to a better outlet is all it takes.