There she is again, having an obviously great time ripping more stuffing out of the arm of the chair, right in front where it can't be hidden or easily fixed. It's a good thing she's pretty fast because you'd probably do something you'd regret later if you could get your hands on her.

But before you get into a rundown with your cat, remember that you are only seeing one small part of a whole behavioral ritual that all cats, large and small, indulge in. Seeing the whole pattern is the best way to try to alter the behavior.

When your cat first walked into the room, she momentarily paused at the doorway, swiveled her ears and looked around before actually entering, slightly bobbing her nose. Then she walked in, confident that she had not seen, heard or smelled any potential dangers or unfamiliar creatures.

And there, how convenient to the entry to the room, was the chair. Just to make sure that any body or any thing that entered the room knew exactly what nine-pound tuxedo-patterned panther owned that room as territory, she approached the lower arm of the chair and rubbed both sides of her face on it, nose to ear, then walked along the chair rubbing her side against it, and finally turned around and lustily dug her claws into the fabric and stuffing in the spot that she had already loosened to her liking, and clawed with abandon.

Suddenly you exploded in screaming hysteria and headed toward her as she yanked her claws out of the fabric and leapt away just in time to save her own life. She just doesn't get it - don't you understand that she was only trying to help keep intruders out of your communal territory by leaving her scent and mark on the first thing they'd pass upon entering? Even if they didn't smell it, as humans never seem to, they'd see those fierce claw marks!

Or consider this scenario. You feed her a nice dinner and both of you head for the living room for a relaxing evening. You plop down on the couch and she sits in the middle of the oriental rug in the middle of the room. She has a nice, thorough bath, cleaning every hair and flexing every muscle, and as a finishing touch, she stands up, rubs her paw pads on the nice, rough wool of the oriental rug, then extends her claws into the wool to clean them and slough off the old claw layers, pulling backward with as much force as she can muster to make sure the job is done well.

Again you leap off the couch as if you've been attacked and she runs in fear when she sees you headed for her with arms outstretched like a screeching predator. How is a cat to make sure she's got nice nails if she can't clean them up in the only way she knows how?

This may explain at least two of the motivations cats have for scratching and help you to persuade your cat to start scratching something else in those circumstances. This persuasion takes three parts: (1) analyzing the need for scratching in a certain situation, (2) finding an acceptable substitute for the item being scratched such as a cat scratching post, and (3) convincing your cat to change over to it.

Items for cats to scratch abound in pet stores and can often be found right around the home. Since cats scratch in different places, ways, and for different reasons, you need to provide more than one thing for her to use. The two instances mentioned above show that she has already used two different items, one that needs to be shredded to use as both a visual and scent marker and one that needs to be stiff to clean up messy claws.

First, watch what your cat does before and after the scratching behavior. This will help you to establish why she is scratching in that spot and why that item, and to determine a substitute to be used in that place. Place the item right where she's been scratching to make it clear that you consider this item to be of equal use. In the case of the chair, you would want to find something that is at least as tall as the arm of the chair and have a similar texture.

Next, you get to make a fool of yourself, gritting your teeth and keeping calm when she attempts to shred the chair again, gently redirecting her to the new item, and perhaps even giving it a little scratch yourself, just to make sure she gets the idea. You can make it \more enticing by placing a catnip toy on the base of the scratching post to initially attract the cat, drag a string, feather toy or other toy over it to make her pounce and dig her claws into it, or run the dot of a laser toy over it. Once she starts interacting with it she will probably continue unless it just doesn't serve her purpose in some way-texture, size, height or placement.

Part of the solution in this case is also to remember that she scratched that chair because it was at the entry point of the room. You can slowly move the scratching post away from the arm of the chair, but remember to keep it where it serves its other purpose-that of message board to others who enter the room. If you put if off in the corner where it's out of your way, she will probably not use it because it won't serve her purpose. Quality cat furniture comes in different sizes, designs and post coverings and blends easily with room décor. Posts covered with sisal or made of natural wood are optimal and almost insure frequent usage.

You may also need to somehow cover or mask the area that's been used, both to get her to stop using that spot and to get her to consider the item you've presented. Cats generally choose something with a rough texture to scratch, so if you cover the item with something smooth, like heavy plastic or packing tape, it no longer appeals to them. Products such as Sticky Paws, similar to double-sided tape, work well because cats can't stand anything sticking to their paws, and if they encounter it often enough they will usually quit visiting the area. After a while you can remove the product.

Now, you may not want to live with sisal scratching posts at every doorway or sticky tape on the back of your chair. You can gently move or remove these items and your cat will probably go along with it for a while. Just remember that her motivations for her interior living space are actually quite different from yours, and you may need to make some accommodations for her instinctual behavior.

Then there's always the cat that's just incorrigible sometimes, scratching the chair or carpet for your attention. Gentle persuasion and retraining does not work with this type, but you might consider using a homeopathic remedy, or a pheromone based product such as Feliway (read the information about these products as each has its own special instructions for use).