On the other hand, it makes the home environment so much more peaceful for everyone that I have to think that it benefits most cats more than it harms them. Especially when a cat owner is considering taking the cat to an animal shelter or euthanasia as an option if destructive behaviors can not be discouraged by other means. Your vet may be able to refer you to a good behaviorist. Mike Richards, DVM Furniture Scratching Scratching objects to mark them is a normal cat behavior. This behavior appears to help in claw sharpening and to provide some stretching exercise for the cat.
Outside cats tend to scratch wood objects.
Some cats prefer a vertical surface and some a horizontal surface. Noticing which your cat prefers can help in dealing with problem scratching. Cats are also picky about the texture of the objects they scratch. Some become very fixated with one particular type of fabric and will not scratch any other surface texture. This can also be important in retraining them.