The advantage of a squirt gun is that you can reach the cat from several feet away, your cat will not necessarily associate the punishment with you, and most cats hate water with a passion. Now that the cat's preferred scratching post has been taken away, you need to offer him or her an alternative. Place the post close to where your cat has been sharpening his or her claws. Over the course of one or two weeks, slowly move the post to the place in your house where you would like to keep it. Slowly moving it allows your cat to track where he or she should go to scratch.
Scratching is a way for cats to maintain their claws.
This is something that you can assist them with by trimming their nails regularly. Some cats tend to claw people and objects most when their nails are long. Trimming the tips can alleviate this problem. Scratching can also occur when a cat is playing with you. While not intended to hurt, even playful cat scratches can be painful and may potentially lead to infection.