The first point to note is that this isn’t willful behavior designed to punish you (or your furniture!) for not letting your cat have her own way. In fact, it’s a natural urge and one that your cat can’t ignore completely, no matter how good she is in other respects. She’ll scratch when she’s just woken up from a nap, when she is excited about something, when she wishes to mark her territory – or when she just feels in need of a good stretch!\r