just get these....
http://www.arcatapet.com/item.cfm?cat=3882 (might be able to get them at petsmart, i just googled it and picked the first site that came up)
they are catnip cardboard scratching posts for the cat... it keeps them from scratching anything else in the house up and they really love the posts... it gets a little messy but better than having to replace furniture etc...and its nothing a quick vacuum cant handle