Has anyone trained an adult cat to use a scratching post?

[OiledBegg]

Had my two year old girl for a few days now, she was found as a stray when a sanctuary took her in. She isn't shown any interest in the scratch post and is freely plucking away at carpets and stairs.
I've shown her the post, put treats on it, played with her near it, put catnip spray on it and tried to get her to reach up to the top by putting dreamies on top but she can't work that one out I don't think she's ever been trained to use one and know it's quite difficult to get adult cats trained to use it.
Anyone got any tips?!

We did, but it only took cat nip and dreamies! He prefers the actual carpet when he is stressed though. Have you used Feliway at all? That might help?

Never. Sorry.

I have, however, had great success in getting them to use a specific (and sacrificial) piece of carpet or - sometimes - furniture. Good quality carpet samples seem to work a treat.

I've read a few suggestions for feliway so might give it a go!

I bought a scratching post for our new kitty and 10 year old boy used it straight away, it's too small for him really he's huge but he luffs it,

Sorry that's not much help but I guess you can't force them to use it, seems like you have tried everything,

Yes, she was two and lived in a place where she could scratch what ever she wanted.
First: I looks what she prefered scratching horizontally or vertically many cats preference. When I found out, I got her two different horizontal scratching pads, she chose the rigid one over the floppy one.

Second: when ever I saw her scratching elswhere I took her by the body and braught her above the scratching pad and slightly rubbed her paws on it.

Third: I clip her claws regularly. If I let them get too long she starts scratching all over the house, generally in the same room than I am. I guess it's her way of saying "Do something!".

Disclamer: Present cat is incredibly aware and once she understands what we want she is very diligent. Previous cat scratched leather and we where never able to get her to stop. She clearly knew she was not supposed to (she ran off as soon as she saw us).

So you need to be patient, she will eventually get what you want, but who knows what she will decide to do.

What PolterGoose said - get a cat scratch sofa. My Madame loves hers. Won't go near vertical posts, pads etc.