I'm having difficulty getting my kittens to use their scratching posts. While they are interested in them, they don't quite know what these new toys are for. I read that putting cat-nip on the posts can help to encourage them to scratch. Unfortunately, my kittens don't seem to like the smell. In fact, they run away from it.
Are there any alternatives to cat-nip? What other techniques can I use? I've tried gently rubbing their paws on the scratching areas, but they just don't seem to catch on. I want to teach them the appropriate places to scratch before they start to do damage.