Many cat parents see how their cat scratches the furniture at home and they attribute it to bad behavior. But that our cat scratches the sofa is not any kind of revenge or mischief. For cats, scratching is a real necessity. That is why it is important that we provide them with scratching posts of different types, observe their behavior and understand how relevant it is for their well-being to have places to scratch whenever they want.
The first thing you should understand is that cats scratch because they need to: they do it an average of 3-4 times a day and they can do it for various reasons. One of them is that this action allows them to have their nails sharp and ready to hunt, defend themselves or climb.
Have you noticed your cat’s nails? They are retractile and laterally flattened. When they grow, the superficial layers separate from the inner ones and when they fall, they reveal new and sharper nails. Surely more than once you have found your cat’s claw at home, but you should not worry: it is probably one of its pods. Scratching facilitates this process of renewal and proper maintenance of your nails, as well as exercising the muscles in charge of removing and sheathing them. In addition, it helps them stretch the muscles in their limbs and back, which is why most cats file their nails when they get up after taking a break.
Another reason for scratching is to leave marks of their presence in the environment. Scratch marks are visual but also olfactory, thanks to secretions from the glands located between their fingers and pads. With these signals, the cat communicates to other cats that the territory is occupied and warns them to avoid possible conflicts. Also these marks that they leave at home —especially in the most frequented and visible places— help them orient themselves in space and have a calming effect. Scratching may even demand your attention: this may happen if they have related scratching on specific sites to something pleasant in their view, such as starting a game session with us.
Although it is normal for a cat to scratch with its claws, if the scratching becomes very frequent, spreads to other surfaces in the house or changes in a sudden way, it may be a response to stress. You may notice new smells or other changes around you and feel unsafe. Sometimes, just seeing an unknown cat pass through the window can make our cat go into a state of alert.
In any case, providing your kitty with a scratching post will help it meet that need and give free rein to its nature, making it less likely that it will go to the furniture at home. We must bear in mind that, in nature, cats scratch trees and prefer the softer bark because it is easier for them to dig in their nails. Therefore, the objective will be to find a scratching post that he can dig his nails into well and that retains his visual and olfactory markings.
If we look at the material, the ideal scratching post will have a lot to do with the age of the feline. Cats a few months old love cardboard, while adults enjoy carpeting and sisal rope, a natural abrasion-resistant fiber. On the other hand, cats older than 10 years prefer carpet over rope and cardboard.
Regarding orientation, most cats prefer to scratch vertically rather than horizontally. And among the scratching post models, those with a corrugated surface are the favorites of kittens, while adult cats prefer multi-level towers and vertical posts covered in rope over single-level or wall-mounted scratching posts. Therefore, if your cat is an adult, you can start by trying vertical scratching posts, which include rope, are high enough to fit stretched out – at least 90 centimeters high – and have several levels.
In order for your cat to cover its scratching needs, it must have several places to scratch at home. It is essential to provide them with several scratching posts and that the surface is stable, just like the trees they use to sharpen their nails in nature. If it moves too much, the cat may end up rejecting the scratching post and not using it again. In addition, cats scratch in relevant spaces of their territory. For this reason, if we want our kitty to use the scratching posts, it is advisable to place them in areas where the cat walks, near their resting places or close to a window from which they can control the environment, instead of placing them in very discreet or hidden that are not relevant to him.
When you have everything ready, let the cat take the lead and explore the scratching posts at his own pace. All cats need an adaptation time. So forcing him to use the scratching posts we just bought won’t work. You do not have to pick it up and put it in front of the scratching post or grab its legs to scratch on the desired surface. Also, do not spray the scratching post with feline facial pheromones, since instead of stimulating our cat to scratch, we will achieve the opposite. And finally, scolding the cat when it scratches the furniture in the house is also not helpful in getting it to use its scratching post.
In fact, there are other, more effective ways to attract him to the scratching post. For example, apply catnip or matatabi extract to the surface you want to attract it to, since the substances present in these plants can increase its interest in the scratching post. Kittens less than three months old still don’t show that reaction, and if your cat has never been thrilled with catnip, she probably won’t be now either. You can also play with a toy on the surface of the scratching post to get his attention and reward him when he gets close to it or use it to sharpen his nails.
If none of this works, don’t despair. Maybe he doesn’t like the scratching post and you have to try a different one. What’s more, have you changed the old scraper for a new one? You should know that it is not advisable to remove it suddenly, no matter how broken it is. For your cat, his old scratching post has a lot of value, so the change should be done little by little. Put the new one next to the old one and get rid of it when he has accepted the new scratching post and introduced it to his scratching routine.
If, despite your attempts to provide him with the ideal scratching posts, your cat still prefers to scratch his nails on the sofa, the time has come to contact a specialist to help you develop scratching habits that are compatible with the decoration of your home. your house.
Understanding that scratching is essential for our cat, providing scratching posts throughout the house and letting it get used to new places, will improve the coexistence between felines and cat parents. Nobody wants to see their furniture turned into a scratching post, but it is in our hands to provide responsible solutions. All cats need to sharpen their nails and leave their visual and olfactory marks in their home because scratching is essential for their well-being.
*Source used to make this article:
Scratching with the nails: a real necessity, if you are a cat
