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All cat homeowners love their cats, however one factor that isn’t fairly as endearing is how they scratch up the furnishings. It’s widespread for cats to scratch at family objects, together with couches, doorways, rugs, beds – the checklist goes on. You’ve most likely already puzzled why your cat appears to like etching their little artworks onto your furnishings.
Don’t fear, there’s no malice concerned, although people like to assign human logic to animal behaviours. By understanding the reasoning behind the scratching, you’ll be able to start to grasp the way to preserve your cats from scratching the furnishings.
Why Do Cats Scratch?
Scratching and clawing at objects is solely one thing that every one cats do. If you happen to watch massive cats equivalent to lions, tigers, and jaguars, additionally they like to scratch. They simply don’t do it on family furnishings however on bushes. Cats scratch to:
- Maintain their claws wholesome – Cat claws are made out of the identical materials as our fingernails, besides theirs peels away in layers. A very good scratching session is a method for the cat to take away the broken outer layer and sharpen the claw.
- Mark their territory – Like many different predators, cats are territorial by nature. Scratching is a method for them to mark their territory, each visually and by scent. Every time your cat scratches at an object, the scent glands of their paw pads launch pheromones. These pheromones warn different animals that they’re within the cat’s house turf.
- Stretch their our bodies – Any cat proprietor is aware of that cats love stretching. Most scratching periods are accompanied by a very good stretch. Many cats will scratch whereas stretching, reaching far above or in entrance of themselves. Consider it as a human stretching whereas digging their toes into the carpet.
- Relieve boredom – Scratching is an efficient method of releasing extra bodily or emotional power. Feminine cats in warmth may be stressed, and can are likely to climb and scratch at issues.
How Do You Maintain Your Cat From Scratching Furnishings?
We’ve received a few ideas that, when utilized in mixture, will assist with scratching behaviours.
1. Maintain your cat’s nails trimmed
Setting a daily nail-trimming schedule is a good way to maintain your cat’s scratching behaviour underneath management. Most cats will begin scratching at round eight weeks outdated, so beginning younger is a good suggestion. It could be tougher to get mature cats to take a seat nonetheless as you clip their nails, so a visit to the groomer could assist get them used to it. As soon as they’re extra snug, you’ll be able to try and do it your self. A nail trim each two to 3 weeks works for many cat homeowners.
2. Make the furnishings much less interesting
There are a few strategies to make your furnishings a less-than-ideal place in your cats to scratch:
- Apply cat scratch tape – You should utilize both cat scratch tape or double-sided tape. Most cats discover sticky surfaces annoying, so it’s a very good deterrent to scratching. Nevertheless, this answer is probably not viable for surfaces that aren’t clean, equivalent to couches and different upholstered furnishings.
- Apply a cat scratch spray – There are each industrial and home made variations of cat scratch spray. Most are supposed to make the cat suppose that they’ve already put their scent on the item that’s been sprayed. This methodology takes a while to be efficient, as you’ll have to make use of the spray every day till the cat stops scratching.
- Apply vinyl panelling – That is the drastic possibility for cats that merely received’t cease scratching. Vinyl panels are now not a deterrent, they’re safety in your furnishings. Panels of varied sizes can be found, and most screw on to your furnishings.
3. Present scratching posts
Most cats will scratch objects in the event that they’re appropriate for scratching. You possibly can place scratching posts scattered round the home close to furnishings they often scratch. Pay attention to the kinds of surfaces that your cat enjoys scratching. Scratching posts are made of varied supplies, and it ought to be doable to seek out some that match your cat’s most popular sort of furnishings.
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Typically it takes a bit coaxing to get your cat to make use of the scratching publish as an alternative of the furnishings. Optimistic reinforcement is an efficient option to get them to make use of the publish – each time they take note of the publish as an alternative of the furnishings, give them reward and a reward.
One other methodology is to sprinkle some catnip round and on the publish itself. Some cat homeowners have had success with taking part in with a wand toy close to the publish, then directing the cat’s consideration to the publish as soon as they’ve began chasing the wand toy.
Let Your Cat Be A Cat
Let’s do not forget that scratching is a pure exercise for cats. Most cats might want to scratch a minimum of a number of the time – so as an alternative of seeking to get rid of the behaviour fully, it’s finest to direct it to things which are designed to be scratched equivalent to cat furnishings and scratchers. In case your cat has moved on from furnishings to the partitions, we’ve got an article on the way to cease cats from scratching partitions as nicely.
Creator:
Elsa Smith
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