Reasons Why Cats Like to Scratch

Has your cat scratched up everything in your house from your favorite recliner, to your drapes? Scratching can be one of the biggest frustrations for cat owners, and often they are left wondering what they can do to correct this irritating behavior. Before you can correct the behavior however, you need to assess the reasons why your cat scratches.

Like dogs, cats have been domesticated by man, meaning that at one point in time they were wild, and had to hunt in order to survive. In the wild, they would use their claws for everything including extra grip when they ran, and climbing trees to get leverage on their prey.

That instinct remains with them, so while they eat from a dish on your kitchen floor, they still want to keep their claws sharp in case they need them.

Scratching is what allows them to sharpen their claws since it removes the flaky old outside of their nails, leaving only the strong sharp edge. Scratching is also a way that cats can mark their territory, and let other cats know that they are there. There are glands in their paws that will release a special chemical with a unique scent that marks the area that they have scratched as being their own. The final reason that cats will scratch is that scratching is their way of stretching to get the kinks out, or burning off any excess energy they may have.

You might feel that you need to declaw your cat in order to keep them from scratching everything in your home. There are other ways to handle the situation, however.

You might try placing a couple of scratching posts and pads around the house based on what your cat typically likes to scratch. Often times if you buy an elaborate cat condo it will incorporate one or more scratching posts, or if you prefer something smaller, you can purchase individual scratching posts. You can also create your own scratching post using wood pieces and carpet or rope remnants.

After you have picked out which option will fit best into your home, and your budget you will need to put it near your cat's favorite place to scratch, such as your recliner. As your cat becomes more accustomed to scratching on the post instead of the furniture, you can begin to slowly move it farther away from the furniture.

If getting your cat a scratching post doesn't help the situation of it scratching your furniture, you might need to try using a pet repellent spray on his favorite piece of furniture in order to deter him. (Try the spray on a hidden place of the fabric to be sure that it won't discolor your furniture before you spray it where your cat scratches) Aluminum foil, and tape placed with the sticky side up on the areas that your cat likes to scratch are also great ideas to deter your cat from scratching on the furniture. Cats don't like the sound of foil, or the feel of sticky substances, and your cat will therefore learn that his scratching post is a much more enjoyable surface for scratching.

If none of this works, then the last resort might be having your cat declawed. This is only a good idea if your cat is only an indoor cat. Because your cat will have to be given anesthesia, there is some risk in this procedure, and it can be painful for your cat following the surgery. Other options include trimming your cats nails or gluing on caps, but the caps fall off over time and have to be replaced when this occurs. These caps then act as the cats nails, but they are plastic and don't sharpen, nor do they scratch up your furniture, and they go on much like acrylic nails at the salon. Using a non toxic adhesive the caps are placed on claws that have just been trimmed.

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