How to Stop a Scratching Cat - 3 Ways to Prevent Your Feline"s Need to Scratch
Your drapes are in tatters.
Your sofa in shreds and your nerves are frayed.
What could have caused this except for a scratching cat? And while you're scolding your frisky feline for his bad behavior, you know that this is futile.
The reality is that you can't keep your cat from scratching.
It's what he does naturally.
BUT, what you can do is stop him from clawing inappropriate items and the things you value.
Here are 3 ways to prevent your pet's need to scratch.
Why They Do It Felines use their claws to do many things; climbing, scratching, pouncing, balancing, turning or to defend themselves against other cats or attackers.
They do not claw furniture with malicious intent.
This is part of their regular self-maintenance program to keep their nails nice and sharp for self defense.
However, this is only a secondary reason.
Studies suggest that the main reason for this behavior is actually communication.
By roughing up a tree trunk, (or your chair legs), your beloved pet is letting his peers and other people know where he is and what he's up to.
The scratched surface leaves a highly visible mark that can easily be seen by other kitties.
Cats also have sweat glands in their paws, and when they make scraping movements, it leaves an odor that can be smelled by others.
What To Do About It To stop a scratching cat, some owners choose to get their pets declawed.
However, there are many people who consider this procedure to be cruel and inhumane.
Declawing is regarded as a major surgery where not only a cat's nails are removed, but also a portion of the bone.
This can be likened to having the last knuckle of each of your fingers amputated.
It's plain to see why declawing is not a humane act and it's even illegal in some countries.
If you want to keep your household furnishings intact, there are alternative solutions.
Please do not declaw your pets.
Instead, try the following:
Maybe he has ruined your sofa's beautiful upholstery or turned your sheer curtains into mulch.
But the fact is that he's doing this for perfectly good reasons.
Well at least to him.
To avoid the mess, all you have to do is redirect the scratching and train him to claw something more appropriate.
Your sofa in shreds and your nerves are frayed.
What could have caused this except for a scratching cat? And while you're scolding your frisky feline for his bad behavior, you know that this is futile.
The reality is that you can't keep your cat from scratching.
It's what he does naturally.
BUT, what you can do is stop him from clawing inappropriate items and the things you value.
Here are 3 ways to prevent your pet's need to scratch.
Why They Do It Felines use their claws to do many things; climbing, scratching, pouncing, balancing, turning or to defend themselves against other cats or attackers.
They do not claw furniture with malicious intent.
This is part of their regular self-maintenance program to keep their nails nice and sharp for self defense.
However, this is only a secondary reason.
Studies suggest that the main reason for this behavior is actually communication.
By roughing up a tree trunk, (or your chair legs), your beloved pet is letting his peers and other people know where he is and what he's up to.
The scratched surface leaves a highly visible mark that can easily be seen by other kitties.
Cats also have sweat glands in their paws, and when they make scraping movements, it leaves an odor that can be smelled by others.
What To Do About It To stop a scratching cat, some owners choose to get their pets declawed.
However, there are many people who consider this procedure to be cruel and inhumane.
Declawing is regarded as a major surgery where not only a cat's nails are removed, but also a portion of the bone.
This can be likened to having the last knuckle of each of your fingers amputated.
It's plain to see why declawing is not a humane act and it's even illegal in some countries.
If you want to keep your household furnishings intact, there are alternative solutions.
Please do not declaw your pets.
Instead, try the following:
- Trim their nails - You can reduce your feline's potential for destruction by trimming the razor sharp tips of his claws.
To do this, press gently to extend a claw and find the pink part of the nail called "the quick".
This is a blood vessel and will bleed when cut.
You only want to clip off the tip of the nail, just enough to get rid of the sharp point. - Apply plastic nail caps - Another way to halt a scratching cat is to apply nail caps.
These are soft plastic covers that are glued to your cat's claws and last for 4-6 weeks.
They come in a variety of sizes and colors. - Provide scratching posts - Place them in locations where your pet is likely to scratch; where he sleeps, and around entrances and exits to rooms.
Scratching posts also come in different textures like carpet, wood and cardboard, so experiment with different types to see what your cat prefers.
Maybe he has ruined your sofa's beautiful upholstery or turned your sheer curtains into mulch.
But the fact is that he's doing this for perfectly good reasons.
Well at least to him.
To avoid the mess, all you have to do is redirect the scratching and train him to claw something more appropriate.
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