Scratching: The Destructive Behavior Of Cats

We always heard complaints from cat's owners about the habit of their cats to scratch almost anything in the house and contrary to the belief of others that cat is doing this for revenge, there can be some health implication of this behavior. Though at times, it is considered normal for a cat to scratch and this is manageable. First, we need to know why our cat scratches. The scratching of cat can be a simple display of confidence and it also permits scent deposition on cat's paw and certainly, the cat is doing this to fulfill its innate need and because it is their nature to scratch, it is therefore hard for the owner to make it stop. The only thing you can do to manage this is to give your cats a place where they can scratch than doing it on sofas or other fixtures. This means we are going to redirect it so that it will not destroy our precious items at home and here's you need to know.

1. The Cat's Preferences Of Materials

Where does your cat usually scratch? Is it on the drapes, wood, or sofa? Make some observation on the way your cat scratch and take down notes about it such as the strokes the cat makes. Is the cat doing it vertically or horizontally? 

2. Give Them The Material That Matches Their Choice

Once you have an idea the type of materials the cat likes to scratch, then you can buy it from pet store. If the cat likes to scratch on the nubby textures then probably you can get a rope-like material for them to scratch. When the cat's preferences are provided, it is easier now to train the cat to scratch using that rather than on home fixtures.

3. Keep It Away From The Cat

The only sure way that the items will not be scratch by the cat, for the time being, is to keep it away from the reach of the cat. If it is a sofa, then cover it with a thick cloth will more likely refrain the cat from scratching it since you already covered the surface. Since it leaves a scent on the scratch area and your pet will scratch that portion again, try to remove the scent by using baking soda or other scents or completely block the access to the object to cut the cycle.

4. Trimming The Cat's Nails

This can only be applied when the cat allows their owner to do some cutting on their nails otherwise they go ballistic while some cat owners really have asked some help from the vet to declaw permanently their cat however, we do not recommend declawing them since it makes the cat defenseless to the attack of their enemies.

5. Punishment Won't Work

Generally, when you punish your cat for scratching it just teach him to scratch when you are not there simply because scratching for them is not a crime but rather a natural mechanism of their body so they do not understand that they have done wrong by doing so.