Help! My cat won’t stop scratching the furniture!
Does your cat have “scratching fever”?
If your cat won’t stop scratching the furniture and your couch has seen better days, panic not! There are plenty of humane, welfare friendly ways to deal with this problem.
Previous ways to deal cats that scratch furniture were extreme and could cause physical and behavioural problems for the cat involved. For example, declawing. This may seem like an obvious solution to scratching, however it is not as simple as simply removing the claws. If you simply remove the claws then they will grow back. In order to prevent them growing back, the end digits of the cat’s paw, the equivalent to our finger tips, must be amputated. This effects the cat’s ability to grip, effects his gait (how he walks), and will frequently cause pain and arthritis.Incidences of aggression in declawed cats is extremely high in countries where this is common practice.
Why do cats scratch?
Cats need to scratch. It is a genetically driven behaviour that cannot be stopped. Even cats that have been declawed, go through the behaviour pattern (process) of scratching objects.
Scratching maintains helps cats to maintain their claws. It sharpens them and removes the dead claw to reveal fresh new ones.It also helps cats to mark their territory. Leaving scratch marks on something tells other cats that this is his territory, as well as leaving traces of scent from their paw glands
Studies on big cats kept in captivity showed that those who were encouraged to stretch out to scratch showed a delayed and reduce amount of arthritis and old age- related joint wear and tear. Cats that are not provided with an appropriate outlet to scratch exhibit behaviour problems related to frustration, such as excessive vocalisation, depression and even self-mutilation.
So what can be done?
Ok, so now you know that scratching is essential for a healthy cat but this still doesn’t solve the problem of your ruined favourite antique chair. Size, shape, texture and position of your cats scratching outlets must all be considered.
Most cat scratchers sold, are far too small. Your cat must be able to stretch out fully, both horizontally and vertically uninterrupted. There are a few scratchers on the market that are large enough for this, so you must be patient in your search.
Cats like to scratch on different textures. Some love carpet, some love sisal rope, others love foam mats or even real trees and most cats love cardboard. Scratching objects are different to the traditional “scratching posts” that we think of which are actually “cat trees”. These are useful to a cat to provide vertical space for cats, but often the scratching area is not tall enough.
Encouraging your cat to use the scratchers
Now that you have spent your hard – earned money on multiple textures and shapes of scratching objects, the next task is placing the scratchers in places that will invite your cat to use them.
They should typically be place as close to the places he already scratches as possible. So right next to the couch or armchair for example. There should be multiple opportunities for your cat to scratch throughout the house.
Your cat will typically scratch when they’ve just woken up, or when they’re excited such as around meal times or when you arrive home. At these times, be sure to be near a scratcher and place you cat on there, with plenty of praise and treats when he uses it.
Should you punish your cat for scratching the “wrong” place?
No, is the short answer. Punishing your cat will not stop the scratching. It means your cat will just scratch when you are not there. It also makes you scary. Who wants to live in a house where you get randomly punished for exhibiting normal behaviours? Punishments causes more problems than it addresses.
What I would suggest is preventing your cat from having access to the inappropriate scratching objects when you are not around. Such as closing doors or covering objects with blankets.
