a. They scratch to leave a message, often along well-used cat pathways (Feldman 1994). It is a visual and a scent message, as there are glands on the cat’s feet which leave scent behind. Other cats can probably recognise feline friends by the scent from scratching and they may be able to tell if the scratcher is in search of a mate. All this information is conveyed at a distance. The scratch is a kind of Post-It note left for others and also as a reminder to the scratcher, himself.

Be gentle and attentive to the cat. Perhaps her bad behavior is an attempt to attract the attention of the owners, to throw out energy. Communicate with your pet, talk, play, praise it, spend more time together, do not let us get bored. Then the desire to scratch the furniture and wallpaper does not arise, and there will be no time and effort left. Martin Lewis: What the Autumn Statement means for you – including wages, benefits, pensions, ISAs, housing, national insurance and more Alternative scratching surfaces such as cat scratching boards and posts are readily available in all pet shops and online pet stores. They tend to be made of wood or heavy-duty cardboard and covered in a material such as sisal string (wrapped round posts) or wood bark. If there are not enough scratching opportunities to blame for the behavior of your four-legged friend, you should increase the apartment accordingly. One or two spaces per room should allow your kitten to sharpen its claws. It’s nice if you provide different options for this. Scratching trees, scratching waves, or simple scratching boards on the wall in combination with each other make sharpening her claws a pleasure. Here are a few examples.

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Cat scratching is also a way of marking territory. When a cat scratches something it leaves behind scent marks; sweat is secreted between a cat’s paw pads and when it scratches that sweat is left on the item in question. This is another way of defending the cat’s territory; the physical scratch marks are a kind of ‘keep away’ signal to anything that might be tempted to come in and take the territory for its own. Of course, this is far less likely to happen in a domesticated situation, but a cat’s nature can’t necessarily be changed after hundreds of thousands of years. c. They have a need to top up a scratch area regularly with new scent. Therefore once they have a scratching place, they will continue to use it. This may be a way of updating the information conveyed by the first scratch! Therefore it is important to start them scratching in the right place – a good scratching post (Hart, 1980). Scratching is also an exercise for cats as it strengthens the muscles of the forelimbs and spine to keep the cat in shape to hunt.

We know how stressful cutting your cats claws can be, but it's essential to keep them nice and short to avoid any nasty scratches to you or your furniture. Regular clipping of claws . Get a special nail clipper and, as it grows, carefully cut the claws. Of course, the cat will continue to use the claws anyway, but they will be less sharp and will not harm objects much. Finally some cats scratch to get your attention. They often will look at you as they start scratching – like the photo above. Saying “No” or shouting is attention. If your cat is an attention seeker make sure you don’t ‘reward’ it by rebuking it (Casey 2009). Walk out of the room, or ignore it, when it scratches in the wrong place.

Why do cats scratch in the house?

If you have tried everything to stop your cat scratching the furniture and carpet, and they are ignoring the alternatives you’ve provided, there are some things you can try to safely deter them.

If curiosity or the satisfaction of clawing soft furnishings is encouraging the cat to use that area, you will need to find another outlet for the cat’s energies. Try playing with your cat more regularly, little and often throughout the day, providing toys which offer an outlet for hunting abilities. Place the post near or over the previous scratching area/item. Cover the old area with a non-scratchable substance (see later for details). When the new scratch post is well established, you may be able remove these covers. If this goes smoothly you can then move the scratching post, a few inches every 3 days, to a better area in the house.

Further help

Mix some vinegar with liquid hand soap and water in equal parts. Spray, wipe or pour over areas of concern, indoors or outdoors. Cats are naturally curious creatures, but they don’t like to feel that they are being forced to do something. Your cat may take some time to explore the new object, but they will accept it more readily if they have decided when and how to use it on their own terms.

Designation of the territory. On the tips of the paws between the fingers are special glands that secrete a secret. And with this substance, cats mark their possessions during scratching (they also do this with urine and glands located in other places – in the cheeks and under the tail). Highly rooted habit. If you took an adult cat from the street or from other owners, and she scratched the wallpaper before meeting you, then she will continue in the same way in new housing. Do not blame the cat. Firstly, realise that the cat is not doing this out of spite or in an attempt to cause destruction to furniture on purpose. Provide a scratching post

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Consider rubbing catnip on new scratching opportunities to make them even more tempting for your cat.