It’s a state of affairs many a cat proprietor is aware of: You purchase your feline an elaborate, costly scratching put up just for them to fully ignore it and sink their claws into your sofa as a substitute.
While a cat’s fussy diva quirks are sometimes tolerated, even adored by the people who love them, scratching will not be one in every of them. According to a 2019 evaluation by the American Veterinary Medical Association, harmful scratching accounts for 15 to 24 p.c of behavioral complaints homeowners have in opposition to their cats. A 2020 report that studied a Texas-based animal shelter found that round 11 p.c of adopted cats have been surrendered due to “harmful tendencies.”
Pet homeowners might even elect to declaw their felines, a broadly thought of inhumane process the place a cat’s claw and the encircling bone are surgically eliminated. So if your loved one tabby has taken a liking to your furnishings, worry not. There are methods to redirect his interior tiger tendencies to maintain you and him residing in blissful, destruction-free content material.
Why do cats scratch?
First, it’s vital to grasp precisely why cats like to tear their claws into issues. This fully regular, instinctual conduct serves many various functions, the principle one being marking of territory, Katherine Houpt, professor emeritus of conduct medication at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, tells Inverse.
“A secondary [purpose] is to help get rid of the old claw,” Houpt explains.
Other causes for scratching embrace protection in opposition to assault and, surprisingly, a great stretching train. Cats like to coach their claws on objects which might be vertically or horizontally positioned. Houpt says, most significantly, these scratchers are sometimes sturdy buildings, like couches, as any wobbling will deter a cat from scratching.
Training out the destruction
Knowing this may be to your benefit. Choose a scratching put up you already know your cat will like: A big, stable, vertical or horizontal put up is most well-liked. Cats favor massive buildings as a result of they’ll absolutely stretch their our bodies whereas utilizing them. The materials additionally issues. Cats like sturdy pure fibers like sisal and jute (extra so the previous than the latter) for his or her tough texture.
If you’ve tried sisal-covered scratch posts of each horizontal and vertical varieties and nonetheless had no luck, Houpt recommends rotating the place you usually put the scratchers to locations close to the place you are typically.
“Cats seem to prefer to scratch in a place where we are, so I think it’s sort of social,” she says.
You may strive attractive a cat to her scratcher with catnip, however that will or might not work. Houpt says catnip encourages one other conduct unrelated to scratching. Some cats are even born with out the “catnip” gene, so they might not reply to it.
If your feline nonetheless insists on tearing up your Pinterest-worthy sofa, you’ll be able to strive coaching them out of the behavior with deterrents like a little bit squirt from a can of compressed air or scented sprays cats dislike, smells like citrus or espresso grounds.
You also can attempt to make your furnishings much less interesting, tactile-wise. This consists of wrapping or protecting an oft-scratched space in a cloth with a smoother texture or double-sided sticky tape.
Houpt advises in opposition to declawing your cat since that may result in many well being considerations and persisting ache, to not point out aggravating any underlying behavioral points. Punishment with harsh phrases or tone received’t work both; it’s higher to reward your cat’s good scratching conduct with a deal with and a few love.
“Punishment for suppressing behavior doesn’t change the animal’s motivation,” says Houpt. “It’s better to meet their needs instead of punishing them.”
