Cats are moody and have quirky behavior, which is often difficult to adapt to if it affects you or around you. A widespread and frustrating habit that causes issues for all cat owners is scratching. While this is a natural habit, it certainly damages the furniture of your home and offices. Even if this habit is not easy for anyone to understand why they are doing, it is going to help you find solutions to how you can help them by scratching and not damaging your furniture, too.
Whether you just got a cat and got your dinner table scratched, or a seasoned cat lover frustrated with these habits of their consulting professional like the one in a pet clinic in Murrieta, CA is going to help you with coming up with plans to solve this problem. To learn more about how you can help them, read this blog.
Why Do They Do That?
Cats are territorial, and it comes naturally to them that they mark their place by leaving their pheromones. They have pheromones in their paws, and when they scratch a surface, it helps them leave their mark through marks as well as scent. Even if they love to rest lazily, they always find time to stretch themselves to be ready in case of attacks. That is why they scratch, as it also helps them maintain flexibility. To be ready for any attack, they always make sure their claws are sharp and shiny, which they do by scratching them, as it will remove the dead outer layer of their claws. Sometimes, their emotions make them scratch them, especially when they are having anxiety or stress. These can be due to any new person or sometimes due to lack of attention.
Solve This With The Help Of Vet-Approved Solutions
Since we know it is a natural habit, you cannot stop it by punishing them or treating them badly. That is why what you can do now is give them the satisfaction of scratching and protect your property also by giving them an alternative to scratching, like sturdy scratching posts which are made of sisal wood and, according to their preference in scratching, which is horizontal or vertical, accordingly bring the scratch pads and keep them at places where your cat frequently scratch. If you can invest in a cat tree that comes with scratching pads, it will help you avoid placing scratch pads in more than one place.
When you give them alternatives, you must protect their initial choice, which is your furniture; cover your furniture with slip-on covers made of materials that cats are not able to scratch. You can even use double-sided tape or deterrent spray with a citrus smell to avoid scratching places because they hate sticky surfaces and citrusy smells a lot.
Regularly maintain their nails by clipping them with specific tools to avoid damage, and if you are scared of hurting them or unsure of it, you can get help from your veterinarian to cut their claws properly. Nail caps available in pet stores are another option that is going to protect your furniture from scratches as it will cover their nails, making them unable to scratch. These come in many fun colors, which your cat may also like.
Apart from that, increase their activity around the house with interactive toys and schedule a time to play with them daily to avoid boredom and stress, which often lead them to scratch. Work on reducing their anxiety and stress by not overwhelming them and keeping their routine intact because they are very keen on their eating and sleeping routines.
Take Professional Guidance!
Their behavioral management and maintenance guidance from the vet is going to help you a lot to keep your cats happy as well as healthy and safe.