How to get cats to stop scratching furniture

Cats and sofas cannot have both, which may be the most troublesome problem for all poop owners. Scratching the sofa, table corners, etc. will inevitably lead to bad luck, but cats are dear to my heart. How can we balance the relationship between the two?

It’s natural for cats to scratch

Cat scratching behavior is inevitable. Cat’s scratching behavior is natural and contains many little secrets!

1 Cats scratch to assert their sovereignty

When in the wild, cats will leave their paw prints on branches to express “this is my territory”; cats’ flesh pads can secrete pheromones, which allow other species to detect their scent and serve as a warning. Others “This is my territory.”

2 Sharpen claws

Rough tree trunks can help cats sharpen their claws and remove aging cuticles. Domestic cats retain this habit to make their claws comfortable and sharp.

3 Relax

If your cat is very nervous, scratching can relieve your cat’s nervousness. Scratching just after waking up or after eating, arching your back and stretching your whole body are ways to relax.

The battle to protect furniture

First of all, we need to know that scratching is natural for cats.
First, there is no way to stop it, and second, don’t do something wrong. for example:
This is extremely damaging to your cat’s nails. Severe cases can lead to inflammation and wound infection, and this method is not recommended for anyone. Since the cat’s scratching is unavoidable, let’s guide the cat to a good place.

(1) Prepare suitable cat scratching posts

(2) Use methods such as spreading catnip and attracting with toys.

(3) Tie hemp rope and other items around the legs of the table to protect the furniture.

(4) If the cat doesn’t like the scratching board, consider whether the scratching board is not dense enough? In other words, the board is not big enough.

Scratching is a cat’s natural instinct and plays a very important role in the cat’s mental and physical health. We should not stop this behavior, but should guide it correctly to reduce the attractiveness of furniture to cats and increase the attractiveness of scratching posts to cats. As long as you have more patience and use some simple methods, you can have a cat that is not attractive to cats. A good cat scratching the furniture.

The story behind cats sharpening their claws

1. Can promote nail metabolism

Although the claws cannot be sharpened directly, it can make the old claw sheaths fall off quickly, so it is also helpful to sharpen the cat’s claws from the side.
Therefore, we often find a large piece of fallen “nail” where the cat grinds its claws. Novice poop scrapers don’t need to worry if they see it, it is normal. The shape of cats’ nails is different from that of humans. When they are replaced, both sides fall off together, so the nail area will be larger.

2. Leave a taste and leave a mark

Cat’s claws have scent glands, and when scratched, some of the cat’s unique smell will be left behind. Tell yourself what it is for, and if there are other cats in the house, the smell will be a message to other cats. Maybe it’s telling other cats, “This is for sharpening claws, not a toilet.”

3. Do stretching exercises to regulate your emotions

Cats usually grind their claws when they just wake up, because they can stretch their bodies, and sometimes cats will directly choose to lie on the ground and do a downward dog pose (yoga pose).
Sometimes cats grind their claws to regulate their emotions. It’s a bit like when we are in a bad mood, if we exercise for a while, we may feel better.

4. It’s really boring and attracts the cat slave’s attention.

I have read an article before: Cats scratch furniture less often when no one is at home, but they scratch furniture more frequently when there are people at home to sharpen their claws. This is different from our conventional thinking. Why is this?
Because cats find it very irritating to sharpen their claws to attract the attention of family members. Generally, family members will scold the cat when they see it, and then the cat will quickly run away (as if it has finished making trouble and left).
The cat’s reaction to the cat slave is already anticipated, but it dares to do it deliberately. We can understand that cats want to interact with people, so they are being naughty.