Most people who live with cats love their feline friends and make compromises to keep them happy, such as getting up at 5 a.m. to fill the food bowl, turn on the faucet, or open that closed door that is driving them crazy. However, one compromise many pet owners refuse to make is ignoring their whiskered pal’s destructive scratching. 

A cat who scratches furniture or carpets is labeled as being problematic. However, your feline friend needs to scratch for their health, and you must do your best to set up your cat for scratching success. Our Red Oak Animal Hospital team shares the reasons why cats scratch and how you can prevent problem scratching.

#1: Cats scratch to sharpen their nails

Your whiskered pal’s nails are unique, retractable tools that they put to good use for grooming, climbing, and self-defense. As with the rest of their skin and coat, cats’ nails are not maintenance-free. When your feline friend chews or pulls at their nails during a self-grooming session, they are trying to loosen or remove the dead outer nail husk and reveal the sharp claw beneath. In addition, cats scratch as a way to sharpen and groom their nails. 

#2: Cats scratch to communicate

Communication is another major reason that cats scratch. Your feline friend has scent glands in their paws, which they use to leave behind chemical messages on items they have scratched. The chemicals are meant to communicate with other cats in the area; even if there is only one cat in the household. Your whiskered pal believes their scratching messages are extremely important and wants to ensure others know exactly where their territory lies. For this reason, cats often scratch objects that are in highly visible, high-traffic areas in your home.

#3: Cats scratch for emotional benefits

Scratching provides your whiskered pal with a healthy outlet to burn excess energy and cope with anxiety or stress, which are common problems for indoor cats. Your furry friend can experience stress in response to boredom, household changes, illness, other pets, visitors, trips to the veterinarian, and many other situations. Scratching releases feel-good hormones and also encourages stretching and physical activity, which are all helpful for reducing emotional distress.

How to encourage your cat to scratch appropriately

By providing your cat with plenty of appropriate items for their scratching needs, you can help them learn to steer clear of your expensive couch. Give your feline friend several vertical and horizontal scratchers with different textures. If your cat already shows a preference for certain materials or household items, try to find scratchers that mimic a similar texture and place them next to the items they have scratched inappropriately. 

Sprinkle catnip on the scratcher or nearby to help tempt your whiskered pal to use the scratchers. You can also try to play a game nearby so that your cat naturally jumps on or touches the scratchers and becomes intrigued. To encourage your feline friend to return to the scratchers, deter them from inappropriately scratching items they have already begun to destroy. You can accomplish this by spraying synthetic facial pheromones on the old areas daily, tricking your furry friend into thinking they already marked the area, and by covering the item or floor around it in something unpleasant to the touch, such as double-sided tape or a plastic carpet floor mat turned to the back side.

Why declawing your cat is not the answer

In the past, owners commonly had their cats declawed. However, this procedure has become increasingly controversial in recent years. Some U.S. states and cities, and even other countries have banned the declaw procedure because, in addition to experiencing postoperative pain and bleeding, declawed cats have chronic pain, develop arthritis, and behave inappropriately in response to pain. During a feline declaw procedure, the surgeon removes each toe’s entire last bone, not only the claw. Consider all alternatives to surgery to make an informed decision about declawing. In most cases, providing your whiskered pal with appropriate scratching outlets, keeping their nails trimmed, and using nail caps can help prevent most problem scratching. 

The American Veterinary Medication Association (AVMA), the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) encourage pet owners to explore all possible alternatives, such as feline rehoming, before they choose to have a portion of their cat’s toes amputated.

Now that you know why cats scratch and you can encourage healthy scratching, you can give your whiskered pal what they need to thrive. Cats who develop ongoing, problematic scratching could have an underlying medical or behavioral issue. To schedule a consultation for your cat or discuss additional ways to resolve your feline friend’s inappropriate scratching issue, call our Red Oak Animal Hospital team.