While the dog easily smoothes the nails during the walk, the cat has it more complicated, and that is why it looks for elements inside the home where to preen and file its nails.
That can be a problem if you use the furniture or the sofa instead of the scrapers that we have bought, for that reason and for the welfare of your home, we want to respond towhy my cat scratches the furniture?, as well as a series of tips for you to stop doing it.
Instinct
All animals carry in their genes an instinct that pushes them to act in a certain way, to clean themselves or polish your nails are some of these activities that reside in the nature of the cat and we can not do anything to avoid it. The nails are their defense weapons, so it is a mere survival that keeps them perfectly.
For that reason, if your cat does not have a scraper, you must acquire it as soon as possible, avoiding that you use the furniture of the home as a daily file. Although quiet, you can also make your own scraper at home.
In addition, as a curiosity, we will add that cats have sweat glands that are in the pads. In this way, when they scratch an object, they not only file, but also they mark the place as a site that is “yours”. Make sure that you fulfill the basic care of the cat and that you allow it to scratch, since this activity eliminates stress of your pet: do not deprive him of doing so, offer him an alternative.
Tips to stop scratching furniture
Here are some tips for your cat to stop destroying your home, some will be more useful than others, but together you can solve this problem:
- As we have told you, if your cat does not have a scraper Get one now! There are different types of colors and shapes, look for the most suitable for your cat watching him scratch.
- Take it to the vet regularly to cut your nails, you can also cut your cat’s nails at home if you have experience.
- Whenever you find your cat scraping a piece of furniture, distract it and go quickly with the scraper, encouraging him to play with it. If your cat pays attention and scratches or plays with him, do not forget to congratulate him with kind words, caresses and even a treat. Positive reinforcement is the key to ending unwanted behaviors!
- In the market we find the catnip, a dry plant that can be administered by means of a sprayer. Its function is to attract the cat and he gets it! Spray the scraper with this spray and watch as your cat does not stop using it.
- Do you have space at home? Prepare a suitable play area that includes the scraper.
- Observe the surfaces that you come to scratch and cover them with a thin and light fabric where you can get hooked, we assure you that you will not try again.
Finally, if none of these tricks serves you or prevents your cat from scratching furniture, you should go to a pet store and buy a repellent spray. Then you should apply it in the places where the cat scratches, the effect is very fast.
If you want to read more articles similar to Why does my cat scratch furniture?, we recommend that you enter in our behavior problems section.