![]() ![]() When do they scratch? When they wake up from a nap, when they want to mark their territory, or when they’re excited about something, like you coming home from work. What do cats scratch? Anything with a nubby, course, or textured surface, something they can really sink their claws into. Let’s look at the what, when, and how of cat scratching. What is an acceptable object? Certainly not the couch, carpet, or banister. As an owner, we have to identify her needs and act accordingly, so that her behavior can fit into our lifestyle. When a cat scratches destructively, she’s not trying to be mean or spiteful, she’s doing it because that’s part of being a cat. What we absolutely know is that this is an instinct that can’t be removed from their behavior. Even cats who have been declawed will try to scratch things for this very reason! Scratching also happens in play, as a way to stretch, as a greeting to their owner, a way to relieve frustration, as a method to shed the outer layer of their nails or simply as a way acknowledge fondness for items or people. They tend to go back to the same spots and scratch those spots repeatedly for this reason it’s another way for them to mark their territory. We know that cats leave their scent behind when they scratch things and that this is a means of letting the world know that they’re there… whether it is to warn another cat away or to invite them to play. By nature, cats have a need to scratch objects in their environment.
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