Cats, like us, have their own behaviors that they practice throughout life.Cats are synonymous with pleasure. They are loyal, playful, and enjoy snuggling and sitting on their owners’ laps.Cats have unique ways of expressing themselves and never express their feelings directly.Cat scratching is a natural behavior for feline friends, and scratching is a normal, healthy, and vital activity in cats. However, it may be a source of concern for pet keepers, and they might think their pet is not healthy. If you have a cat or you’re thinking of getting one, you must know about cat behavior to be a successful cat owner.It is necessary to stop your pet from biting and scratching when they are young, or it will be difficult to stop them later when they are older. However, most kittens naturally come out of this behavior and stop doing this when they are one or two years.Some pet owners opt to have their kitten claws removed via declawing as they are worried about losing valuable household stuff or concerned about serious injury. However, declawing is not like getting a manicure. Since it involves not only the feline’ claws but also the end bone of each toe. Your cats may endure severe discomfort and perhaps may face difficulty in walking as a result of declawing.Instead of punishing your cat for scratching, try to teach your pet a healthy way to control its behavior. This is a behavior that felines may do for the rest of their life. Read on to learn about several options for managing your pet’s natural scratching behavior and preventing damage caused by sharp cat marks.To comprehend your cat’s preferences read more about why do cats scratch? Discover more about cats by reading other relevant articles such as why do cats enjoy boxes? And why do cats stick their tongues out?Why do cats scratch furniture?Scratching is an instinct in cats, it helps them clean their claws and mark territory with scent glands in their paws.Scratching is also a sign of excitement. Cats scratch as a sign that it might be overjoyed to see you, or perhaps something fascinating is going on in the house. Cats enjoy scratching and marking objects with scents in their paws and scrape while playing or as they stretch. They also scratch to mark their territory, to provide a warning signal to other cats. Scratching may be a hint that they are enjoying life, and if they scratch in the correct place, everyone will enjoy it. Moreover, scratching itself is a good way for a kitten to keep its nails clean and trim.Although we love our pets, it is awful when your much-loved pet scratches your customized furniture or sofa. Something that many cat-owners have experienced, isn’t it? We may suspect that our cat damaged our stuff because they were unhappy with us or intended to take revenge on us by destroying our furniture. After all, it isn’t easy to understand why they would do such a thing. However, a cat’s cognitive approach will tell you that cat scratching is not done on purpose; it’s just your kitty’s nature and a way to express their love.Sometimes cats also scratch mirrors because they are curious creatures who want to learn more about the mirror, what it is, and how it functions. Some cats claw their reflections thinking it is another cat, and they scratch the image to protect their territory or just to get the attention of their owner.Why do cats scratch posts?Scent glands may be found all over a cat’s body, especially in the face and paws. Cats scratch the walls to establish authority over that portion of the house. To help with your cat’s inevitable scratching behavior, a scratching post can help a lot. A scratching post is a wooden pole coated with a rough surface. Cat owners often offer these poles to their cats to scratch in hopes they will scratch here and not furniture.Cats in the wild frequently scratch trees and logs, since they are solid and firm, and their claws leave a beautiful, noticeable imprint on them. Indoors, these identical marks may be found on your furniture like sofas, chairs, dining room tables, and other furnishings. Scratching the walls and furniture could be a form of exercise, and it helps the cats to stretch themselves early in the morning. Hence, cats scratch because it is a natural, established behavior of the animal.Indoor cats can be kept away from scratching furniture if they have access to these scratching posts. This can provide a better scratching alternative to your furniture and a more calm environment for you and your kitty companion.Why do cats scratch around their food?Before or after eating, your might have seen your cat scratching or clawing around her food. It makes us assume that she’s doing it because she doesn’t like her food or covers it to eat later; the reasons happen to be very different.One of the reasons your domestic cat tries to hide food leftovers is a natural behavior. In the wild, cats are carnivores, therefore implying they hunt for food. Usually, after hunting, animals eat their meal in portions and hide leftovers so that other predators don’t notice their existence. Cats scratching or pawing around the meal isn’t unsafe and is its instinct.Other reasons may also include protecting her children from other predators. It prevents the predators from discovering that there are kittens around. Moreover, it might hint that she is getting more food than she can eat, or it might be her natural effort to be clean and keep their space trim.Now that you know why cats are clean, did you ever wonder why cats love to lick themselves and if there’s more to it than just grooming? According to veterinarians, adult cats are seen grooming up to 50% of their waking hours.Why do cats scratch the floor before drinking water?Knowing your cat’s typical behavior is essential to understand what they are doing and why they are doing it.In the wild, animals may automatically try to dig water up; sometimes, we observe the same in a cat living in a domestic setting too. There may be similar speculation underlying scraping the ground before drinking water as they scrap by their instincts and they do the same for food. Another possible reason is the location of the water since many cats do not like to drink their water with their meal. A particularly demanding cat may be expressing its disapproval with the water location or still water. Other than these, you should inspect and regularly change the water to ensure it is clean.In some strange cases, cats are known to bite their owners to express their anger. It is critical to explore the behavior and determine what it’s upset about. Biting can be a response to a strange odor or a sign that it is in pain.Cats may also bite when they are touched. Some creatures prefer to be left alone and may grow annoyed if they are stroked frequently. If this occurs, you should immediately stop petting your cat and give them a chance to move, and wait until they approach you again.There are chances that some cats bite or scratch simply to catch your attention or even do it unintentionally when playing indoors.When it comes to scratching, the best strategy is not to stop your cat from scratching but instead to lead them to where and what they can scratch. Providing them with appropriate and attractive scratching surfaces or toys, such as a scratching post, can be a good strategy. Understanding your cat’s scratching preferences will help in getting your cat to scratch where you want them to. Try these methods to keep them from scratching your stuff.Firstly, encourage your pet to have an interactive play with a toy for 15 minutes every day to help them minimize excessive scratching. When your cat starts to scratch furniture or walls or any objects other than scratching posts, discourage them by hiding or covering them. Sticky and smooth surfaces, will not be appealing to your cat’s claws, which can help lessen the scratching. As an alternative, install scratching posts, either horizontal or vertical, near these things. Make sure it’s tall or long enough, as well as robust. Moreover, inspire them to explore her posts by spreading catnip above them or placing toys on them. Arranging them in locations where they may be attracted to climb on them, can also help. Remember not to put your pet under undue stress by doing so.You can discourage your pet if you find them scratching an odd object by training them by saying ‘no’ loudly and firmly or pull the cat by the scruff of its neck and shift or redirect it to another section of the home or room.Remember to trim your cat’s nails regularly or by bringing them to the vet for nail trimming.If you are concerned about the scratching behavior of your pet, then you should contact your veterinarian.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for why do cats scratch? Feline’s unique behavior explained for kids! Then why not take a look at why do dogs’ feet smell like Fritos? Truth about your dog paws unmasked! Or why do bees make honey? Honeybee fun facts to know.
Cats, like us, have their own behaviors that they practice throughout life.
