Why do cats scratch sofas, causes and solutions

2023 Author: Alex Livingston | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 11:39

THE cats scratch i sofas, but they are not limited to that because they often extend the practice to furniture, curtains and objects scattered around the house. Surely one of the most annoying behaviors put in place by the feline, an activity capable of ruining the furnishings and often confused with a spite and a whim. Nothing could be more wrong because, unleashing the claws, the quadruped follows its own personal nature or its feline nature imprinted in the DNA. But let's find out what pushes him to replicate this behavior and what tricks to put in place to avoid household damage.

Because the cat scratches the sofa

The need to get his nails done on the sofa at home does not fall into the personal spite category but has its roots in the past, in a natural instinct typical of the feline that pushes it to impress its passage along the territory. By scratching the support he is marking the territory where he lives, leaving his personal scent so as to delimit the boundaries of his area of belonging. Not only that, it is also a physical necessity linked to the need to file the nails themselves: an action that in nature would solve with the presence of a rigid surface such as a tree. The sofa is the easiest to reach and most useful object for yours manicure, which he always puts into practice on the same area of the sofa by stretching his legs against it and simultaneously stretching the back. There is also a third reason for this behavior: the cat is trying to free itself from boredom and accumulated stress, perhaps after a long day spent in total solitude.

Practical solutions and remedies

To dissuade him from the practice, it is good to clean the scratched part with specific but not chemical products, useful for masking the smell released by the feline as well as covering the area with a towel, a sofa cover or with structures created with materials of little interest. such as plastic: too smooth for your needs. If the nails are too long it is good to take care of them with a specific manicure made only by your trusted groomer, the area is particularly delicate to improvise a homemade DIY.

Games and distractions

To save the sofa, but also the furniture, it is necessary to capture the attention of the cat with playful and recreational activities that are very satisfying. As soon as you approach the object of desire, you just need to distract it with a string hanging from a stick from which to hang a feather or a fabric animal. A more stimulating environment will be able to capture his interest, such as the presence of a multi-level scratching post where he can climb, roll, jump and of course get his nails done. Resorting to the sofa is also a necessary solution for cats who are particularly bored and stressed by a housing condition devoid of stimuli and diversions, capable of transforming them into fearful, distressed, aggressive or nervous specimens and with food problems. To improve daily reality, it is necessary to avoid scolding and punishment but to pay attention to positive reinforcement and to diversions capable of capturing interest for a long time.