Does all of your furniture bear your cat’s claw marks? Destructive scratching can be frustrating, but your feline friend needs to exercise their claws for their mental health and wellbeing. Before you get too angry, read The Pony Express Veterinary Hospital team’s blog about the importance of your cat’s scratching, and how you can redirect them to scratch more appropriate surfaces.

Why your cat scratches

To annoy you? To punish you for not keeping their food bowl full? Because they don’t like the curtain pattern? You may think your cat scratches for such irrational motivations, but they actually have relevant reasons to scratch, including:

  • Nail care — Scratching helps remove the outer nail husk and keeps the claw sharp and healthy. 
  • Stretching — When your cat scratches, they sink in their claws and sink back on their haunches, stretching their forelimbs and back. This helps them stay flexible and limber when they zoom around your house at top speed. 
  • Messaging — Cats have glands between their paw pads, and when they scratch, they deposit their scent to leave messages for other cats and animals. Cats who are the only household pet behave this way, potentially because they think they are leaving you little love notes. 
  • Distraction — When cats don’t receive enrichment that keeps them mentally fulfilled, they may resort to scratching to relieve boredom.
  • Stress relief — Cats are especially prone to stress, because they are predator and prey animals. Destructive scratching is one way they may signal they are stressed.

Tips to prevent your cat’s destructive scratching behavior

We’ve established that cats need to scratch, so your goal shouldn’t be to stop your cat’s scratching, but to prevent or lessen their destructive scratching behavior. Tips include:

  • Provide appropriate alternatives — Provide appropriate scratching surfaces, such as scratching posts and pads, throughout your home, to ensure your cat has a scratching outlet to satisfy their instincts.
  • Encourage scratching post use — Encourage your cat to use their scratching post by scenting the object with catnip or placing their favorite toy close by. Praise your cat and provide a high value treat or chin scratches when they use the post.
  • Discourage inappropriate scratching — Discourage your cat from scratching your furniture or other inappropriate objects by covering the area or blocking off their access. 
  • Trim your cat’s claws — Trim your cat’s claws every 10 to 14 days, so they are less likely to cause damage.
  • Use plastic claw caps — You can attach plastic caps to your cat’s claws to help prevent scratching damage.
  • Avoid punishing your cat — Your cat’s destructive scratching is understandably upsetting, but punishment is not the answer and won’t remedy the problem.

Cat scratching post considerations

Cats are fickle creatures and particular about their likes and dislikes. When choosing and placing scratching posts, consider several factors to ensure your cat doesn’t ignore the object:

  • Number — Ensure every household cat has access to at least one suitable scratching post and, if possible, provide several throughout your home.
  • Location — Place the scratching posts in areas where your cat spends their time, because they will likely ignore a post in an out of the way location. If your feline friend is inappropriately scratching a particular area, immediately place a post next to the object to help redirect their scratching interest.
  • Orientation — Some cats are vertical scratchers who enjoy scratching curtains and couch backs, while others are horizontal scratchers who enjoy scratching rugs and carpets. Determine your cat’s scratching preference or provide several scratching options.
  • Size — Regardless of orientation, ensure the scratcher is large enough for your cat to fully extend their front limbs while scratching.
  • Material — Cat scratchers come in several different materials, such as carpet, cardboard, sisal, and wood. Provide several options to ensure you meet your cat’s scratching needs.
  • Stability — Ensure the post won’t topple over, which may prevent your cat from using that scratcher again.

Tips to trim your cat’s claws

Regularly trimming your cat’s claws not only helps protect your furniture, curtains, and carpets, but also prevents painful ingrown nails that can lead to infection. Tips to keep your cat’s claws trimmed include:

  • Practice — Cats adjust better to their claws being trimmed when you start during kittenhood, but adult cats can learn to accept the procedure. Start by rubbing your cat’s paws and when they allow this, gently pressure their paw to reveal the claw. Practice this daily for several sessions, until they are comfortable letting you handle their paws.
  • Gather supplies — You will need sharpened cat-specific claw trimmers, styptic powder, treats, and possibly a helper.
  • Restrain your cat — Determine the best restraining technique for your cat. Some allow claw trimming while they sit on your lap, while others need to be rolled in a towel or held by another person.
  • Cut correctly — Cat claws are white, with a faint pink area (i.e., the quick) close to their paw. If you cut into the quick, the nail will bleed and your cat will feel pain. Cut only the sharp claw tip to avoid quicking your cat, but if you do, apply styptic powder to help stop the bleeding.
  • Be patient — Many cats will allow you to trim only one or two claws at each session. Be patient, and don’t continue trimming when your cat starts to struggle, because you don’t want them to develop a negative association.
  • Treat your cat — Provide a high-value treat after you trim each claw.

If your frisky feline friend is less than cooperative about their claws being trimmed, contact The Pony Express Veterinary Hospital team. We can help.