Newsletter from Great Lakes Cat Furniture

Scratching is an inherent feline behavior and one that you, as a cat owner, must learn to deal with. It helps to understand why cats scratch. First, scratching helps keep their claws in shape. A cats' claw is made of the same protein as human fingernails and they grow in layers with the outer layer being shed once every 4 to 6 weeks. Scratching helps remove this outer layer and keeps a sharp point on the claw. The second reason is that cats are territorial animals and one way to maintain supremacy within their territory is by marking it. These markings can be visual - which are the marks left behind by the claws, or they can be scent markings that come from sebaceous glands in the paws. A third reason why cats scratch is that it simply feels good. A favorite activity is to stretch as far as it can, dig its claws into some form of rough material and pull, thus stretching the muscles which you could say is a form of cat workout.

Realizing that you are not going to stop the scratching activity, your only defense is to direct it to an approved area. To be successful you need to think like a cat and know what it likes. Owner observation and veterinarian advice tell us that cats like to scratch sturdy vertical objects, such as a cat tree or a cat scratching post. The height of the scratching surface needs to be as high as the cat is tall when stretched out to its full body length. The material the cat is going to scratch needs to be rough - such as sisal carpet or sisal rope which allows it to dig its claws into.

The adage in real estate of "location, location, location", also holds for whatever you decide is an approved scratcher placement for your cat. It needs to be in an area not only convenient for the cat, but also convenient for you to see what activity is going on. Sometimes the scratching activity on the approved surface needs to be reinforced to become the preferred behavior. In the booklet Why Do Cats Do That? author Kim Thornton suggests the following to reinforce approved behavior: "To teach your cat to use the post, run your fingernails up and down it. The sound and motion will attract your cat. Sprinkling catnip on and around the post is another good way to heighten a cat's interest, as is giving the cat a treat whenever it scratches in the appropriate place. Always praise your cat when it uses the post, and discourage it with a water squirter when it attemps to use anything else."

Scratching is a feline activity that can be directed to an approved spot. The trick is not to lose heart, but to be patient and consistent. Once your cat has accepted, and begins using, the approved surface, life becomes easier because it's less stressful for you, and less expensive because you can keep the drapes longer.

For information and pictures see our list of approved cat scratching posts.