Why do cats claw stuff like chairs and other furniture items? What is tjhe purpose of this?
Thursday, October 13th, 2011 at
7:00 pm
Cheap Cat Furniture
Cat furniture, cat trees and cat condos are great additions to a cat lover's home, as they provide hours of good fun for the feline companions and keep your own furniture intact.
Cat scratching is a perfectly normal behavior for a cat, and if your cat is scratching a chair or your favorite couch, then you just need to somehow re-direct his or her scratching to other, more appropriate objects.
The consensus from the various Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is that de-clawing is cruel and unnecessary. I can only agree with this conclusion. However, if you feel that you must either declaw your cat or give her up, we would rather see your cat stay in her home and be your lifelong companion. I only ask that you do not make this decision lightly and just be absolutely sure that you will not change your mind later about keeping your indoor cat once you have it declawed.
You can use nail caps for the cat's front paws as an alternative to getting the cat de-clawed. This is a much more humane choice and it does work to protect the furniture. Just make sure you do not use nail caps on a cat that goes outside, as it will have no defense.
Most pet shops offer different selections of cat scratch posts from which to choose. Some have carpet or rug material on wooden posts and bases. Others are made of rope which is wrapped around the post or pole.
Then there are cat towers and cat trees which are great for the cat to climb and play besides being there for scratching purposes.
Other people like to design their own and make them themselves. This is another option for you as well. Besides going to your local pet store, you can look online for these different cat trees, towers and scratch posts.
One thing that can work well if your cat is still scratching the furniture is to spray some citrus oil on the chair or the couch that they are attacking. This is a good deterrent that usually works quite effectively.
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They like to sharpen their claws. Their claws are their self defense against predators. That is how they catch mice.
Sharpining their nails
they claw in order to shed the top layer off and also as a natural instinct to sharpen their claws.
It’s so they can keep they’re claws sharp
they do that because first they having fun and second maybe there’s someting on that furniture that’s why do do that….cats don’t need to sharpen there nails because it grew sharped already.
They do this to sharpen their nails. In the wild they would naturally use trees and such. If it is a problem, get a scratching post and encourage your cat to use that. If worst comes to worst and it is an indoor cat, you can always get their front claws removed (though this is now a debated procedure).
As well, to stop them from scratching furniture you can put tinfoil on it. Cats HATE tinfoil for some reason….
some believe they are sharpening their claws but here is the truth: THey are marking their territory. Cats do this when they rub against you as well. They have glands in their paws and jaws. Pay close attention next time kitty does these activities.
It sharpens their claws.
Since their claws grow quickly, they have to claw things to keep the claws from getting too long and turning back into their paws.
A scratch post with catnip on it hopefully will help give them an alternative to destroying your furniture.
Cats claw on the furniture because they are trying to sharpen their claws. You should try to get a scratching post: Maybe that would help.
Why do cats claw (scratch) objects?
Cats claw to maintain proper condition of the nails, for fun and exercise, and to mark territory visually as well as with scent. They stretch by digging their claws into something and pulling back against their own claw-hold. A cat’s natural instinct to scratch serves both physical and psychological needs. Before domestication, cats satisfied these needs by clawing tree trunks. Domesticated cats can be trained to satisfy their desire to claw without damaging valuable property.
sharpinig their claws it’s normal
cats are like other feline animals such as lions, tigers, etc. Also like bears they have a natural instinct to sharpen their nails. if you don’t provide a cat with a scratcher or stuff, they will claw anything else they think will sharpen their claws
This can be a terrible habit and most people like to stop it when the kitten is young. You can try giving your cat a scratching post to stop clawing your furniture.
Here are some reasons why:
It sharpens their claws.
It exercises their claw muscles.
It helps to scrape off the old outside covering.
Gets your cats own smells around the house.
Why Do Cats Scratch?
It’s normal for cats to scratch objects in their environment for many reasons:
To remove the dead outer layer of their claws.
To mark their territory by leaving both a visual mark and a scent- they have scent glands on their paws.
To stretch their bodies and flex their feet and claws.
To work off energy.
Because scratching is a normal behavior, and one that cats are highly motivated to display, it’s unrealistic try to prevent them from scratching. Instead, the goal in resolving scratching problems is to redirect the scratching onto acceptable objects.
Training Your Cat To Scratch Acceptable Objects
1. You must provide objects for scratching that are appealing, attractive and convenient from your cat’s point of view. Start by observing the physical features of the objects your cat is scratching. The answers to the following questions will help you understand your cat’s scratching preferences:
Where are they located? Prominent objects, objects close to sleeping areas and areas near the entrance to a room are often chosen.
What texture do they have- are they soft or coarse?
What shape do they have- are they horizontal or vertical?
How tall are they? At what height does your cat scratch?
2. Now, considering your cat’s demonstrated preferences, substitute similar objects for her to scratch (rope-wrapped posts, corrugated cardboard or even a log). Place the acceptable object(s) near the inappropriate object(s) that she’s already using. Make sure the objects are stable and won’t fall over or move around when she uses them.
3. Cover the inappropriate objects with something your cat will find unappealing, such as double sided sticky tape, aluminum foil, sheets of sandpaper or plastic carpet runner with the pointy side up. Or you may give the objects an aversive odor by attaching cotton balls containing perfume, a muscle rub or other unpleasant odor. Be careful with odors, though, because you don’t want the nearby acceptable objects to also smell unpleasant.
4. When your cat is consistently using the appropriate object, it can be moved very gradually (no more than 3 inches each day) to a location more suitable to you. It’s best, however, to keep the appropriate scratching objects as close to your cat’s preferred scratching locations as possible.
5. Don’t remove the unappealing covering or odors form the inappropriate objects until your cat is consistently using the appropriate objects in their permanent locations for several weeks, or even a month. They should then be removed gradually, not all at once.
Should I Punish My Cat for Scratching?
NO! Punishment is effective only if you catch your cat in the act of scratching unacceptable objects and have provided her with acceptable scratching objects. Punishment after the fact, won’t change the behavior, may cause her to be afraid of you or the environment and may elicit defensive aggression. Used by itself, punishment won’t resolve scratching problems because it doesn’t teach your cat where to scratch instead. If you do catch her the act of scratching inappropriate objects, remote punishment is best, in which you do not directly interact with her. Ideas for remote punishment include making a loud noise (using a whistle, shaking a pop can filled with rocks or slapping the wall), throwing a pillow at her or using a water-filled squirt bottle. If punishment is interactive, she’ll learn to refrain from scratching in your presence but will continue to scratch when you’re not around.
How Do I Trim My Cat’s Claws?
To help keep them sharp, cats keep their claws retracted except when needed. As the claws grow too long and become curved, they can’t be retracted completely. You should clip off the sharp tips of your cat’s claws on all four feet every week or so. Clipping your cat’s claws will also help prevent them from becoming snagged in carpets, fabrics and skin. Before trimming your cat’s claws, accustom her to having her paws handled and squeezed. You can do this by gently petting her legs and paws while giving her a treat. This will help to make it a more pleasant experience.
Gradually increase the pressure so that petting becomes gentle squeezing, as you’ll need to do this to extend the claw. Continue with the treats until your cat tolerates this kind of touching and restraint. It may take a little longer if she’s not used to having her legs or paws handled. Apply a small amount of pressure to her paw, with your thumb on top of her paw and your index finger underneath, until a claw is extended. You should see the pink or “quick,” which is a small blood vessel. Don’t cut into this pink portion, as it will bleed and be painful for your cat. If you cut off just the sharp tip of the claw, the “hook,” it will dull the claw and prevent excessive damage to household objects and to your skin.
There are several types of claw trimmers designed especially for pets. These are better than your own nail clipper because they won’t crush the claw. Until you and your cat have become accustomed to the routine, one foot a day is enough of a challenge. Don’t push to do all four at once, or you’ll both have only negative memories of claw clippers!
they do this to sharpen their claws and furniture is the most available thing to do this with usually, should get a scratching post for the cat that should help
Instinct, sharp nails,survival…
they do do this to sharpen their nails
its sharpens their claws and marks their territory.
Cats use their claws for defense and killing food, especially when they were wild. They still have the instinct in them to sharpen their claws on almost anything.
Cats like to sharpen their nails, and the easiest thing to scratch is something soft; chair, couch, ext. They also do this because their wild relatives need to sharpen their claws to survive attacks and get food.
they have little glands in their paws-they are marking their territory. i also think that it sort of feels good. i notice he does it more when he is excited and/or nervous also.
i have 4 so i should know. but they use their natural instincts and scratch things to sharpen their claws to hunt. just like cavemen sharpened their spears. if you put the cat outside they will scratch the tree
They do it to sharpen their claws, but my cat also likes to do it to get me attention. So I got him a scratching post, it relativley cheep and it keeps him from ruining my furniture.
Good luck
Cats naturally try to scratch things in order to wear down their claws. They can’t just pull out the ole nail clipper and clip away so they need to wear them down somehow. There are specially made scratching posts that are made to try to entice the cats to claw there instead of furniture but I found that once a cat has found a scratching spot it likes it is very hard to get him to scratch where you want him to. I don’t know about this but maybe in the wild they would also have been marking their territory? That would explain why it’s so hard to get them to change where they claw.
dale
It is natural for a cat to sharpen its claws. It’s an instinct and if they don’t have a scratching post they will use anything else they see which allows them to stretch and dig in their claws.
cats claw as a way of scratching,climbing to safety,
eating their catnip,mice,grippping catwalks,climbing on furniture
THE PURPOSE OF THIS IS TO SHARPEN THEIR CLAWS I HAVE A CAT WHO HAS BEEN DECLAWED IN THE FRONT AND HE STILL THINKS HE CAN SHARPEN HIS CLAWS
It stretches the muscles that are in the paw, sharping too.
Partly because furniture is such a great scratching post – a way to sharpen their nails.
But it’s also bad attention. My cat Light has a tendency to just claw the couch a little when she wants our attention. It’s a drag but it works!
FP
sharpen their claws and leave their scent oil on their home territory
It’s natural grooming for a cat. It’s how they trim and sharpen their claws. In nature, they do it on trees. I find they are generally pretty agreeable if you ask them to only use 1 corner of the sofa or get them a climbing thing made with tree wood – they prefer the trees I think.
Peace!
sharping thier nails, get them declawed
Marking territory and trying to keep their nails trimmed. Contrary to popular belief, cats do not scartch to sharpen their claws. They do it to keep them dulled down to a manageable length so it doesn’t interfere with their walking or start hurting. Wild cats also do it to mark territory to let other cats know the area is "taken", kind of like a warning.
Cats’ claws are their first line of defense and should never, NEVER be removed by de-clawing. A happy cat will "knead" with his claws. Blankets or your skin can be the target of this kneading. This is a throwback from kittenhood, when they kneaded their mother’s nipples to make the milk flow.
Cats "sharpen" their claws regularly, by clawing vertical or horizontal surfaces. Actually, the cat is not sharpening the claws, but dislodging a thin sheath that grows over them, much like a snake sheds its skin. You will occasionally find these little sheaths near the area when a cat has been scratching.
Strangely enough an individual cat may have a distinct preference of either vertical or horizontal. Cats can readily be trained to use scratching posts rather than furniture. Sometimes a little catnip rubbed on the surface of the post is all it takes. Incidentally, jute seems to be favored over carpeting as a scratching surface.
Trimming a cat’s claws will help prevent pain and bleeding when a cat scratches you during play.
Check out the site below to find out more: http://cats.about.com/cs/catmanagement101/a/how_cat_work_2.htm