Cats scratch furniture to mark their territory with their scent and to sharpen their claws. Cats may also scratch furniture because they are bored or stressed.
While scratching furniture is a natural instinct for cats, it can be difficult for owners to deal with the aftermath of such a destructive act. The best way to keep your cat from scratching your furniture is by providing them with an appropriate place for them to do so, like a cat scratcher house.
Come on, let’s find out what your cat is saying to you that exhibits this behavior.
My food does not suit me.
When a cat suddenly starts hunting, it could be because it’s either sick or has had a change in diet. Of course, the cat will always look out for itself first before you and that includes trying to ensure that it’s well fed.
If your cat brings you the whole prey, he’s not hungry (or feeling unsatisfied) – it means that he feels proud of you and pities you for being so low.
If your cat brings back a half-eaten prey, which has spent some time buried but still has the most fleshy parts (thighs, thorax, etc.), this may suggest that he does not have everything he needs. Home and asks you to take steps to remedy the situation.
If he brings back an inedible part, it is often a trophy: reward him! Finally, suppose your cat brings live prey into the house. In that case, it is either because it has not finished its apprenticeship with its mother until the killing or trying to show its boredom by bringing food—home entertainment.
Here is my home
Cats are territorial animals by nature, and it’s understandable that a dog would need a human owner. Cats typically share their territory with humans and can easily go live elsewhere if they don’t get enough attention.
This is why the cat marks you as part of its territory. When you come home soaked in the smells of the outdoors, the first thing your cat does is deposit its scent on your legs. If cats share their home with a dog, they may also leave marks on items such as an indoor dog house or a dog cave bed. First the corner of the lip, then the body, and finally a spray of pheromones from his anal glands.
This logic also applies when your cat scratches the vertical surfaces of your home. In addition to the release of the claws and the extension of the front legs, which relaxes, as a human is relaxed after a stretch, your cat leaves its pheromones while scratching. To prohibit this behavior is to tell the cat that it is not at home. The scratching post is one of the few essential elements for any feline house. An olfactory center delimits the main territory with the waste area (litter inside or reserved space at the bottom of the garden); another with the scratching post—two essential elements for a fulfilled cat.
I don’t feel safe
A third essential element for the cat to appropriate a place: is the perch. Cats feel safe at height because their hunting temperament likes to be in an elevated position to prey. In addition, their small carnivore temperament wants to see them arrive.
By leaving your cat perches and niches accessible in each authorized room of the house (a cushion on a cupboard, a blanket on a mezzanine, a simple cardboard box at the top of a piece of furniture, etc.), you risk seeing it become less fearful of friends who pass by and more tolerant of other animals in the home.
When you have a visitor, take the time to introduce the visitor. See if your pet accepts it or sees it as an intruder. To see if a cat agrees with a stranger, hold a hand or finger from a distance. If your cat rubs his labial commissures by hand, he feels confident.
You are my mama, but stop caressing me.
As we have seen, cats have a very sensitive sense of smell. But touch also represents a developed sense that marks social relationships. The practice that brings together these two senses the most is kneading.
Kneading is one of the cat’s movements that goes back the furthest in its development. It is indeed an atavistic reflex that comes from breastfeeding. It was initially a movement he exercised on his mother’s belly to stimulate her breasts and trigger lactation. So never punish a cat that kneads you because this is proof of extreme contentment intended for you. It’s time for hugs!
A cat that comes on your lap or against you does not need petting. However, he often needs your body heat. So if you pet him and purr, the goal is to be petted. Otherwise, he wants warmth.
Because a cat gets tired, the signs are legible, anticipating hand plowing with claws and fangs. A cat that wags its tail, whose ears fold down that licks itself, or your hand is likely to rebel. All of these signs are the social cues of distancing for the cat. Not respecting them on your part can cause your cat to feel a sense of incomprehension, even injustice, if the person who has not understood is also the one who punishes.
I am bored
Games don’t just let your cat release excess energy. It is also a form of education, and playing is essential to his psychic balance. Indeed, they allow cats to maintain specific movements, develop their skills, and practice their hunting instinct.
If you come home and some objects are knocked over, especially for apartment cats, it may be that a lack of play in their daily life has suddenly appeared. On the other hand, a good hour of play with a fishing rod every day, and your cat will be waiting for you while sleeping.
If the behavior recurs, it may be fly-hunting that escalates. If it is chronic, call a feline behaviorist, who will quickly identify the problem.
If you buy your cat a cat tower for large cats, you will both meet its energy needs and relieve its distress.
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