As much as we all love our fluffy friends, it can be infuriating when they get their sights – and their claws – on something we love. Cats are notorious for scratching, it’s just a part of their nature. They do it for several reasons – excitement, to mark their scent, to stretch, or to sharpen their claws. This last reason can cause problems for a lot of owners, especially when their cat decides to use their beloved furniture or carpet as their scratching ground.
There are several ways to deal with this issue. You could:
- Get your pet some scratching posts – you could place these close to the furniture or ‘bad’ areas that they scratch and redirect them to these
- Positively reinforce the use of scratching posts – you’ll have to make their new scratching posts enticing; put their favourite toys, or perhaps some treats near them and guide their attention to it
- Trim your cat's claws – this one’s much easier if your cat gets accustomed to it when they are younger, but it's not impossible. Get yourself some claw trimmers or get to a groomer to trim any unruly talons
- Get some claw covers – these are little plastic caps that sit on the end of their claws. It doesn't stop them from scratching, but it makes the ends of their claws dull so they won’t damage your furniture.
- Deter interest in your furniture – this could include covering the area with aluminium foil, using cat anti-scratch tape, or using cat anti-scratch spray. The first two options change the feel of the furniture making it feel unpleasant under their claws and making them less inclined to scratch. Anti-scratch spray uses scents to reduce their urge to scratch or repel them.
One thing that should never be an option, however, is declawing your cat.
While you might think that declawing is the solution as it removes the ultimate cause of the problem, it's horrifically harmful to your pet. It doesn't just remove the cat’s claws, rather, it also removes the last bone of each of their toes. To put some perspective, this is the same as cutting off your fingers at the last knuckle. There are no medical benefits to the cat if they are declawed. The procedure has nothing but downsides. It causes significant discomfort and pain to the cats and has many physical repercussions and mental anguish.
Cats need to scratch. It’s completely natural for them. While frustrating (and potentially painful if you’re caught in the crossfire), there are many other solutions to scratching instead of declawing your cat.
