Introduction
Although having your furniture scratched by a cat can be frustrating, scratching is a very normal and beneficial feline behavior. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to guide your cat’s behavior to not damage your furniture.
The primary reason that cats scratch is to communicate; scratching provides both visual and olfactory cues. For example, by scratching a piece of wood, a cat leaves a physical mark that indicates his presence; this serves as a form of visual communication because other cats will see the mark. When the cat scratches the wood, he also leaves an olfactory mark, because cats have scent glands on their paws. That is one reason why cats who have been declawed will still engage in scratching behavior; they may no longer be able to leave the physical mark, but can still communicate by leaving pheromones from their scent glands. Scratching is an important form of communication for cats because they are territorial; the visual and olfactory signals send a clear message to other cats that there is already a resident cat with an established territory. This also explains why cats tend to scratch large and/or prominent objects in the environment.
Cats may scratch for other reasons as well, such as to exercise, to play, or to relieve boredom and frustration. Cats also scratch to condition their claws. Understanding why your cat is scratching will help you take the most appropriate behavior modification approach. By proactively providing scratching posts and placing them appropriately, you can easily guide your cat to scratch only in locations that you deem acceptable. Scratching posts should be placed in the areas that your cat likes to spend most of its day and in prominent areas of the home. You can encourage your cat to use the scratching posts by enriching them with catnip and/or toys, and by using positive reinforcement such as food rewards when the cat scratches the post. Your cat should not be forced to use the post by placing his paws on it, but you can scratch the post yourself so that your cat will hear the sound and be motivated to scratch it as well.
If your cat is already scratching your furniture, you can try to deter it from scratching the area by covering with a substance, such as plastic, that will feel "weird." While you are making that area less appealing to scratch, be sure to place the scratching post or designated scratching material nearby, so that your cat has an appealing alternative. You may have to keep the post in an open or visually prominent place, but there are multiple models of visually appealing scratching posts available that can fit well into any decorating scheme.
With consistency and patience, you can teach your cat to scratch a post or other designated area, instead of your furniture.
Daniela Sharma, Ph.D. - Rutgers University
