Scratching (also known as stropping) is a normal behavior in cats. Unfortunately some cats can cause countless headaches for their owners by scratching household furnishings, which leads to damage & great expense. Scratching of furniture is a leading cause of cats being surrendered to shelters.
This article aims to teach cat owners why cats scratch & how to train your cat to redirect the scratching to a more appropriate object.
Cats scratch for a couple of reasons. Predominantly it it to sharpen the claws. Scratching also helps remove the outer castings of the claw.
Scratching also feels good to cats. It is a way of loosening up leg & shoulder muscles & tendons in the cat's paws.
Cats have glands all over the body, including the paws. During scratching pheromones are released from the glands in the paws onto the object. Scratching is a way for cats to mark out their territory......