Common Behavior Problems
Destructive Scratching Behavior
Cats don’t realize that scratching causes damage to your
possessions – they’re just doing what comes naturally.
Cats scratch for many different reasons. The most important is to
leave both visual and scent marks around their environment. Claw
maintenance, stretching, and to play are other reasons.
The most effective way to stop your cat from scratching your furniture
and other belongings is to give her something to scratch that meets
her behavioral needs for scratching in the same way the ‘off-limit’
items do.
It’s pretty much a losing battle trying to scold or punish
your cat for the behavior. After all, scratching is normal and necessary
behavior for cats. They can’t stop scratching anymore than
they can stop breathing.
The trick is not to stop your cat from scratching, but to get her
to scratch where you want. There are also things you can do to discourage
her from using your household furnishings by making them less attractive
to scratch.
We can also schedule a 20
minute telephone consultation with you to give you
a specific plan to stop the damage to your belongings.
Declawing cats is a very controversial topic, with strong feelings
by both proponents and opponents. You can talk with your veterinarian
about the procedure. We believe scratching problems can most often
be taken care of with the right behavioral measures.
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