Why Does My Cat Scratch Me?

It may seem as if one minute your cat is loving you and allowing you to pet her nicely, and then the next, the cat is turning around and scratching you. Why on earth would your cat do such a thing? Well, it turns out, nature. Scratching is a natural instinct for a cat.

Even when a cat is declawed, they continue the scratching behavior. Additionally, when a cat is declawed, they tend to turn to biting instead, which can be even more dangerous. A better alternative to declawing, is training. If you know why cats scratch, you can often get them to stop.

One of the reasons why cats scratch is to leave their scent behind. They have scent glands in their footpads, when they scratch, they leave a bit of their scent behind, marking the object as theirs. Scratching also can help cats relieve stress. It allows them to exercise and stretch all of their muscles. Cats who are declawed have trouble stretching as well as other cats.

There is one method which works quite well when trying to prevent a cat from scratching you or the furniture. This involves giving the cat something else to scratch that they cannot resist, so they are not so tempted to scratch you.

Start by buying a good scratching post. The best ones are made with sisal, wood, or carpet. Do not buy one made from cardboard, it will not last. Make sure to place the post is an area where the cat will spend a lot of time. You may want to hide it, but this will not work as well.

When buying the cat posts, make sure you have enough. You should follow the same rule that goes with litter boxes: one for each cat, plus one extra. Make the posts as enticing as possible. You may wish to rub some catnip on them to make the cats want to use them more. Also try to give your cat treats on or near the posts.

In the meantime, you will want to make the laces the cat currently scratches less desirable. There are a few ways to do this. One is to put double sided tape down. The cats do not like how that feels on their paws. Another option is to cover the furniture in plastic. Do not punish them for scratching anything. Cats do not understand punishment.

Sally writes about cats and kittens on her site Kitten Advice. You can learn more about this subject on her page about cat scratching.

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