If you’ve ever owned a cat, you probably know that they like to scratch a lot. Scratching is a need for cats, not just their favorite pastime. Therefore, if you have a cat, you must provide them with a way to fulfill this need. If you don’t, they will scratch your furniture, carpet, and walls.
But why do cats need to scratch? You’ve probably heard things about cats sharpening their claws by scratching, but there’s more to it. There are several reasons why your cat needs to scratch, and these can differ based on your cat’s age, personality, lifestyle and other factors.
Sometimes, a cat’s reason for scratching is unknown. After all, we cannot ask your feline why they are scratching. However, we can make a few educated guesses based on what else we know about cats.
Let’s take a look at each potential reason below.
The Top 4 Reasons Cats Needs A Scratching Post
1. Claw Maintenance
Cats indeed use scratching as a way to take care of their claws. This way they get rid of the outer used-up husk of the claw, revealing the new sharp claw underneath. Just like most animals, cats have claws that continuously grow. However, indoor cats may not wear down their claws as much as outdoor cats will. They aren’t out hunting and climbing, after all.
Therefore, they have to wear them down in a different way, which typically means scratching various objects such as their scratch posts. This prevents them from getting too long or even growing into the pads, which occurs more often in senior or sick cats that groom themselves much less, and this can be painful for your feline.
You can trim your cat’s claws to help them with this upkeep. However, most cats will instinctually scratch anyway to keep their claws in tip-top shape. So, the scratching motion helps cats shed the outermost layer of their claw, which naturally needs to come off as the claw grows. Sometimes, this outer layer will become damaged, which may mean that it needs to be shed even sooner than normal.
Either way, scratching is vital for your cat’s claw health.
2. Marking
Cats have scent glands spread throughout several areas of their body. Not surprisingly, many of the body parts cats usually use to touch other objects have scent glands in them. For instance, a cat’s forehead and cheeks are covered in scent glands, which is exactly why cats rub up against things.
Cats use these glands to talk to each other from a distance and over time. Your feline can let other cats know their gender, mood, and mating status by simply leaving their scent behind. They can also claim territory and leave behind warnings, which is vital for avoiding fights and misunderstandings.
While we don’t communicate through scent, it is a vital part of our cat’s communication.
Strangely enough, cats also have scent glands between their toes. Therefore, when they scratch something, they are leaving their scent behind. You may notice that your cat wants to scratch along boundaries, which may be their way of claiming territory.
While cats don’t have to worry about this so much in their domestic life, many still use their scent glands to communicate.
3. Exercise
Cats will often climb and run around for exercise. However, they may also simply scratch an object instead of climbing it, while also stretching their body thoroughly. This way they will exercise the muscles of their front limbs, and stretch out their spine, as well as back legs. You may notice that your cat actively scratches something for a minute while they are playing and running around. This is more common in kittens, as they are often more active than adults.
If your cat is young and healthy and on the more active side, you may notice them climbing and scratching more. It all depends on their personality, lifestyle, and disposition, but all cats scratch.
Furthermore, if your feline needs to climb and jump to get to high places, they may scratch in the process, especially if the texture of the cat trees and perches is inviting and sturdy. For instance, cat condos encourage scratching in this way. However, if you have ramps or a few climbing structures, your cat may use other objects for scratching.
4. Attention
Sometimes, cats may scratch simply because they know it gets your attention. For instance, if you always shoo your cat away when they scratch the couch, they may use that to get your attention. If your cat scratches the couch and then suddenly switches gears when you tell them not to, this may be the reason behind the behavior, as even negative attention is attention after all. Cats are very smart and will figure out what gets them the proper attention and what does not.
Cats are very smart and will figure out what gets them the proper attention and what does not.
Therefore, if your cat is scratching for attention, the best option is to praise them for using the scratching post and ignore them when they scratch the couch. This may be hard at first, but your cat will soon pick up on the different behavior and shift gears.
Are Scratching Posts Good for Cats?
There are several reasons why cats scratch. Even if your cat doesn’t scratch for all of these reasons, they will at least scratch to help maintain their claws and stretch out their body. If you do not provide them with a proper place to scratch, then they’ll use something else.
In other words, your cat is going to scratch. It just depends on what they’re going to scratch. Therefore, we highly recommend that all cat owners invest in a variety of scratching posts.
Cats will not just want to scratch in one part of your home. Instead, they’ll likely want to scratch in several areas, often close to their food bowls or beds, so they can have a good scratch after they’ve eaten or just woken up. Therefore, you’ll need to invest in a few different scratching posts for this reason. There are all sorts of different designs, so you do have many options to choose from.
The Hepper Hi-Lo Cat Scratcher features a modern and clever design that offers cats an appealing place to scratch – and a way to keep them from scratching all the things they shouldn't. Unlike most cat toys (where your cat probably just prefers the cardboard box they came in), cat's flock to this design ... maybe it's because there's cardboard in it!
- Premium Materials - Hepper's cardboard scratcher is made with dense, B-flute cardboard, and a metal...
- High, Low and Lower - A single cat scratch pad won't keep your cat engaged. 3 unique positions keeps...
- Activates Muscles - The Hi Lo isn't just a cat nail file to stop the chief cat couch scratcher. The...
With its 3-position setup, textured cardboard, and sturdy frame, it encourages their natural scratching behavior, steering them away from clawing at items like furniture, walls, carpets, curtains, and people. The Hi-Lo is a reliable solution to safeguard your home and create a more enjoyable environment for your cat, all while looking modern and stylish.
At PangoVet, we've admired Hepper for many years, and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
If you have multiple cats, you should have an appropriate number of scratching posts.
In Conclusion
Primarily, cats scratch to keep their claws healthy, stretch out their bodies, and to communicate with others. Even if you only have one cat, they will still want to instinctually leave their scent behind using the scent glands in their paws.
However, cats will also scratch as a way of exercising and stretching their muscles and spine. Along the same vein, some cats realize that they get attention when they scratch, so they may continue to scratch for attention. This reason is the only troublesome one that lies behind scratching, as cats may scratch on inappropriate objects just to get your attention.
Along the same vein, some cats realize that they get attention when they scratch, so they may continue to scratch for attention. This reason is the only troublesome one that lies behind scratching, as cats may scratch on inappropriate objects on purpose just to get your attention.
However, for the most part, cats scratch for completely natural reasons. It is simply one of the needs a cat has, which is why you should supply them with plenty of scratching posts and reward them for using them.
Featured Image Credit: Anatoliy Cherkas, Shutterstock
