Understanding Why Cats Scratch: Exploring Feline Instincts.

Even cats that roam freely outside look for something when indoors that they can scratch.

There are several reasons why a cat needs to scratch:

• They will scratch to sharpen their claws.
• They will show their superiority over weaker cats.
• They will be exercising the extension and retraction of their claws.
• They will be marking their territory.
• They might even be getting rid of anger or frustration.

You can see there are many reasons why cats we need to scratch, but you certainly don't want them to use your furniture as the scratching pad therefore it is a good idea to supply the cat with a good scratching pad and let them know that that is what it is intended to be used for.

Put the scratching post in a place that is easily accessible to the cat particularly when it is finished eating or grooming itself and is likely to feel like having a scratch.

Anytime the cat looks like it is going to scratch your furniture or anything else that you don't want it to scratch, quickly pick it up and put it near the scratching post so it learns that the scratching post is where it should be scratching.

If the cat tends to scratch a particular piece of furniture or other item in the house on a regular basis, then remove that item and replace it with a scratching post.

The cat will begin to learn that it is the scratching post that it should be scratching and nothing else.

The more time you spend with your cat when it is young, training it where it can scratch, the less trouble you will have as it grows older.

Sometimes a cat will scratch as a form of devotion, or leave its scent over your own scent.

By rubbing your hands or clothing over the scratching post you will be leaving your scent and often this is all that is needed to encourage your cat to scratch the post.

The Nature of Cats:

While cats can't talk they are extremely good at communicating with us.

They purr to let us know that they are happy.

There are other reasons why cats will purr.

A mother will know that her kittens are in good health by their purring.

Kittens also purr when they want adult cats to play with them.

There are other times when cats will purr such as when a superior cat is trying to approach another cat in a friendly manner.

Cats are very clean animals and even those that are strays, will regularly groom themselves by licking their fur.

Male cats will also lick female cats when courting, and another cat will lick its kittens to help stimulate excretion.

Cats also like to mark their territory so that other cats know whose property they are on.

They will generally do this by backing up to an object, tree or plant, where they believe another cat has been, and spray urine that will leave a pungent scent that other cats will notice.

Cats will also mark their territory by rubbing the corners of their mouths and their temples against objects as these areas have scent glands.

Sometimes cats might even do this when they feel threatened and this can happen where there is more than one cat in the family and one of those cats is trying to assert itself.

In circumstances such as this you can have a problem where the cats might spray inside the house.

Unfortunately this becomes a difficult situation sometimes, as you feel like reprimanding the cat, whereas in reality, assuring the cat has your support might be the fastest solution to stop this from happening.

Most cats are quite happy to be on their own and often prefer the company of humans to that of other cats.

They can in fact get quite jealous if they think another cat is getting their share of the attention.

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