Cats are not always cute, soft and cuddly. Unfortunately, they can be harsh too and hostile. They might damage your most beloved possessions, scratch your wall paper and tear your bed sheets into pieces. Beneath their fluffy skin lie sharp claws ready for another scraping game. It’s a sad truth, though: Hello Kitty is not the only cat in the world.

So what do we do with our cats then? Of course we don’t want to dispose them, cast them off our house and leave them homeless on the streets. But we would never be able to keep away our possessions from them because in one way or another, cats have to satisfy their scratching itch.

We must not blame our cats though. It’s not their fault, really. If we people have what we call human nature, felines have cat nature as well. And it is in their nature to scratch their claws against rough surfaces not because they want to cast revenge for being left unfed, nor because they purposely desire to destroy their owner’s stuff; they do it because they need exercise. Cats, like humans, also need to stretch and limber up their bodies.

People usually think that cats scratch their claws because they are sharpening their nails. While this is true, since they use their claws to eat and to defend themselves from harm, it is just a secondary reason. Studies show that cats scratch tree trunks or your wooden chair leg because they are communicating with other cats. It’s like a code that they transmit to other cats to inform them of their presence, that this is their territory, and tell them what they are doing.

The trick here is to prevent your pet from causing further damage by changing their scratching habit. The number one solution for this is by allowing them to scratch. Do not deprive them unless you want them to live weak, pale and soft. So the next question here is: how can you tolerate cat scratching without their ruining all of your possessions?

You can try a real tree. Cats love the rough texture of trees. If you don’t have a tree in your backyard, you can provide your pet a cut bark. But this requires a lot of effort: you have to cut a tree and the scratched tree surface can sometimes be messy. It would be better to provide your cats with a cat scratching post.

Cat scratching posts are ready made surface or shaft where cats can comfortably scratch their claws until they get tired of doing it. They are sold on the market in reasonable prices, and are available in different forms and shapes. Some cat scratching posts are even made from ecological materials like recycled plastic bottles.

If your cat has been damaging a certain surface in your house, you have to cover that area and place the scratching post nearby to associate your cat to the post. Leave the post in areas where your cats usually scratch. In this way, they will be trained to scratch the post and not your furniture.

Fortunately, most cats can be trained to have better scratching habits. It just takes patience and some effort. You must consult your veterinarian and have your cat’s claws regularly trimmed. But what matters most is that you should never declaw your cat. Declawing must be the last resort if all other options fail.

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