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Expert reveals 4 reasons why your cat loves to scratch so much
By Megan Milstead,
2024-02-02
When you’ve just bought a brand-new sofa, the last thing you want is for your cat to scratch it up and make a mess. As cat owners, we know what that’s like and have had far too many pieces of furniture destroyed ourselves.
Although this behavior can be annoying (and expensive), there are some pretty good reasons why they do it which Amanda Campion , a clinical animal behaviorist, explained in her recent Instagram post. If you want to find out what they are, keep on reading:
1. Survival
Amanda explains that climbing trees would have helped them to survive in the wild, and to maintain the claws that help them climb, they need to scratch them.
Instead of cutting their nails down with scissors like humans, cats do it a little differently. Their claws grow from the inside out and when they scratch, the sheaths (the outside) come off and a new claw underneath is revealed.
2. Maintain healthy muscles
Scratching is also a great way for your cats to stretch, flex, and maintain their muscles. While a cat scratches, they’ll usually be stretching and flexing at the same time which helps to keep them toned and agile. If you’re looking for other ways to keep your cat in tip-top shape, try these seven cat exercises .
3. It feels good
If your cat is feeling a little anxious, they might start scratching to relieve some of that stress. Whenever your cat scratches, it releases endorphins in their brain which makes them feel happier. It's worth reading up on anxiety in cats to find out how you can help them.
4. They’re marking their territory
Amanda says that when a cat wants to mark their territory, they might start scratching a surface. When they do this, they leave behind a scent from their interdigital glands in their paws, telling other cats who’s boss.
Your cats are going to love this 35.5-inch scratching post (and so will your furniture). Say goodbye to scratched-up sofas and let this be the only place they claw. It’s available in three different colors, meaning there’s a style to fit every home interior. They’ll be able to scratch, jump and stretch to their heart’s content (without upsetting their pawrents). View Deal
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