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Since coming into our houses, cats have developed their very own specific habits. One in every of them is scratching sofas, chairs and different costly furnishings that catches their eye.
However this doesn’t must be the case: house owners can take steps to stop this conduct, based on analysis printed within the journal Frontiers in Veterinary Science.
For cats, scratching is a pure conduct that meets a number of wants. Scratching the encircling furnishings permits them to go away their very own olfactory mark on prime of the international odors they detect by way of their sense of odor, thus marking their territory.
Nevertheless, this conduct just isn’t at all times perceived as such by their house owners, who see it as a damaging impulse.
This misunderstanding prompted a global analysis workforce to research the elements influencing this conduct in home cats. To take action, they questioned over 1,200 feline house owners dwelling in France concerning the every day lives of their pets, in addition to the character and frequency of their scratching.
The researchers discovered a correlation between sure environmental/behavioral elements and elevated scratching conduct in cats.
The presence of younger kids within the house is considered one of them. Cats are extra inclined to scratch when in every day contact with kids, their presence being a supply of stress for them.
The identical phenomenon will be noticed in felines which have been overstimulated throughout a play session with their human mother or father. Scratching objects helps them to relax and relieve stress-related bodily pressure.
Nocturnal hyperactivity can have an effect on scratching conduct, too. Cats who’re very lively after darkish typically let off steam by scratching the furnishings round them.
A cat’s persona additionally has a job to play. Unsurprisingly, aggressive or boisterous felines usually tend to scratch sofas, carpets and different dwelling furnishings
Whereas some aggravating elements, such because the cat’s persona or the presence of younger kids, are unimaginable to vary, others will be adjusted. For instance, a cat tree or scratching publish will be positioned in areas of the home the place cats really feel extra relaxed and fewer confused.
“Offering secure hiding locations, elevated statement spots, and ample play alternatives also can assist alleviate stress and have interaction the cat in additional constructive actions,” explains Dr. Yasemin Salgirli Demi̇rbas, a veterinary researcher at Ankara College and first writer of the examine, in a press release quoted by Phys.org.
It’s vital to keep in mind that play may be very useful to a cat’s well being. It’s how they categorical their pure looking instincts.
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Common play periods assist stimulate the predatory conduct of indoor cats, and channel their power. This may help decrease the danger of your pet attacking your furnishings and different costly furnishings, in addition to strengthening the bond between you.
