Why do cats scratch furniture? A new study found answers

JULY 11, 2024 7:26 AM ET
By Hosts

A new study identifies why cats scratch the furniture and what you can do to curb that behavior.

MARTÍNEZ: Yasemin Salgirli Demirbas is a professor of veterinary physiology at the University of Prince Edward Island, and she says, they're really not out to get you.

YASEMIN SALGIRLI DEMIRBAS: This is not a behavior which is displayed to punish the owners.

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SALGIRLI DEMIRBAS: We designed an environment for our cats, and we see that there's a decrease in the level of scratching.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci., 02 July 2024
Sec. Animal Behavior and Welfare
Volume 11 - 2024 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1403068

Evaluating undesired scratching in domestic cats: a multifactorial approach to understand risk factors

Yasemin Salgirli Demirbas, Joana Soares Pereira, Xavier De Jaeger, Laurianne Meppiel, Sarah Enderby, Gonalo da Graa Pereira

Introduction: Despite being a natural feline behavior, scratching can become undesirable from a human perspective when directed at household items. This complex behavior can stem from various motivations, ranging from individual cat characteristics to environmental factors. This study investigates the factors influencing the increased level of undesirable scratching behavior in domestic cats, considering both cat-related and environmental aspects.

Methods: Data from 1,211 cats were collected for this study. An online questionnaire comprising three sections was utilized. The first section gathered caregiver demographics, while the subsequent section examined aspects of cats’ daily routines, social interactions, environments, behaviours, and temperaments. The final section assessed the frequency and intensity of undesirable scratching behavior in cats. Scratching behavior was evaluated based on a combined scratching index.

Results: The study suggests that the presence of a child may be associated with scratching episodes in the home environment. Additionally, factors such as play duration, playfulness, and nocturnal activity were identified as significant contributors to heightened scratching levels (p ≤ 0.05). Aggressiveness and disruptiveness also played significant roles in increased scratching behavior (p ≤ 0.05). The location of scratching posts emerged as a significant factor, with posts placed in areas frequented by the cat being more effective in redirecting scratching behavior (p ≤ 0.05).

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