Scratching: giving claws a better place to go

If your cat is working on the sofa arm, the first thing to know is that nothing has gone wrong with your cat. Scratching is a natural, everyday behaviour — it strips the worn outer layer from the claws and keeps them in condition, and it gives the cat a satisfying stretch through the shoulders and back.

Sources: Cats Protection on scratching and Ohio State Indoor Pet Initiative on scratching.

It is also communication. Cats have scent glands between their paw pads, and scratching deposits that scent along with a visible mark — a kind of signpost other cats can read. So the claw marks on the furniture are not spite; they are part of how a cat says “I live here”.

Source: Cats Protection on scratching.

Because the behaviour itself is healthy, the goal of this guide is never to stop scratching — it is to move it somewhere you both like. That is also why declawing is not on the table: International Cat Care describes declawing for anything other than genuine medical reasons as mutilation and unethical, and it removes far more than the scratching problem.

Source: International Cat Care on claws and declawing.

For cats that scratch upright, Cats Protection’s checklist is: tall enough for a full stretch, heavy enough not to wobble or fall, and covered in a material with a vertical weave so the cat can drag their claws downward. For the covering, Ohio State’s Indoor Pet Initiative notes that most cats prefer a rough material they can shred — sisal is the durable option it calls ideal, though cardboard, carpet and wood all have their fans. A post that tips when leaned on will be abandoned, so stability matters as much as material.

Sources: Cats Protection on scratching and Ohio State Indoor Pet Initiative on scratching.

For cats that scratch flat — the ones going at carpets, stair treads or the edges of cushions — a horizontal scratching pad or low ramp makes more sense than a post. The useful test is simply to watch what your cat already chooses, then offer the same orientation in a texture they like. Indoor Pet Initiative suggests matching the scratching material to the texture of whatever your cat currently scratches.

Source: Ohio State Indoor Pet Initiative on scratching.

A beautiful post in a back room is a polite ornament, not a scratching solution. Cats Protection suggests putting scratching posts or cat trees close to the objects your cat already scratches — and, since cats often stretch and scratch on waking, near sleeping areas too. Ohio State adds the “socially significant” spots: the cats’ favourite furniture, prominent objects, and room entrances, the public routes of the house rather than the corners.

Sources: Cats Protection on scratching and Ohio State Indoor Pet Initiative on scratching.

Once the cat is using a post, you can shift it — slowly. Ohio State recommends moving it only a few inches a day towards the spot you would rather it lived, so the habit stays attached to the post rather than the patch of carpet. In a home with more than one cat, offer several posts in different places; International Cat Care’s cat-friendly-home guidance gives the same general rule for all key resources — separate spots, not a shared row — and scratching is partly about territory, so one post in one room is a pinch-point waiting to happen.

Sources: Ohio State Indoor Pet Initiative on scratching, Cats Protection on scratching and International Cat Care on a cat-friendly home.

The working formula is make-the-post-lovely, make-the-furniture-dull. Praise the cat when they use the post, and rub catnip into it or drop a few pieces of food on the base to invite investigation. A short play session next to the post — little and often — can redirect the energy that was heading for the sofa. Cats Protection’s version of the rule is simple: praise the post use and ignore the furniture scratching, because even telling-off can count as attention that rewards it.

Source: Cats Protection on scratching.

Keeping the claws’ sharp tips trimmed also lowers the damage each scratch does — where a trim is needed at all. Ohio State suggests weekly trims as part of the routine, while other sources reserve trimming for claws that genuinely need it; our claw-trimming guide works through which cats need trims and how often before walking through the gentle method. Between checks, the play and enrichment guide is the next stop: a cat with somewhere to put their energy scratches with less urgency.

Source: Ohio State Indoor Pet Initiative on scratching.

While the habit relocates, make the old spot unrewarding. Cats Protection suggests thick, shiny plastic sheeting over the targeted furniture — it is unappealing to claw at and the lack of grip makes the stretch unsatisfying. Ohio State’s list is similar: double-sided sticky tape, aluminium foil, sandpaper, or a plastic carpet runner placed pointy-side-up on the favourite patch.

Sources: Cats Protection on scratching and Ohio State Indoor Pet Initiative on scratching.

Ohio State also suggests giving the scratched area a smell the cat dislikes — as long as it is harmless and does not drift onto nearby scratching surfaces you want them to keep using. The deterrent only buys time; the post still has to be the better offer once the tape comes off.

Source: Ohio State Indoor Pet Initiative on scratching.

A cat who starts scratching in many places at once — including windows and doors — may be telling you something different. Cats Protection links that pattern to insecurity and says the most common cause of indoor scratching is the presence of another cat, whether a housemate or a neighbour’s cat outside. If the scratching surge comes alongside other changes in behaviour, the underlying worry is the thing to address, and a qualified behaviourist may help you find it.

Source: Cats Protection on scratching.

And as with any abrupt change in a cat’s usual pattern, a physical cause is worth ruling out first — the whole-moment reading in our body-language guide is a good companion here. When behaviour shifts suddenly, the starting point is a veterinarian, not a new post.