Scratching is a normal spontaneous behavior of cats by which they express their emotions. They don’t have the instinct to damage your carpet but to invite you to play. But this instinct may cost you a damaged carpet, which is worth worrying about. So, “How To Keep Cats From Scratching Carpet?”
Before getting into that, let’s look at some reasons why cats scratch the carpet. And how do you find out that the amount of scratching that cat does is normal?
Why Do Cat Scratch Carpets?
There are several benefits of cat scratching, such as they dig their claws to show their emotion (like stress or excitement) and drive your attention. They also do this to remove residuals or loose layers of their claws. With all this, there are also some other health benefits of cat scratching, including:
- Scratching reduces muscle tightness
- Improve blood circulation
- Keep their claws sharp
- Enhance overall involuntary efficiency
- Improve joints movement
- Improve muscles of the forelimbs and spine to keep the cat in shape
So, it can be said that scratching is part of a cat’s self-grooming and a way to do workout. Between all these advantages, are there any disadvantages of scratching as well?
Yes, there are, and its most considerable drawback results in the cat’s health only. Cats may suffer from relinquishment or euthanasia due to their noxious behavior of scratching. So it is imperative to be considerate about such things as soon as you notice it.
How To Find The Amount Of Scratching Cats Does Is Normal?
A healthy cat scratches around 1 minute per day, and this is mainly to drive the attention of their owners towards them.
If your cat is scratching to the extent that pulls off the carpet’s fabric or furniture paint and chews their coats till they pull their fur out, leaving patches, then it is a sign that something is not good.
In such a case, it is a call for you to take your cat for a medical examination of their stress.
Can We Reduce Cat’s Obsession With Scratching Carpets?
Sometimes, scratching also becomes part of a cat’s regular routine, but this notorious behavior of excessive scratching troubles their owners. That is why it becomes important to tackle this with a solution.
But is it possible to reduce cat scratching to ensure the safety of carpets and furniture? Yes, there are several ways to achieve it; let’s discuss them one by one:
How To Keep Cats From Scratching Carpets?
If you want to save your carpets from your cat’s claws and meanwhile don’t want to destroy your cat’s happiness, then you just have to supervise a few steps.
Let us see how you can captivate your cat’s attention away from scratching the carpet by giving other appealing alternatives.
Provide Them, Different Scratchers
There are many scratchers with different materials available in the market.You can choose one according to your budget and convenience and, of course, with the choice of your cat. And if you are tight on budget, then you can also make a scratcher with the leftover carpet and believe us, your cat will absolutely love it.
You can opt for a vertical or horizontal scratcher and decide its thickness as your cat prefers.
Also, scratchers are available in different materials like cardboard, carpet, sisal, etc. Observe your cat and see what kind of material it prefers for scratching before you make a choice.
Place A Scratching Post Inside Your House
Cats don’t have an intention to destroy your carpets; that’s why if you provide them with an alternative, they will choose it for their little tiger’s clawing.
- Choose a Scratching Post for your cat and place it either in their paying spot or at the place where they sleep.
- Cats tend to copy their owners; that’s why you can play with their posts to ensure that cats also do the same.
- Also, make sure that the scratching post you have chosen is hefty and tall enough for your cat to play with.
- Add multiple scratching posts in different places of your house.
Spray Carpet With A Citrus Spray
Luckily, cats strongly dislike a citrus smell, and you can take advantage of it. Spray a citrus perfume with lemon scents (like orange peels, lemon peels, etc) on the carpet.
You can also use lavender, rosemary, vinegar, coffee grinds, mustard and thyme fragrant perfumes for the same. However, many people are skeptical about using vinegar on the carpet, so be sure to do your research and then use it on the carpet.
Trim The Cats Claws Or Cover Them With Claws Cap
If the claws are trimmed or covered, then there will be no space for cats to destroy carpets. But this is little sensitive work to do as cats may suffer from pain during the process. This is because it involves the removal of the tip of your cat’s finger.
So, if you are unsure about it, you can also choose the capping option for your cat. However, if you still want to go for the trimming option, then,
- Use a regular trimmer (nail cutter), and ensure you don’t cut their skin.
- If you are not confident, then take your cat to a vet for grooming.
- Engage your cat in any other activity, like watching movies or singing a song for them while trimming.
Cover Your Cat’s Favorite Scratching Spot
For their comfort, your cat will return to the same spot on the carpet repeatedly.
So, the best way to tackle it is to cover the scratching region on the carpet with furniture or a mat, but if you find your cat still manages to scratch the same spot, then stick that place with two-sided tape. By this, your cat will automatically stop visiting the place due to stickiness.
Reduce The Damage Done By Your Cat
While fixing your cat’s habit of clawing, you also have to take considerate action for the damage already done.
If your cat has removed some fabric from your carpet, then cut out the same fabric from the hidden part of the carpet and stick it on the damaged section. You can also buy the same fabric from the market to cover the damage.
How To Keep Cats From Scratching Carpet? | Conclusion:
Finding a solution for “How To Keep Cats From Scratching Carpet?” can be a serious issue to address. But you must have got all the answers to your questions now. Provide your cat with some alternatives, as mentioned above, to keep those claws away from the carpet.
How To Keep Cats From Scratching Carpet? | FAQS:
Are cat claws harmful to carpets?
If your cat has developed a habit of scratching the carpet recklessly, then it can affect the carpet’s fabric because the cat’s claws can tear a portion of the carpet, which can create difficulties for you to repair.
Why has my cat suddenly started to scratch the carpet?
If your cat has suddenly started a habit of scratching, then there must be some reason behind this. It can be due to any medical emergency, or possibly your cat is going through an emotional breakdown.
Can vinegar stop cats from scratching?
Cats don’t like citrus smells, so spraying a citric fragrant perfume can stop your cat from scratching the sprayed furniture or carpet.
Daleyza knows a lot about carpets! She has worked with carpets for over 7 years and can help with things like putting them in, keeping them clean, and replacing them. She really likes carpets and spends most of her time learning about new ways to work with them. When she’s not learning about carpets, she enjoys reading books. She’s really good at helping people choose the right carpet for their homes and making sure they’re happy with it. If you want to know more about carpets, Daleyza is the person to talk to!