Cat and dog lovers are two camps that are constantly at war. Some say that cats are completely unlike any other animal, and dog lovers claim that the most loyal animals are their favorites. But both pets have their own character, and are also capable of being truly offended, especially if the owner hurt them. And it doesn’t matter that the pain may not be caused intentionally.
It is important to understand the peculiarities of a cat’s worldview and be sure to ask for forgiveness from a living creature.
Any closed doors
This is a real fad for cats. All doors must be open! If the door is slammed, the mustachioed friend will certainly try to open it or will yell at it until it gives up and opens. Well, more precisely, a person will have to open it. After all, the cat feels like the owner of the apartment. Everything should be under his strict control. After all, someone might be playing with his toys or eating his treats in the next room. Moreover, once behind a closed door, the cat, as a rule, having examined the area, immediately asks to go back out. Well, if the pet feels that another animal lives behind a closed door - good for you! He will guard the door day and night so that the stranger cannot escape. That's how powerful they are, our furry friends!
How to stop a cat from scratching
Sometimes cat owners have to deal with unwanted behavior in their pets. Stopping a cat from scratching turns out to be one of the most common wishes. Unfortunately, not all people are ready to be patient and gradually solve the problem. Animals often come to the Murkosha shelter with the wording “scratched”, and the owners themselves give them away.
But such behavior always has some rational reason behind it, and by understanding and eliminating it, you can do without taking your pet to a shelter (and even more so, throwing it out onto the street).
- 1) The cat scratches while playing
- 2) The kitten is trying to get your attention
- 3) The kitten is not trained as a child
- 4) The cat scratches due to health problems
- 5) Previous negative experience
- 6) Stress and redirected aggression
- 7) Secrets on how to stop a cat from scratching
The cat scratches while playing
The rich experience of Murkoshi employees, as well as animal psychologists, suggests that the owners themselves teach the kitten to scratch. Remember how you play with your cat, or at least how you played when she was a kitten? “Tease” with your hands, trying to provoke her to “catch” them, and you would try to quickly pull away? After all, the kitten is actively involved in this game, and you have fun, and most importantly, there seems to be no harm: even if the kitten catches your fingers with its paws, it practically doesn’t hurt you.
As long as the claws are small, this won't bother you too much. But they grow quickly, and the kitten continues to scratch, because the habit has taken hold, he already firmly associates your hands with prey.
It is best to avoid such a situation altogether. This is easier than trying to stop the kitten from scratching. Therefore, play with the kitten not with your fingers, hands or feet, but with special toys. Remember: there should be a toy between your hand and the kitten, which will be the “prey”.
Read more about how to play with a cat correctly: Why do cats play and how to do it correctly with them?
But what to do if you have already allowed such a bad habit to form or your pet came to you as an adult with such behavioral characteristics? It is difficult to wean an adult cat from this habit, but it is possible.
First, immediately stop playing with your hands and use toys. Secondly, if the cat begins to scratch or bite while playing or suddenly lunges at your hand, simply get up and walk away. The animal will understand that with such behavior the owner will not communicate with it. Thirdly, correct behavior can be rewarded with treats. The cat soon realizes that the treat is a nicer thing than your hand, and to get the treat, she must leave the “prey” hand alone. Over time, she will no longer associate your hand with prey, but with something good.
We also do not recommend actively “squeezing” the cat. You perceive this as a manifestation of your master's love. But a cat is a living being, an independent person, and its right to personal boundaries must be respected. Each cat has its own “limits of what is permitted.” Some people themselves don’t mind being held, while others really don’t like being stroked even for more than a minute or two (by the way, any cat will get tired of stroking for too long sooner or later). So, if a cat scratched you while you were too actively imposing your affection on her, do not be surprised - this is a natural defensive reaction. She is not aggressive, she just had no other choice at this particular moment. Start playing with it correctly, using our tips, and you will see that in such games your mustachioed pet does not at all try to scratch you.
Kitten trying to get your attention
Kittens are very demanding of their owner's attention. They simply cannot sit alone most of the day. More precisely, they can, but unsatisfied hunting energy will accumulate all this time, and when the owner comes, he will be required to immediately find a use for it. And if he then ignores the baby who is eager to play, the kitten will begin to scratch, wanting to attract attention to itself. After all, kittens quickly understand through experience that the owner reacts most quickly in cases when he is irritated. So they begin to use their claws.
To wean a kitten from scratching, you need to play with it at least 3 times a day for 15-20 minutes (but be ready to play “unscheduled”), and, as mentioned above, not with your hands, but with toys: fishing rods, teasers, balls, mice, interactive toys, etc. You can even make them yourself.
Read more: DIY cat toys
The kitten is not trained as a child
Also, a kitten may scratch if it simply does not know how to use its claws carefully. This happens if in childhood he did not have enough lessons from his mother cat. It is categorically not recommended to separate a kitten from its mother until 3 months of age - at this time the baby learns everything he will need in adult life: in terms of hunting skills, and in relationships with relatives, and in relationships with humans. Among other things, he must learn to measure strength, understand in which situations it is necessary to release his claws, and in which it is enough to lightly hit him with his paw. If he is separated from his mother, then there will be gaping gaps in his upbringing.
Therefore, never adopt kittens at the age of 1-2 months. The people who offer to buy them are “swindlers”, actually scammers and flayers.
More information about who the divorcees are: https://www.murkosha.ru/nashi-stati/problema-bezdomnykh-zhivotnykh/ostorozhno-moshenniki-razvedentsy-i-ptichi-rynki
It is possible to fill the gaps in education and still wean a kitten from scratching, but it will take time and patience. Use the same advice we gave regarding “wrong games.” We also recommend trimming your kitten’s nails and doing it regularly. Please note: cut, not remove! Declawing is comparable to having the last phalanges of a person's fingers cut off. Agree, mutilating your pet like this is animal cruelty.
Cat scratches due to health problems
If a cat scratches you until you bleed when you barely touch it, then this is more serious. Especially if you have had your cat for quite some time and nothing like this has ever been observed before. Take her to the vet immediately! With a high degree of probability, something just hurts her, so she is irritated (especially if you touch the sore spot). It could also be a neurological problem or another disease. In any case, only a doctor can make an accurate diagnosis. The sooner you start treatment, the sooner the cat will return to its previous lifestyle.
Previous negative experience
If the cat came to you as an adult, then this behavior can be explained by his previous negative experience of relationships with people: perhaps he was offended by his previous owners or he got it from knackers on the street. Do not under any circumstances give up such a pet! This behavior can be corrected, and you will get a loyal friend who will appreciate you as a wonderful host.
Various animals end up at the Murkosha shelter. Some have seen so much grief, experienced so many insults that for a long time they did not trust a person. But gradually, thanks to the efforts of volunteers and shelter staff, they thawed out, found a new home and became affectionate pets. Murkoshi's many years of experience suggest that there is no pet more grateful than a cat rescued from the street.
How to stop such a cat from scratching? The main thing is not to rush things. There is no need to immediately impose affection. Give the cat the opportunity to feel safe, eliminate frightening and provoking factors (noise, turmoil, intrusiveness). Play with your pet more often, reward with treats for any contact. Let your cat begin to associate you with something good - games and treats. At the same time, your voice should be soft and calm, your movements should be smooth. At the next stage, you can pet the animal, but do not raise your hand in a threatening position. This way you will gradually earn trust and replace traumatic experiences with positive ones.
Stress and redirected aggression
Finally, a cat may scratch when stressed. Its cause may be moving, new people or animals in the house, too much noise or quarrels. Or it could be redirected aggression. For example, if your cat noticed another cat in the window and it seemed to her that she was invading her territory, and at that moment you turned up at the wrong time, then the pet may take out its dissatisfaction on you. Or you could be petting a cat, and at that time there was suddenly a very loud and sharp sound on the street that scared her.
If this is the reason, you just need to show the animal that he has nothing to be afraid of. Leave him alone for a while. Let him rest a little and calm down. In the meantime, give him some kind of treat and show him with all your appearance how much you love him. You can also use Feliway and catnip to reduce stress levels.
Secrets on how to stop a cat from scratching
In conclusion, we would like to say what exactly should NOT be done, and in all the above cases. There is no need to shout at the cat, much less punish it. She will not correlate the punishment with her behavior; on the contrary, she will think that you are the aggressor, which means she needs to avoid you or defend herself from you if you decide to approach. As you can see, punishments will only make the problem worse.
Well, in order to stop a cat from scratching faster, the volunteers of the Murkosha shelter have prepared some tips for you.
- Loud sounds
Cats really don't like loud and harsh sounds. If the cat is constantly scratching, then after each attempt to release its claws, you need to clap your hands loudly. Over time, the animal will develop a reflex: if I scratch it, it will be unpleasant.
- Water
Cats don't like water even more. Therefore, after each attempt to scratch, you can lightly spray the cat with a spray bottle. The effect will be the same as in the first case.
- Strong odors
But most of all, cats don't like certain smells. If your cat constantly reaches out to scratch your hand, you can smear it with essential oil, lemon zest or vinegar. The kitten will definitely not like this smell, and at least for a while he will lose the desire to scratch such a nasty hand.
However, tip No. 3 can create inconvenience for the person himself. But we still recommend using the spray bottle as little as possible – if at all. Still, the cat may perceive this as a kind of aggression. And remember, these methods are additional; they do not replace the need to correct the fundamental causes of the cat’s unwanted behavior.
A cat may scratch due to chronic or acute pain (need to be shown to a veterinarian), due to stress, fear and mistrust (need to be reassured, instilled with a sense of security, self-confidence), due to lack of attention, due to the fact that It is played incorrectly (the last reason, by the way, is the most common). In all cases (except for medical problems), the right games are very helpful - with toys, not hands. Start playing with your cat 2-3 times a day and you will see that its behavior changes and stopping your cat from scratching no longer seems like a difficult task!
My paws are my rules
It is forbidden to touch the paws! Everyone. Even the owner. The only one who can touch the paws is the cat himself. Even a light touch on the cute limbs can freak out the animal. In such a situation, even the most affectionate creature can bite or claw. So don't take risks. In the best case, they will politely hide their paw from you, but in the worst case, you can imagine. You can stroke the head, back, neck, and in rare cases, the belly. But never paws! By the way, the same applies to the tail. This is no joke!
Lunch on schedule
Well, who could come up with such nonsense? Only a man! How can you create a meal schedule? For cats, everything is much simpler: if you want to eat, then it’s time to eat. And there is nothing to invent. You have to beg for food, but they don’t give it to you. So you can sit there, begging for several hours in a row, at least for a fishtail. And everything is in vain. Because the schedule! The owner himself comes to the refrigerator every ten minutes and always walks past the bowl. Well, at least he threw a crust of bread. And as soon as you lie down in a hungry faint, the owner suddenly puts food in the bowl. But the cat doesn’t need it anymore! And why did they come up with such a mockery of the cat’s delicate belly?
Don't put your cat in a litter box
It seems to us that in order to accustom an animal to the tray, you need to put it there. This actually pisses cats off. Why shove the poor kitten into his own toilet? He will not understand such a rude hint. Some cats may think that this is their home and lie down there quietly. But this will infuriate their owner. The animal navigates by smell. Just place it next to the toilet, then it will find its way on its own.
Toy "Mint Leaf"
It is aromatic and delicious thanks to catnip, an aromatic and flavoring additive. Cats love to chew on these devices. Time spent with a mint toy is not just a game, but also the prevention of caries. The product has a structure that removes plaque—soft and hard—from the teeth of a domestic predator.
Delicious and aromatic “Mint Leaf”
