Understanding and Managing Cats' Destructive Behavior

Problems of Destructive Behavior in Cats. Probably your cat is a real prankster, and that’s one of the many reasons why it’s so fun to live with her. But sometimes a cat’s behavior can be surprising. Maybe your cat is tearing up stored items and sharpening its nails on them? Or maybe she tore the curtains in the coffins? We usually think that only naughty or nervous dogs bite the furniture and mess up the house, but cats with destructive behavior problems can also do a lot of damage.

Cats know how to do great nails – they are suitable for scratching furniture, speakers, door frames, cabinets, clothes and everything else that is thrown at home. Don’t underestimate the possibilities of cats – a mischievous mule will get almost anywhere if you want to! But what makes them behave so destructively?

By sharpening the nails, the cat finds it easier to remove the nail shells. Sometimes this way the cat helps you take care of it – you don’t have to shorten your nails so often, only the cat shortens them in its own way! There are also visible marks and chemical odors on the torn objects that mark its territory.

Sometimes a naughty cat is chewed on objects made of some material, such as leather, fabric or cardboard – anything suitable for play.

How to wean a cat from tearing furniture?

To wean your cat from raging around the house and tearing down curtains, rugs, or anything nailed to, give it other suitable options. Try giving her pieces of material, wood with bark, softwood residue, or sisal cloth. As soon as your cat discovers these great, easily torn items, she will be less interested in your furniture.

Try to place the new scratching toys in different places, see which one you like better – vertical or horizontal scrapers. Until your cat detects those new great scratching spots, cover the plastic you want to protect from spoilage with a level of plastic.

To protect your cat’s nail furniture and make sure it doesn’t chew or swallow cardboard, ribbons, phone cords, pieces of cloth, sewing thread, needles, and other hard-to-resist items, simply keep them out of your cat’s reach and tempt them.

If you are worried that your cat is causing these so much damage, contact your veterinarian – he will always be happy to help.

The information provided in this article is without prejudice to individual advice from a veterinarian or behavioral specialist and is provided for information purposes only. If you are worried about your cat’s behavioral problems or your pet’s health, you can always consult a veterinarian. Your veterinarian will evaluate your pet’s entire medical history and check his or her physical condition, and then be able to recommend appropriate individual consultations or treatments. For detailed behavioral advice tailored to your pet, we recommend that you consult a qualified animal behaviorist.