Study on Rethinking Cat Scratching

Kirsten McCarthy / Cats.com

We know: It’s hard to think of feline scratching as a positive thing, when our cat’s scratching activity can shred our furniture. And traditionally, cat professionals have considered scratching to be a behavior that attempts to mark a cat’s territory, or maybe respond to stress and insecurity.

But a recent UK-based study, published in the journal Applied Animal Behavioural Science, suggests that it’s time for cat lovers to re-think scratching. The study – titled “Unwanted Feline Scratching in the Home: A Re-Examination of Its Relationship with Stress and Marking” – found that scratching seems to be related to positive feline emotions. Maybe we have only, well, scratched the surface of this feline activity?

Jacqueline Braggs, who co-authored the study with Daniel Simon Mills, tells Cats.com that very few research studies of cat behavior have focused primarily on scratching, either outside or inside in the home. She conducted this research with the aim to understand scratching from the cat’s perspective, rather than the perspective of an irritated homeowner.

“The better we understand the feline behaviour, the better we can manage unwanted scratching in a more positive way, to help cats and their caregivers live together in mutual harmony,” Braggs, who owns UK-based Caspers Pet Behaviour and Training, writes in an e-mail.

No cat parent enjoys their furniture or carpet getting scratched. Yet Braggs, who hopes to share more research on the scratching subject in the near future, was surprised to see that the majority of the nearly 1,800 cat owners surveyed in the study – mostly women in the UK and United States – stated that scratching is either not much of a problem or not a problem at all!

Melina Grin / Cats.com

“Yet we know from other survey-based studies that owners intervene in many ways to try to stop their cats scratching in the home, some of which are punitive for the cats,” Braggs says. “There’s a disconnect here.”

The explanation could be, she says, that “what constitutes a ‘problem’ for home-owners is implicitly considered in a relative context.”

“Also, caregivers may not realise how their reactions to scratching might affect their cats,” Braggs says. “Again, there’s an opportunity to help owners deal with the problem in more positive ways.”

The study respondents provided detailed accounts of where in the house their cats scratch, like feeding areas, social spaces, and spots where cats might feel territorial ownership. The results surprisingly showed that cats most frequently scratch in areas associated with resting, comfort, and mingling – like beds and couches, living rooms, and areas where cats greet their humans, like by the door. These aren’t likely to be places where cats are experiencing stress and wanting to mark their territory.

Kate Barrington / Cats.com

Another interesting finding is that the presence of dogs, which can be stressful to cats, is negatively associated with scratching behavior. The absence of dogs, though, tends to correlate with more frequent scratching.

All of this suggests that scratching is often a sign of a cat’s contentment and sense of routine and affection, rather than anxiety or stress. And – gasp – cats might even enjoy having dogs around! (OK, certainly not all cats, but some are canine-friendly).

Braggs says it makes sense that scratching, as a natural feline behavior that stretches muscles and maintains claws, would be associated at least sometimes with a positive emotional state. But that is not always the case; cats can scratch for other reasons.

“For example, some cats might scratch at the bedroom door when it is closed, but not when it is open,” Braggs says. “We need more research to explore the contexts in which cats scratch and understand whether, and perhaps why, negative emotional states might trigger scratching.”

The takeaway lesson for us cat parents? We need to let cats be cats, and provide our cats scratching opportunities, Braggs says. In other words, don’t fight scratching, but accommodate it.

“Cat owners should follow the common advice to provide opportunities to enjoy scratching on appropriate scratch posts or pads,” she says. “When cats are scratching in other areas of the home, despite these provisions, cat-owners might like to consider why their cat is scratching, rather than simply assuming that their cat is marking its territory.”

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

So, how can we cat parents embrace scratching as a good thing, albeit reluctantly? We have you covered here, with many articles about scratching and ways to encourage your cat to do it appropriately. We discuss how to stop cats from scratching furniture, and how to get your cat to use a scratching post. What is the best scratching post to buy? We help you navigate numerous options on the market with this list of the 15 best scratching posts, based on our testing.

And, what should you do if – ouch – your cat is using you as a human scratching post?