Your Maine Coon is shredding your favorite couch, and you are furious. Didn’t you go out and buy a super expensive scratching post? Why, oh why, won’t your Maine Coon stop? Is there any advice out there on how to handle Maine Coon scratching?
When a cat scratches an object, biologists call it stropping, and is natural cat behavior. Cats do this to spread the scent from between their toes, communicate with other animals, and deposit familiar smells that make them feel secure. Cats also scratch to sharpen their claws and stretch their spines and muscles for the hunt.
Scratching objects is normal for a feline; humans place these half-wild kitties in abnormal environments. If your furniture looks like it’s been through a meat grinder, chances are you haven’t looked at your home from your cat’s perspective. Lets explore how to redirect this behavior into more appropriate channels and the reason why cats love to scratch.
Contents
Why Cats Scratch Furniture: Destruction Decoded!
Here are the five reasons why your Maine Coon loves to scratch.
1. Scratching for Scent Release
Scratching produces signature scents with a unique profile that cats use to relay their identity to the world, a kind of smell graffiti saying, “Felix is here!” This chemical communication was vital for our kitty’s wild cat ancestors who were solitary and had to leave their messages for other cats to advertise their territory, health, and social status to other solitary cats without the hazards of meeting face to face.
Feral cats often use trees to leave their interdigital scent markers; the areas they choose are where they spend most of their time. Cats prefer trees that show the obvious claw marks of their fellow colony members.
2. A Sign of Territory Marking and Security
Cats like to return to where they have laid their scent, and some studies suggest that they use visual markers (the noticeable claw marks) and scent to return to their favorite scratching places.
The markers a cat releases from these areas are called the feline interdigital semiochemical (FIS), which relay messages to other cats about their health and status and define their territory.
Familiar smells soothe your cat, and filling their space with their signature scent makes them feel more secure in their environment. When your cat experiences changes in their environment, such as a new pet or strange humans, they might increase their scratching behavior in a self-soothing manner to relieve their anxiety.
3. Scratching for Claw Sharpening: A Natural Hunting Behavior
Cats have what biologists refer to as cornified end organs. The outer layer of these fantastic adaptations is called a corn sheath, which is generated by cells that grow faster on the underside of the claw at the top and sides, gaining the characteristic edge that cats are notorious for using with great skill.
As the layers of cells age, they move toward the outer edges of the claw and become exposed to air, which makes them harden. As the cells grow out underneath the uppermost layers, they press the older layers out, which harden into a sheath. Stress and wear cause microcracks between the older outer and living inner layers, allowing your cat to shed the outer sheath without damaging the living areas underneath.
Cats regularly shed this outer layer by extending their retractable claws in stropping to expose the new cells underneath. This activity keeps their nails sharp, helping them prepare their special tools to hunt or climb trees or objects quickly to avoid predators. The layer ready to be shed is called the horn cap, which cats remove in deep scratching without harming the layers underneath.
4. Stretching Their Muscles and Bones
You will notice that your cat often stretches after a snooze, often choosing to do a full-body stretch on a vertical post if nearby. This action increases the blood flow to the limbs and the brain, keeping your cat ready to hunt at a moment’s notice. Anchoring their front claws on a surface allows maximum extension and stretch of their muscles and spines.
Cats have highly flexible spines, and their shoulder blades are attached to their body only by muscle, not bone, to increase flexibility and extend their stride from reach. All these body parts must be aligned and ready for action should your ever-alert kitty need to chase their prey.
5. Scratching Caused by Boredom and Under-Stimulation
As the world moves towards indoor-only cat policies, we are confining our cats to smaller and smaller liver areas and depriving them of expressing their finely adapted predatory behaviors. When we deny cats the ability to express these instincts, we must make up for it by creating an enriched indoor environment to keep our felines stimulated and healthy.
Several independent scientific studies suggest that indoor cats are more prone to exhibiting problem behaviors such as excessive scratching. Boredom and a lack of outlet for their predatory urges cause stress in a cat, affecting their physical and mental health over time.
If Your Big Maine Feline Is Scratching You
If your Maine Coon is scratching you or other household members, the first thing you must do is identify the cause. There are several reasons your cat might react with their claws, and these are:
- Misdirected playfulness: cats don’t understand our thin human skin and may get overexcited in play, leaving us with some lines for punishment.
- Aggressive/fearful scratching: cats may scratch for several reasons, one being that they are afraid and need to defend themselves. Often, cats scratch when humans don’t heed their body signals or when they are becoming displeased with stroking, playing, or general interference.
- Medical reasons behind scratching: If your cat is in physical pain, they may lash at you. If you are sore and someone tries to move or lift you, you might react the same way. If your cat begins scratching and is out of character, always approach a vet to determine if there is an underlying medical cause.
Solutions
If your cat bites or scratches you in play, say “no!” redirect them to a toy, and stop playing for several minutes.
If your cat scratches you in anger or during petting, pay close attention to their body language and curtail your petting if they display:
- Tail swishing side to side
- Dilated pupils
- Ears flattened towards the head
- Tense and stiffened body posture
Once again, a firm “No!” if they scratch you and have no further contact with your pet for several minutes.
If your cat is aggressively scratching family members unprovoked and medical issues are counted out, you may need to seek advice from an animal behaviorist.
Why Declawing Is Never an Option？
A disturbing trend is underway for owners to declaw their cats to prevent furniture damage and scratching. There is no way around the fact that this option borders on outright animal abuse and should never be an option for anyone who has any love for their fellow creatures.
Cats use claws to balance, climb, and defend themselves. Cats use claws to accelerate, avoid predators, and manipulate objects in their environment. Declawing deprives your cat of their most precious appendage and has far-reaching consequences for their quality of life.
According to International Cat Care, 41 countries have already seen the light—banning this cruel practice outright, including England, France, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, and Israel. Only 9 US states have banned the practice as barbaric, while some 25% of North American supposed “cat lovers” still declaw their poor pets.
An onychectomy, as vets call the operation, is a painful procedure; imagine someone severing the bones at the tip of each finger! Plus, these long-term effects are even more dire:
- Imbalance gait and movement
- Chronic back pain
- Increased aggression
- Stress behaviors
- Weakened forearms
5 Ways To Redirect Your Maine’s Grand Feline Scratching
Cats have glands in their paw pads and the skin between their toes, which secrete scent markers that carry messages to other cats. Cats prefer vertical or horizontal surfaces where they can extend their claws and paw pads to deliver their most robust physical and chemical signals in their environment.
This scratching is a natural process for cats, so instead of punishing the behavior you should encourage your ca6t to use designated scratching surfaces. Here are some ways to lure your kitty away from your couch and to designated scratching posts.
1. Avoid Punishment and Give Positive Reinforcement
Cats fail to understand that the expression of their natural behaviors infuriates and offends their human family. Punishments such as spraying with water or chasing them off their chosen destruction patch may worsen the behavior. Dealing out punishments cats can’t understand the cause of will increase their stress and their likelihood of scratching to self-soothe
Instead, use positive reinforcement and praise your cats for using their designated scratching areas and reward them with a treat. They will respond more and more to the areas where they receive praise and reward.
2. Increase Your Play Time
Experts suggest that excessive and destructive stropping may express stress and frustration, particularly in the unnatural world of indoor-only cats. In nature, cats choose their particular trees to mark their scent and have no lack of surfaces and angles to choose their -perfect strop spot.
When cats cannot express their hunting drive, and owners deprive them of stimulation, they may exhibit destructive behaviors. Ideally, you should play with your cat every day, preferably in the early morning or evening when your cat’s natural crepuscular rhythms to hunt are high.
You could use food puzzles or any variety of toys that you rotate to prevent toy fatigue. You need not break the bank, as homemade toys do just as well. Dr. Sagi Denerberg extensively studied cat preferences for several popular toy styles and found the winner…
was…Drum roll…
A hairband tied to a string! (Behaviorists, 2020)
3. Use Catnip or Silver Vine To Redirect Your Kitty
There is no doubting it; cats get a kick out of catnip (Nepeta Cataria) and the lesser-known silver vine Actinidia polygama. They express their euphoria through various antics such as rolling, rubbing, or having a good old back legs bicycle on the irresistible plant.
Catnip contains nepetalactone, and the silver vine has isoiridomyrmecin and dihydronepetalactone, which are responsible for your cat’s hilarious responses. Studies suggest that silver vine trumps catnip in the cat population, where only 60% of cats respond to catnip and 80% respond to the vine.
These pants increase the endorphin levels, giving your cat a feel-good high. Don’t worry; it’s not addictive because the high doesn’t come directly from the plant but from their olfactory neurons after smelling these giddy plants.
You can use these plants or synthesized extracts to enhance the appeal of your scratchers and lure your cat away from your expensive couch! However, don’t use it for long stretches, or your Maine Coon will get used to it and lose interest.
4. Try Pheromones To Lure Your Cat to the Appropriate Post
Companies like Feliway have made great strides in uncovering the effect of scent on modifying domesticated cat behavior. They have created a product called Feliscratch, a giddy combination of synthetic interdigital kitty pheromones that you can use on your scratch post to make it irresistible.
The product also leaves a strong visual marker of blue dye, attracting cats to return to the scratching area. Recent studies show that the product is effective in redirecting unwanted stropping behaviors.
5. Try Some Commercial Deterrents
SickyPaws is an odor-free, non-toxic form of anti-claw double-sided tape that you can place over furniture areas your cat loves to scratch. Cats don’t like the sensation and might move off to a neatly presented scratching post instead.
Alternatively, you can use cat claw covers such as SoftPaws, which fit over your cat’s nail like false fingernails with non-toxic glue and blunt your kitty’s nails. Personally, my Maine Coon, Halo would never allow me to perform such an intricate manicure, and I would worry that he could defend himself or flee should the need arise.
How To Find the Perfect Scratching Post
Many owners buy fancy scratching posts and are sorely disappointed that their couches still resemble the underclothes of a castaway after twenty years on a deserted island. Many attribute willfulness to their poor, innocent cats and disobedience when their pets are only guilty of following their natures.
There are several reasons why you may be facing an epic scratch post-failure. You should realize that each cat has unique preferences regarding where to scratch. If you figure out what makes them “stick,” you won’t have to cover your couch in bedsheets when you have guests anymore to hide your kitty shame!
Here are the main reasons your cat won’t use the darn post.
1. Does Your Scratching Post Have the Perfect Surface Texture?
Each cat has a unique scratching surface that is perfect for them, and if the surface doesn’t work for them, they will find a fabric that does. Most probably your couch of that lovely patch at the side of your mattress that they love to sideways moonwalk on via their razor-sharp claws!
Experiment to find what gets your cat itching by providing them with a variety of surfaces to scratch, such as:
- Bark
- Cardboard
- Sisal rope
- Carpeting
- Fabric
If your cat is decimating your house, look at the areas of worst devastation. If your wood frames look grated like cheese—chances are that your cats prefer wood. Consider providing a scratch post with a similarly-grained fabric if your carpets are in high shreds.
2. Is Your Scratching Post at the Correct Angle?
As if the texture wasn’t confusing enough, some cats prefer horizontal posts for stropping, and others prefer extending vertically. Give your Maine Coon an option of the two posts and see which one they gravitate towards.
Ensure that the scratch area is longer than your cat at full stretch. If your post is too small, your cat won’t get that full extension to open their interdigital glands and stretch out their glorious spines after a round of ZZZZs.
3. Is Your Post in the Perfect Location?
A common scratching post failure in cat owners is failing to place the post in their kitty’s sweet spot. A spot near your cat’s bed or litter box is a good option, or near your kitty’s favorite snooze spots as they often stretch and strop when they rise from sleep.
Cats mark their most frequented areas, so you should choose an area where your cat is most sociable. If your cat already has an inappropriate scratching spot, place the post near the location and entice your kitty with smells, pheromones, and treats to use the chosen post.
4. Is Your Scratching Post Stable?
Your scratching surface must be stable for your cat to enjoy their stropping experience. The base must be stable and not slip or wobble when your cat strops. If your post is horizontal, ensure the bottom has firm rubber grips or adequately secured your vertical scratching area.
The last thing you want is your post falling over and scaring your cat because they might decide posts are the enemy and turn to your couch with a clawed vengeance.
Cat Votes: The Ideal Scratching Posts That Most Cats Prefer
According to International Cat Care, studies show that the most preferred scratching posts have these elements in common:
- Sisal rope scratching surface
- Carpet surface for geriatric cats
- Choices of both horizontal and vertical alignment
- It is at least three feet tall or long and 1 to 3 feet wide
Certainly! On our website, we also recommend best scratching posts tailor-made for Maine Coon cats. Check out our article for the perfect scratching post that suits the needs of your beloved Maine Coon feline companion.
In Conclusion
When cats scratch, they express a natural part of their cat physiology and are never “naughty” or “spiteful.” There are many ways to redirect this behavior without negativity and bad feelings, which may break the trust and beautiful bond we humans and cats share. Redirecting behavior and positive affirmations are crucial to keeping your furniture and the love of your feline intact.
