Pets like a cat are worth keeping companions and may remedy all your stress and misery. However, creating a mess like scratching the walls might be a headache for you, and you may be looking for how to stop cats from scratching walls?
Although rubbing against the wall and its corners is their favorite hobby like the other animals do, every cat owner wants to keep their cat’s paws and claws away from doing such things.
This article will provide you with some of the proven tips and tricks to hinder your kitty from exercising such things.
Why do cats scratch?
Cats love to scratch; they also do it during their leisure time as it is their instinctive behavior. Cats usually scratch the walls around litter boxes in search of food; however, a bundle of reasons might lead them to scratch, like:
Following are some of the possible reasons that may lead a feline to scratch
- To seek the attention of the owner
- To thwart the useless layer of their paws and claws
- To chase in prey, like mice and other insects and also to hide something
- To mark their territory as a warning sign against other animals
- To stretch muscles, exercise, and sharpen their nails
- To kill their boredom, they also start striking against the wall or other surfaces around them
- They do it during play and enjoy doing it
- They also do it to express their emotions
If you fail to provide a suitable alternative for this activity, you may end up with bad-marking walls, furniture, and other household products.
How to stop cats from scratching walls?
The following are some proven tips and tricks to stop your queen from scratching the walls and its corners to avoid such a mess.
1. Trimming your cat’s nails
One of the most common reasons for cats rubbing their paws is they are doing it to polish their nails. Since striking hard surfaces helps them shed their paw’s outer weak and useless layers.
This habit can be avoided by regularly making their nails, but if you are not trained to do so, you can also seek help from professionals.
2. Install a wall mounted scratcher
Discourage their destructive scratching by covering or removing objects they tend to offend. Other than that, providing them with alternative scratching surfaces in your home like a wall-mounted scratcher can fill up the gap.
You may also consider covering your cat’s paws with plastic nail caps. These sticky caps are specially designed for paws. In this way, you can save your walls from destructive scratching.
Finally, keep multiple pairs of plastic claw covers and wall-mounted scratchers so that you can replace the damaged ones. It will be a plus if you are a multiple cat owner.
3. Spray Citrus Solution and Scent
Citrus solution and scent are proven repellant for kitties to prevent them from scratching the walls. Sprinkle a citrus solution around the area, where a feline can contaminate. Scents like that of vinegar and lemon, for example, are allergic to them.
Prepare a solution of vinegar or lemon and install it on the cat-affected areas of your home. These solutions are feline resistant but are familiar to the human nose.
4. Create Climbing spots
Cats are natural climbers; they attempt to ascend the walls, trees, and other household stuff to avoid danger and also search for food.
They also love going up and jumping for entertainment purposes. Providing them with places like a cat tree might be the best option.
To entertain them and make your walls safe, you can try making different climbing spots for them made of plastic, cardboard, aluminum, and wood. This will provide your cat a place to climb, rub their paws and entertain themselves.
5. Using Cat pheromone Diffuser
It is a device used for cats to disperse synthetic chemicals into the air to relieve their pain and discomfort. These chemicals are odorless and undetectable for humans and other pets.
A feliway is the most used and readily available pheromone diffuser used for making cats stress-free. Read more, Can Feliway make Cats sick?
So if your kitty is having anxiety symptoms, these pheromone diffusers may offer significant relief and will help stop them from striking against the walls and furniture.
6. Provide ways to kill their boredom
Cats may also exercise such things if they feel bored and have nothing to do. Some cat owners can’t manage time to play with their pets; as a result, they feel alone and start scratching walls and other worthy stuffs to mitigate their dullness.
Give them time to help them cheer, also provide interactive toys like puzzle feeders, cat balls, and other such things for playing to distract them from scratching against the walls.
7. More Regular Attention and Exercise
Cats usually do such destructive behaviors to seek the attention of their owners. If you are one of them who rarely give time to their pets, pushing against the walls is expected from them in such cases.
Exercising and mentally simulating them is a good idea for their health and keeps them away from creating a mess like scratching. Regular attention and exercising your kitty also keep them from stress and anxiety.
Perhaps it is more rewarding and beneficial to give them time and attention. Try playing different games with them, take them for outings, and present different cat treats.
In this way, your beloved pet will feel a sense of attention and adoption and will stop doing weird things.
8. Rule out Mice and other Insects
Cats are super masters of sensing and smelling through. They can detect their prey buried in the muds and even mice moving between the walls.
So they will scratch different things to search for their food and follow mice and other insects edible for them. Try to rule out such targets in your house and provide them with the best alternative foods.
In the end, it should be noted that while these tips have proven results of success. However, they are not guaranteed to work efficiently for every pet. Try to adopt any of the solutions that best suit your feline.
Conclusion
how to stop cats from scratching walls? A cat scratching the walls and other surfaces is expected behavior. They do it to stretch their muscles and relax their body besides other reasons. They tend to rub the walls, furniture, and other appealing surfaces.
However, there are specific considerable measures which you can adopt to stop them from doing so, like trimming their nails, installing a wall-mounted scratcher, spraying citrus scent and giving them regular attention and exercise, etc.
FAQ:
How to stop cats from scratching door frames?
While cats are notorious scratchers like other animals do. It is entirely natural and has no harmful effects on the site. However, you can try a few tips to keep them from scratching door frames, like duct taping, aluminum foiling, and covering your door with door frame protectors.
Why cat scratching walls and meowing?
Cat scratching walls and meowing is a common phenomenon as it indicates that your kitty is energetic and enjoys playing around. Besides that, they may also do it out of frustration. Scratching against the walls and door frames is typical behavior for them. However, there are many other reasons which we discussed in detail above.
Why does my cat scratch the wall after eating?
Before or after eating and drinking, pawing or scratching is an instinct behavior for a cat; it has no harmful effects. So if your cat is scratching the wall after eating, leave them to exercise it if it is not damaging the thing they are trying to rub.
