Why Is The Cat Tearing Up The Upholstery Of Your Favorite Chair So Persistently?

2023 Author: Molly Page | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 22:49

Why does the cat tear up the upholstery of an armchair or sofa so persistently? This question is usually answered: the animal sharpens its claws. This is true, but the word "sharpens" in this case does not mean at all what many people think of, who believe that sharpening occurs in the same way as updating dull knives. In fact, the old, worn-out shell is removed to release new, young claws. This process is more like shedding skin with snakes than sharpening kitchen utensils.

If you run your hand over the place where the cat has just scratched furniture, you can find a torn claw, and the owners often fear that their animal has hurt its paw, accidentally caught on a strong fabric. But this is nothing more than an outer shell that it's time to shed. The procedure for sharpening claws is different: their cats are processed with teeth.

The second important function of damage to furniture with front paws is to train and strengthen the mechanism of retracting and releasing claws, which is extremely important for seizing prey, fighting rivals, and climbing trees.

And the third function that most people don't even know about is labeling. On the back of the cat's forelegs are glands that secrete an odorous substance. At the moment of sharpening the claws, these glands rub vigorously against matter. Rhythmic scratching, alternately sometimes with the left paw, ensures the release of the substance and rubbing it into the fabric, leaving on the furniture a kind of personal signature of the cat. This is why it is your favorite chair that most often suffers from feline attention - the cat wants to add its own to your personal smells. Some owners buy special expensive scratching posts, carefully soaked in catnip to attract the animal, and are bitterly disappointed when the cat, ignoring the purchase, continues to tear furniture. You can try to fix the problem by hanging an old sweater on the scratching post, but if the cat has already chosen some kind of chair or a certain place to sharpen the claws, then it is extremely difficult to eradicate this habit.

In desperation, some cat owners resort to the brutal practice of clipping their pet's claws. In addition to physical pain, psychological damage is also inflicted on the cat, as this puts it in a very disadvantageous position during the hunt, in case of clarifying the relationship or the need to climb a tree to escape the chase. A cat without claws is an inferior animal.

Cat's paw pads are equipped with modified skin, so their fabrics are much stronger than regular leather. These hard pads have three purposes: to cushion shock, to bind the bones of the fingers, and to act as a brake.

The purpose of the wrist pad, which is spaced from others, located behind and slightly higher than other pads on the foot, may seem mysterious, since it does not come into contact with the ground! In normal movement, the pad does not play any role, but it is assumed that it serves as a shock absorber when the cat lands after a jump.

All felines can turn quickly while running, and the cheetah is undoubtedly unbeatable in this trick. The advantage is that the pads of his paws are covered with special longitudinal ribs, reminiscent of the tread on tires. All other cats, including domestic cats, do not have such scars and therefore run, so to speak, "on bald tires."

Cats have a better sense of balance than humans. This is because nerve impulses from their eyes to the muscles and joints travel extremely quickly. The cat also uses its tail for balance - much like a tightrope walker uses a long pole as a balancer. For example, if a cat is moving along a narrow wall or a fence and wants to look at what is going on there, outside the fence it involuntarily shifts its center of gravity.

Source: H. Nepomniachtchi "What's on a cat's mind?"