Why Do Cats Scratch Around Their Food
Cats have been domesticated for thousands of years, but they still retain many of their natural instincts. Scratching is one such behavior that’s common to most cats, and this is why they scratch around their food bowls:
Cats have a need to scratch and may develop habits that are destructive to your belongings.
Cats scratch in order to mark territory, remove dead skin and sheaths, stretch and exercise their muscles, relieve stress and sharpen their claws. Scratching is a natural behavior that cats can’t resist. If you want your cat to stop scratching around its food bowl or anywhere else in the house, you’ll need to do some training.
To train your cat not to scratch the furniture:
- Make sure your cat has plenty of appropriate objects—like scratching posts—to satisfy its urge to scratch.
- Encourage your pet by rewarding it when it uses its own scratching post as opposed to damaging your belongings (cats are easily trained with positive reinforcement).
Cats have evolved scratching behavior that helps them survive in the wild.
Scratching is a natural behavior for cats. They do it to mark their territory and leave a scent, remove dead skin, exercise their muscles and tendons, and stretch out their bodies. In the wild, this means that cats can scratch trees or rocks to leave their scent behind as a warning sign for other animals that they’re around. In your home environment; your cat will be using you and your furniture as his “tree” or “rock” marking method.
This may sound like something very weird but it actually makes sense when you think about it—especially if you think of yourself as an animal with five fingers on each hand instead of just four paws! You also have five fingers on each hand which means there are already enough places where you can leave messages behind without having to use your walls too much!
A cat’s scratching action serves many purposes, including marking territory with scent, grooming claws and exercising.
Scratching serves many purposes. It helps to mark territory, which is important for cats that hunt alone. If your cat scratches on a piece of furniture you want to keep intact, consider providing an alternative place for him to scratch — a scratching post or board covered with sisal rope (a natural fiber) will be appreciated and used by your kitty.
Scratching also removes dead skin cells from the paws, and this may help prevent hairballs if your pet is shedding excessively due to stress or changes in season. In addition, some cats groom themselves by pulling off loose fur with their teeth after scratching, so this action can serve as both a grooming aid and self-cleansing method. Finally, many cats scratch simply because they like it — much like you might enjoy running on the treadmill at the gym!
Some cats like to sprinkle their food before they eat.
Some cats like to sprinkle their food before they eat. This is a habit that cats develop as kittens, when they playfully scatter their food so that it will be ready for them when they get hungry enough to start eating.
It’s also a way for cats to mark their territory and spread more of their scent around their environment. Cats love the smell of catnip, so rubbing against plants or scratching furniture will help them spread this smell as well!
Scratching is a natural, normal behavior for cats and serves multiple purposes.
Scratching is a natural, normal behavior for cats. In their natural environment, cats would use trees and other surfaces to mark territory and stretch their muscles. However, the indoors offers no such opportunities for scratching, so cats will scratch any available object in order to express this instinctive behavior.
Scratching also serves several purposes:
- It helps cats keep their claws sharp by removing the outer layer of dead cells at the end of each nail.
- It helps relieve pain or stress due to arthritis or other joint problems by stretching muscles in the forelegs when they flex them against horizontal surfaces while scratching (this can be especially helpful if you have an older cat whose joints are stiff).
- It marks territory with pheromones (odor chemicals) from glands located near each paw; this may be especially important if you live with multiple animals that share living quarters because it allows them to recognize each other’s scent even when they’re out of sight!
There are many reasons why cats scratch at their food. They may have a need to scratch and develop destructive habits that are problematic for you. Cats have evolved scratching behavior that helps them survive in the wild. A cat’s scratching action serves many purposes, including marking territory with scent, grooming claws and exercising. Some cats like to sprinkle their food before they eat
