Your little fluffball is the most precious treasure of your family. Is the glue that holds the harmony in your household together, and it’s also, most likely, a loyal companion that loves you with all its might and that wants nothing more than to spend time with you.
What more can be said about cats? Intelligent, independent, clean and low-maintenance, cats are more than animals. They are life companions who can integrate nicely in the specifics of any family, and for this reason, they are the second most popular type of pets in Australia.
A Fantastic Yet Somewhat Difficult Journey
There are a lot of reasons for getting a cat. They are scientifically proven to reduce stress and anxiety in most people, they are less demanding than dogs, they are clean creatures who naturally bury their waste, and they have no problem is being left alone for hours on end. But there are also some downsides.
Do you see that big, beautiful drape that you inherited from grandma? Well, get ready to say goodbye. Cats, for as fluffy and cuddly as they are, can in some cases be equally destructive. They can’t really help it. It’s in their blood. But their instincts make the cat ownership process somewhat of a challenge. So, to make your life a bit easier, and not make you late grandma mad, a good idea would be to invest in a cat scratching post.
Why a Cat Scratcher?
Well, a cat scratching post is not optional. After all, you won’t really have a choice. Cats are not exactly wired like dogs. They evolved differently; they pretty much domesticated themselves, and their DNA is 95% identical to that of tigers. Cats don’t scratch because they like the look on your face when you discover your newly-purchased couch shredded to pieces (actually, science is not exactly sure on that). They do mostly do it because it’s in their instinct, and it represents a way to reduce stress and stretch their muscles, while also shedding the outermost keratin layers of their claws.
So, in other words, trying to make your kitty not follow its natural instincts is basically a futile attempt. A cat scratcher can give your kitty an alternative from your furniture or appliances, and also be a way for her to focus its destructive tendencies on an easily-replaceable accessory. There are a lot of things that your kitty can live without. You don’t need, for example, to purchase the latest and greatest toys in order to make Whiskers happy. He’ll prefer a box either way. But a top-quality cat scratcher and a litter box will pretty much be mandatory purchases.
Your Kitty Needs It
Probably the most uninspired decision of my journey as a cat owner was when I decided to postpone the purchase of a cat scratcher. I just started a new job, I moved into a new apartment, my kitty was just three months old, and money was tight. So, I figured I would at least wait a while till Bobby (named after Sir Bobby Charlton), got a bit older. You can guess what happened next. I went out for a day shift, and when I came back, ALL of my apartment’s drapes were torn to pieces. It was actually quite impressive; I had bought myself an industrial paper shredder without even realising it.
I couldn’t stay mad at him, though. It was not his fault that I was gone for hours at a time, and you can’t exactly fight Mother Nature when it comes to instincts. Still, it was an expensive mistake on my part. The damage came to around $500, and that was in a period in my life in which cup ramen noodles were the equivalent of Michelin-starred cuisine.
But what could you do? The next day, I went to my local pet shop and purchased a cat scratcher. And you know what? Ever since I did this, ten years ago, Bobby was the best companion a scrawny, mostly uninspired writer could have. In fact, he’s purring on my lap right now, so I think he agrees. That high-quality cat scratching post was a serious investment at the time. But it was worth it.
A Cute but Feisty Little Creature
Look at your little fluffball. At its cute little face, those tiny paws, fuzzy whiskers, and shiny fur. Does that look like an apex predator to you? Well, it should, as in nature, cats are actually one of the few predators with a hunting success rate of more than 30%.For as cute as he is, your kitty is built to hunt, and unfortunately, your dwelling is far away from its natural hunting grounds. Granted, your couch looks like it would be a formidable opponent. But it would be best to avoid a bloodshed, wouldn’t it?
Cats scratch objects because they have scent glands in their paws and use them for communication purposes and for keeping intruders at bay. Plus, their skeletal system is a bit different from that of other mammals. Claws, for kitties, are not like our fingers, but rather they are an extension of their digits, and when they scratch, they basically stretch their whole musculature and ligaments.
A Cat Scratching Post Is a Necessary Investment
Cats need to scratch in order to mark their territory, relieve stress, and also maintain their claw health. They cannot be trained out of it like dogs. They have evolved as solitary hunters, not as pack animals and therefore, they have no concept of obedience or being influenced by social approval. In other words, it’s pretty much impossible to make them stop. What you can do however, is to invest in a quality cat scratcher and give your kitty an outlet to vent her innate instinct on an accessory that’s designed to withstand her claws.
Granted, a cat scratching post will not be free. You will need, at the end of the day to go for a quality accessory that provides the durability you need for day-to-day usage. That said, when the alternative is to let your kitty go wild in your dwelling, the costs of a scratcher start to sound appealing.
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