How to stop your cat from ruining your furniture
Here’s how to tackle the problem Scientists say they have pinpointed strategies to save cushions, carpets, and sofas from pet cats . Providing cats with safe hiding places and plenty of opportunities to play can help to reduce their stress, and save frustrated owners’ furniture from being scratched, new research suggests. While scratching is a normal feline behaviour, it could be managed by adapting play sessions and offering scratch posts in the right spots, according to the study. Researchers looked at what factors can influence undesirable scratching, and found that the presence of children at home, personality traits of cats, and their activity levels “significantly impact” the extent of scratching behaviour. Dr Yasemin Salgirli Demi̇rbas, a veterinary researcher at Ankara University, Turkey , and first author of the study, said: “Our findings can help caregivers manage and redirect scratching to appropriate materials , which could help foster a more harmonious living environ