o Marking territory - Cats mark their territory by leaving visible claw marks in the spaces that they consider their own personal space.
Moreover, certain scent glands found in their paws also leave their unique individual scent to let other cats and people know that they are in the cat's space.
o Exercise - Cats will also engage in scratching behavior in order to enable them to stretch their muscles.
This is a form of exercise for the cat as they are able to work the muscles in their front limbs.
In addition to this, scratching is generally a pleasurable activity for your cat.
They can also scratch during play, and sometimes in order to threaten people or other pets.
o Provide a Scratching Post - Instead of resorting to futile preventative methods such as punishing or reprimanding your cat when they scratch, you should instead provide them with a scratching area inside your home, equipped with a scratching post.
When selecting a suitable scratching post for your cat, it is important to remember that cats enjoy clawing at rough surfaces.
In addition to this, the scratching post should be high enough in order to enable the cat to fully extend their body while scratching.
The scratching post must also be stable such that it does not collapse while they are scratching - as they are likely to never want to go back thereafter.
Since cats use these posts to mark and stretch, it is a very good idea to have a few, including the cat's sleeping area.
And it does not have to be expensive; use a three to four feet long log with old carpet around, or better, your mother-in-law curtains.