Many people know that cats like to scratch walls, furniture, and trees. Generally, they do this for two reasons: one is to remove the dead sheath outside their nails through scratching, exposing new sharp nails; the other is to leave their scent through scratching, indicating that this is their territory and sending territorial information to other cats.

　　Cats scratch walls, furniture, and trees for two purposes: one is to remove the dead sheath outside their nails through scratching, exposing new sharp nails; the other is to leave their scent through scratching, indicating that this is their territory and sending territorial information to other cats.

　　Sweat glands on a cat's paws secrete a scent. When they scratch on furniture or walls, these scents are left behind. These familiar scents make cats feel safe at home and also tell other cats in the house, "This is my territory!" Cats that feel unsafe at home may scratch more frequently. The feeling of insecurity may be caused by a new cat coming into the house or changes in the home's environment (moving, rearranging furniture, buying new furniture, etc.). There may also be habitual factors. The author believes that cats may like the feeling of scratching wallpaper. For a cat, digging claws into wallpaper and watching small pieces come off as their toys might be very satisfying. The thicker the wallpaper, the more obvious their "achievement"! If cats often scratch near the door, this may indicate they think potential "intruders" will enter from there.

　　There are several methods to try to stop cats from scratching walls. Prove to cats that no other cats will enter the home, which can increase their sense of security. You can place a doormat at the door. If you just came back from a friend's house with cats, wipe your feet on the doormat, quickly take off your clothes after entering, put away your bag, and change into clothes with smells familiar to the cat at home; use a soft towel to wipe the cat's cheeks so the towel collects the cat's scent, then use this towel to wipe areas the cat has scratched. However, some habits are hard to eliminate, so it is recommended to slightly repaint the walls and, once the cat loses interest, change the wallpaper.