Cats love to rub their feet parts over rough surfaces. It feels mighty good, and daily zooming helps stretch and tone kitty muscles, and nail grooming keep claws healthy and well-manicured. It's natural behavior - cats love to scratch and you may not want them doing it on your furniture. The ScratchyMat doorknob hanger is a great diversionary device to help protect your stuff from cat scratching mass destruction. The dangling feather helps attract their attention and adds to the fun.