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My cat (she is 9, so not a kitten, yet VERY playful and quite the handful) has a habit of scratching the wall on the corner. She doesn't actually claw it - there are no marks, the wall is not ripped. She runs her paws up and down it and because she has claws you can can hear them lightly against the wall.
It's always the same place, and always at night when I am sleeping (I wake up to it and have to stop her). The wall in my bedroom is not even with the door frame, but rather sticks out, and this is where she does it.
She has a scratching pad (like that corkbaord looking stuff) in the living room that she uses (meaning she has access to it and is not boycotting it, LOL), so I don't understand the bedroom thing. My only idea is to buy another pad and put it in the bedroom and see what she does.
My cat has done similar things here and there for years. Is it anywhere near a litter box? Sometimes it is part of that behavior.
I think just the pads on the bottom of the feet are enough to make noise when scratched against the wall or door. Doesn't really take claws.
Could be a number of things. She could be chasing a bug there. There could be a mouse in there. Could just be a habit. After all, every time she does it you get up and give her attention. I understand that all too well though. I can't sleep through my cat clawing at the door. Lately it's been door open, though, and while she doesn't sleep in the room, last night for example she got up on the bed several times during sleep (normally she just sits there only while I'm awake, then goes out and sleeps in the other room) which if this becomes the new normal I might have to consider something different.
You can try to place something there to block the behavior, just lean something against the wall or whatever, see if that stops her. There are also some no scratch/no mark sprays that exist, though I can't say how well they work. Or you can put up StickyPaws on the wall, although I don't think you'll get that OFF the wall very easily. (I put StickyPaws on the bedroom door, and years later there are still shredded StickyPaws on the door, LOL. They worked, to a point. I'm hoping to replace all those doors sometime anyway. Would take a lot of GooGone to get that off, but it probably would come off.) I've heard aluminum foil is something they don't care to touch; maybe hanging up a sheet of that would deter her. Try anything.
You can get another scratching item, sure (can't have too many, get whatever material she prefers, mine usually likes rope and never liked the cardboard) but if that is ultimately what she wants it isn't likely to keep her from waking you if you put it there in the bedroom. What you really want is for her to not scratch there.
Is she stretching up onto the wall? For some reason (and only she knows for sure ) she has picked that particular spot...but she may be a cat who like vertical scratchers. I would get one and for the time being put it in the same area. I have a few who do this and they all like an upright scratching post.
That's a good point too. My cat was never too interested in a horizontal or angled scratcher, really. And I purposely go digging for really tall posts covered in sisal rope, so she can stretch out if she wants to. She has plenty of other furniture where she can scratch carpet and/or not stretch out if she doesn't want to.
cats have scent glands in their paws (and under the chin) she could very well be "marking" it as hers
as long as shes not scratching and causing damage and its not an obsessive behaviour doing it all day every day) i wouldnt worry too much
My cat (she is 9, so not a kitten, yet VERY playful and quite the handful) has a habit of scratching the wall on the corner. She doesn't actually claw it - there are no marks, the wall is not ripped. She runs her paws up and down it and because she has claws you can can hear them lightly against the wall.
It's always the same place, and always at night when I am sleeping (I wake up to it and have to stop her). The wall in my bedroom is not even with the door frame, but rather sticks out, and this is where she does it.
She has a scratching pad (like that corkbaord looking stuff) in the living room that she uses (meaning she has access to it and is not boycotting it, LOL), so I don't understand the bedroom thing. My only idea is to buy another pad and put it in the bedroom and see what she does.
Anyone else have this problem? Or similiar to it?
As Foxywench mentioned, in addition to scratching behavior to maintain their claws, cats also wipe their paws on surfaces as a scent marking behavior. It sounds to me like your cat is just scent marking the corner, similar to when they rub their face on corners. The wall is usually not the sort of surface a cat prefers to claw, but they will stretch up on it and wipe their paws on the surface to mark their territory. The scritching sound is just light contact usually and doesn't seem to damage painted drywall surfaces. When my kitties have done this they have typically extended the claws right to the surface but without digging into it at all, and usually if I can hear it, it means it's time to trim those claws. If you'd prefer the cat not mark the wall in that corner, try installing a corner scratcher or long scratcher pad in that spot, or placing a tall, weighted stand alone scratching pole in that corner if there is enough room. In most cases the cat will easily redirect to a scratcher in the same spot or even the same general area.
As for the question of clawing surfaces in general, I think it's best to provide many locations where it is OK to stretch and scratch, in various materials to provide for a variety of clawing textures. Some cats like to scratch vertically, some horizontally, some prefer an angled scratcher, and some would love a little of each. One per room is not overkill, and in a multi-cat household may be insufficient. You want to keep it interesting and provide approved outlets for what would otherwise be unwanted behaviors. If you only have room or budget for one cat scratcher, for most cats, go for a simple tall scratching post with a weighted base that is stable and allows the cat to stretch fully. Don't waste your money on those little 12" kitten poles, they outgrow them quite quickly. Long cats may need extra-tall posts or they will use other surfaces where they can fully stretch. Most of those scratching pads I see are not long enough for an average adult cat.
My cat scratches at glass doors and windows, I know he really wants out. He has gone through the screen a couple of times only to "freeze" after running after another cat. I thought it was litter box related but I don't know.
I did mean to mention before that it could very well be a bug she sees, or a piece of fur or lint (she is easily amused/distracted). Also, squirrels get into the attic and walk through the walls so she could hear something that I don't.
She used to do that to another part of the wall, but I put something there, so she found another spot.
cats have scent glands in their paws (and under the chin) she could very well be "marking" it as hers
as long as shes not scratching and causing damage and its not an obsessive behaviour doing it all day every day) i wouldnt worry too much
Well, yeah, it's certainly a normal sort of behavior. To that extent there's nothing to worry about. I think the point was to be able to sleep without being woken up by this, though. Thus, trying to stop the behavior could be desirable. The only way I know is to try out things, see what sticks in getting her to stop.
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I understand that all too well though. I can't sleep through my cat clawing at the door. Lately it's been door open, though, and while she doesn't sleep in the room, last night for example she got up on the bed several times during sleep (normally she just sits there only while I'm awake, then goes out and sleeps in the other room) which if this becomes the new normal I might have to consider something different.
) she has picked that particular spot...but she may be a cat who like vertical scratchers. I would get one and for the time being put it in the same area. I have a few who do this and they all like an upright scratching post.
