Please help me break this habit...

My Kirin (1 year old gray tabby PUNK) has sort of established himself as the ringleader/dare devil of the house. He isn't BAD, just very curious - which usually ends in the same result anyway - getting into trouble!

He does this thing where he likes to stretch out on the wall and run his nails down it, which sounds very much like nails down a chalkboard. When I'm around, I pick him up and take him to the scratching post but he has no interest in using it. He does when he wants to scratch but apparently when he does this to the wall, it isn't to scratch. At any rate, hearing it at 3am isn't fun... or at 8am on a Saturday morning. He doesn't do it CONSTANTLY - probably about 4-5x a day. As soon as he sees me, he stops and runs away, so he knows I don't like it. I've tried spraying him but he actually LIKES it (see why I called him a punk?). He likes trying to catch the stream of water in his mouth.

Anyone got any ideas how to stop this? If not for my sanity, for my baby's - I'm sure that hideous sound won't be conducive to quality naps or good night's sleeps.

If you figure out how to stop it please let me know, Jazz does the same thing. We have wallpaper in two rooms and she is ruining it. On top of that she has now taught Rocky to do it. :mad: :(

Her favorite time to do it is around 5 am while singing to us. I think she is trying to make music with her claws raking down the wall.:rolleyes:

Oh yeah, spraying water at her will make her stop at that moment but she will just do it again later.

It's so frustrating, isn't it? He's just such a punk, no deterrent seems to work - water bottles, loud sounds, nothing! It doesn't help that he has the face of an angel so when he gets in trouble, he looks at you with those big eyes like, "What? What'd I do?"

As for singing, the only time he sings is when he "catches" a mouse (every night between 10:30 and 11:30). He throws himself the biggest parade and brings the mouse upstairs for my husband and I to see and appropriately praise him. The other 3 cats follow him so it really does look like a parade.

If nothing else, they're entertaining!

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Originally posted by Samantha Puppy
He throws himself the biggest parade and brings the mouse upstairs for my husband and I to see and appropriately praise him. The other 3 cats follow him so it really does look like a parade.

If nothing else, they're entertaining!

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ROTFLMBO!!!!!!!!!!!!

What silly babies they all are! If there are just a couple of specific spots Kirin is scratching at, you could try spritzing those spots with a bit of Feliway, or - if you need something less expensive and/or he's just doing it at any old spot, you could try spritzing something citrus-scented on/around the walls. And maybe also try some spray-on catnip on the scratching post to entice him over to it more.

And then there's the squirt bottle method (works like a charm with bad behavior around here). Mix a little bit of vinegar in with some water and PHEW! If Kirin gets squirted with that a time or three, he might think twice about scrabbling his claws on the wall!

Goodness knows when my herd sees me reach for the bottle, they straighten up real quick. They've gotten so that they equate anything that squirts/sprays with the squirt bottle. So if I'm spraying around a bit of air freshener, kitties scatter and I get these big, "What I do!?" looks.

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Originally posted by Lacey
If there are just a couple of specific spots Kirin is scratching at, you could try spritzing those spots with a bit of Feliway, or - if you need something less expensive and/or he's just doing it at any old spot, you could try spritzing something citrus-scented on/around the walls. And maybe also try some spray-on catnip on the scratching post to entice him over to it more.

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Great suggestions - if he were anywhere near a REGULAR cat!! But he is the King Punk so nothing that would work for the average cat will work for him. He's sssssssssspecial. :rolleyes:

As for the scratching down the walls, it's anywhere - no one or two places in particular. A citrus scent doesn't seem to deter him either. He's invincible to everything!!!

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And then there's the squirt bottle method (works like a charm with bad behavior around here). Mix a little bit of vinegar in with some water and PHEW! If Kirin gets squirted with that a time or three, he might think twice about scrabbling his claws on the wall!

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Now there's an idea... but it scares me that he likes the regular water so much that he won't be put off by vinegar mixed in with it. Then he'd stink up the whole house with vinegar. My 3 other cats HATE the thing - they see it and bolt - I don't even have to squirt! But Kirin? No sir, he marches up to the bottle and paws and licks at it. He's such a tool. And it looks like my baby Maya is following in HIS footsteps - she's a little spitfire... just not quite on the same level yet. Thank goodness my Sushi and Kimi are quiet little sweethearts.

I also have a similar problem. Sky scratches my hutch to get attention or let me know he's hungry. Now both kittens have learned this naughty behavior. Sky knows that I don't like this and he'll usually run as soon as he sees me. He's been doing it so much that he's worn the paint off in some areas. I've tired spraying water but it doesn't stop him for very long so I've just learned to live with it.

:) Hey have you tried the Catnip Spray to spray on the scratching post to see if that attracks him? If all else fails there is always earplugs..

jaime, it is seem as you need to pull him down and take him to his stratching post immediately and constantly. not doing this by or so when you're not home makes training harder. your king punk probably wasn't interested in stratching his post because he found the best place to straaaaatch...the walls!

if you haven't tried vingear, try it! 1 out of 100 love it. one out of my thirteen, clayton loves vingear. when I spray a several entering the front home from work, clayton would go on and bath everyone who got sprayed. :rolleyes:

or...if none works, what would I do? just an idea because I'm not gonna have baby this soon and not much allergic to cat friends come here - maybe it would mind you (because of the look of the walls and possibly of encouragment) - duct a large (thick enough) cardboard onto the wall (at least the bottom edge of cardboard touches the base to prevent from falling down) where he usually stratches..? dunno...just sounds better than peeling off the wall and maybe less noisy too?

good luck find a solution! there is no cat you can't train with constant rules & patience. :)

But he uses his scratching post plenty! I don't think he uses the wall INSTEAD of the post. He only stretches out and drags his nails down once, not like he does on the scratching post where he'll scratch for a good minute or two. Maybe he just likes the height of the wall and how he can stretch more than with the post... I just wish I had extra money to blow to see if that's it or not!

Or maybe he just likes being a punk. :rolleyes: :)

Cats... can't live with 'em, can't live with 'em. ;)

Give the vinegar water a try before you discount it. :D The smell isn't terribly strong and fades pretty fast because it's diluted. (Goodness knows I've hosed down Kahlua when she picks a fight and 10-15 minutes later she's free of the vinegar scent) And if Mr. King Punk Kirin has even a little bit of neat freak in him, he'll want to get the smell out of his fur real quick and won't be as likely to scratch at the walls once he associates being squirted with wall-scratching. :D

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Originally posted by Lacey
Give the vinegar water a try before you discount it. :D The smell isn't terribly strong and fades pretty fast because it's diluted. (Goodness knows I've hosed down Kahlua when she picks a fight and 10-15 minutes later she's free of the vinegar scent) And if Mr. King Punk Kirin has even a little bit of neat freak in him, he'll want to get the smell out of his fur real quick and won't be as likely to scratch at the walls once he associates being squirted with wall-scratching. :D

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I'll give it a shot... but if my house starts smelling like I'm constantly making Easter eggs, I'm going to hunt those of you who suggested it down! ;)

Oh no!! Naw-tee little boy!! I hope the vinegar/water helps. I have no idea how you'd stop that, especialy when you're in bed sleeping. :(

Micah uses the wall to stretch, but never scrathes it, Thank God!!

I hope you can find something that helps stop him.

I don't know how to stop him, but maybe something similar to this happened when Terry was a baby because he actually likes the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard! Drives me NUTS because he does it sometimes, never thinking about how it affects me because it doesn't affect him at all. :rolleyes: So maybe if he continues, your baby will grow up immune to the hideous fingernails on a chalkboard sound. ;)

In case you're wondering, I can always get Terry back. He can't stand to see a hair pulled out of a head. I've got no problem pulling hairs out of my head, especially gray ones, so he starts scratching, I start pulling and we gross each other out. What a great couple, eh? :rolleyes: ;) :D

ONCE HIS SCENT,IS ON THE WALL,HE WILL KEEP SCRATCHING,TO REINFORCE,THE SCENT,SO EVERYONE KNOWS,THAT THIS,IS HIS HOUSE,AND HERES MY SCENT,TO PROVE,OWNERSHIP,SNIFF MY WALL,IF YOU WANT,TO KNOW,WHO THE BOOS IS.
WE WISH YOU WELL,BUT THAT CATTITUDE,IS HARD,TO FIGHT!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...photos1084.jpg

if you really want this punk to stop, you could try get a stratching post as tall as the wall somewhere. yes, just the rope pole alone. walmart, target shouldn't cost you that much!

I can bet you, your king will definitely like it better than the wall! as his claws goes in the rope.

otherwise, I'm outta of here. :)

Well, guess what everyone? King Punk Kirin LOOOOOOOOOOVES vinegar water! @#$!%%$@ LOL Frickin' nerd.

Gina, I actually tried putting up scratchy things on the walls before. He scratched next to them. I honestly don't think the purpose of his scratching the walls is to scratch them. He just streeeeeeeeeeeetches out as far as he can and it must make the nails come out automatically. He's not even making marks on the wall so it's not like I have claw marks all over the place. He isn't digging in hard enough to do anything except give me chills with the sound that comes of it.

He LOVES it!? :eek: What an absolute, utter (adorable) punk! :D

Well, since the usual prevention methods don't work, maybe capping his nails with Softclaws would at least dull the noise. :D And if that doesn't work, then I'm stumped!

He loves it - I mixed the vinegar with the water and used it the next time I heard "THE NOISE" and he stopped immediately, came right up to the spray bottle and started pawing at it and LICKING the little drips of water!!!

P-U-N-K!!!!

The good thing is he's not damaging the walls. My only complaint is the sound. I'll have to look into SoftClaws though, see if it'd be worth the money just to get rid of a sound. If he was damaging anything, we'd do it in a heartbeat.

Malfi announces himself by scratching on the walls. It gets everyone's attention. The other cats go flyin'. It even scares me sometimes.
We have 'sandstone' finished walls. They are very rough. Not the chalkboard sound.

Can you limit his access to the lower walls or change the finish on them? Malfi only seems attracted to the sandstone walls. He leaves the regular walls alone.

OMG! Poor Jaime. This guy is really something. I know you said he doesn't do it in one particular spot, but perhaps you can try putting double stick tape on a place that he *tends* to go to? I know this works on "normal" cats, but I'm not sure that's what we're dealing with here.

Hang in there Jaime, we'll figure something out.

I've tried figuring out a method to his madness, but the truth is... he just does it wherever he feels like. On painted surfaces, wallpapered surfaces, corners of windows... In the hallway, in the kitchen, in the living room, in the bedroom, in the stairwell... I tracked him Tuesday and Wednesday while I was home sick and not ONCE did he ever repeat the same place!!! I'll keep on tracking him when I'm home, but I just think he's insane.

He really is something. I know it must get old, suggesting something and me either nixing it right away or trying it and then nixing it, but this cat... he really is something else. I wish you all could meet him because you'd just shake your head. He is a mess. A very sweet guy, but a total mess.

I had to laugh at your first post. It is hard to imagine PUNK being to PUNKY!!!

I can only think he will outgrow it? I hope so, for you and Nug's sake.

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Originally posted by Samantha Puppy
I'll give it a shot... but if my house starts smelling like I'm constantly making Easter eggs, I'm going to hunt those of you who suggested it down! ;)

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ROFL
Hey easter smells are good :)

yeah I had you, but I thought the stratching post would be best for him. for how cats loves "popping" their claws, maybe he'd stay on that stratching post and making less noisy! softclaws sounds like an option,..I wonder do they fall off easily? never did a research on them though..

my knight, clayton wanted me to pass this on to your king punk, "welcome to my vingear club!" :D now my kiteenager, gus seems liking it too! :rolleyes:

happy solution-hunting! :cool: