Please help me break this habit...

[Samantha Puppy]

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.

[jazzcat]

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.

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.

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

[Samantha Puppy]

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!

[jazzcat]

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!

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

[Lacey]

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.

[Samantha Puppy]

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.

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.

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!!!

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!

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.

[krazyaboutkatz]

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.

[lvpets2002]

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..

[sandragonfly]

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.

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.

[Samantha Puppy]

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.

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

[Lacey]

Give the vinegar water a try before you discount it. 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.

[Samantha Puppy]

Originally posted by Lacey
Give the vinegar water a try before you discount it. 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.

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!

[NoahsMommy]

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.

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

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. 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?

[catmandu]

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!!