Why Is My Cat Scratching the Walls? 6 Likely Reasons

Cats do what they want to do. If you have cats in your home, you’re already fully aware of this. Unfortunately, there are times when our beloved kitties push the boundaries and do things around the house they shouldn’t be doing. One of those things is scratching the walls. Below, we’re going to take a look at 6 possible reasons why your cat might be scratching your walls and a few tips to help you stop this behavior.

The 6 Possible Reasons Why Cats Scratch the Walls

1. Nail Care

Yes, your cat needs proper nail care just like we do. This leads to one of the biggest reasons cats scratch your walls, to remove the dead outer sheath of their nails. This is what people refer to as sharpening their claws. Once the outer husk is gone, newer and sharper nails replace it. Well-cared-for nails are important for your cat considering they are a defense mechanism and also in the wild, they use them to hold and catch prey with their paws. Your housecat may not be out hunting for their food each day, but that doesn’t take away the natural instinct of caring for their nails on a routine basis.

2. Marking Territory

As we’ve already mentioned, cats are territorial creatures. Whether you have more than one cat in your home or not, kitties will mark their territory to claim things around the home. In your cat’s eyes, everything in their domain belongs to them. Considering there are scent glands located on your cat’s paw pads, scratching is a great way to mark this territory. This is your cat’s way of letting other cats that may enter the area know that the house is already claimed.

3. Expressing Natural Behavior

Destroying a wall may not seem like the proper behavior for a cat in the wild, but those don't have walls. If your cat is feeling like it they may scratch the wall to stretch their muscles, especially after a nap. It feels good and keeps them agile!

4. Boredom

The same can be said when your cat is feeling bored. If your cat doesn’t have a cat tree, or enough enrichment, is left alone, or is simply bored, they may scratch the wall to release pent-up energy. It's their way of saying, "I need some excitement!"

5. Stressing Out

Cats are not fans of change. They are also very emotional animals. Anything can trigger your cat and cause them to stress out. Whether it’s a change in the environment, a traumatic experience, or even separation anxiety, cats are known to scratch walls to deal with what they are going through. Make sure you pay attention to situations like this so your cat’s stress and anxiety don’t worsen. If you notice your cat acting out of ordinary, it is best to contact a veterinaria and consult the cat's behavior with them.

6. Mice Hiding in the Wall?

Cats can hear and smell much better than we can. You may go throughout your day not hearing a thing, but your cat is a different story. We also know that cats love to hunt and enjoy catching mice. If mice or even a solitary mouse has found its way into the walls of your home, your cat is going to know. Scratching the wall is your cat’s way of trying to capture the mouse and let you know something isn’t right.

How to Stop Wall Scratching

With so many potential causes of wall scratching, it’s also important to know a few steps you can take to stop this behavior. This will help save your walls from damage and avoid spending unnecessary money to make repairs. If your kitty is scratching your walls, here are a few things you can do to help.

One of our preferred scratchers, the Hepper Hi-Lo Modern Cat Scratcher, is a surefire way to keep your kitty out of trouble (or at least away from scratching the things they should not!). It's not only stylish, but it's functional as well. It's made of sturdy cardboard with a durable plywood and metal frame and can be set up in three different ways – high, low, or lower. The different positions encourage maximum engagement, exercise and stretching, and of course, intense scratching (they can throw their whole body into it). 

Our recommendation

Hepper Hi-Lo Cardboard Cat Scratcher with Real Wood & Metal Frame

• Premium Materials - Hepper's cardboard scratcher is made with dense, B-flute cardboard, and a metal core. Encased in a 1/2" plywood frame with gloss coating. Stable and beautiful, use after use
• High, Low and Lower - A single cat scratch pad won't keep your cat engaged. 3 unique positions keeps them coming back, and back, and back again. Finally, something to get them away from the couch!
• Activates Muscles - The Hi Lo isn't just a cat nail file to stop the chief cat couch scratcher. The deep cat scratcher wave encourages maximum musculoskeletal activation for a healthier workout

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With the Hepper Hi-Lo, your cat gets to have a blast scratching like a maniac, and you don't have to worry about them causing so much chaos or scratching your stuff. There are even replacement cardboard pieces available, so you really can let your cat go to town on this, and know that it will be long lasting. Click here to learn more about this awesome scratcher.

At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years, and decided to take a controlling ownership interest, so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!

Conclusion

As you can see, there are several reasons cats enjoy scratching our walls. Luckily, this type of behavior can be redirected and rectified if you stay on top of things. The most important thing is to make sure your cat is happy and healthy. Once this is done, you can determine why they are scratching and take steps to help extinguish this behavior.

Featured Image Credit: zossia, Shutterstock