I have had cats all my life but have never seen this kind of behavior before. My present feline companion is a 1 1/2 year old, female MC cat. She likes to do her scratching-thing on hard, smooth surfaces such as mirrors, refrigerator, glass windows etc. Can anyone tell me why she is doing this? She has a cat tree upon which she also scratches and I regularly clip her toenails. I am mystified.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 1999

Answers

I have two main coons - one male and one female. The female is almost 8 and has scratched on smooth surfaces ever since we've had her. She loves the bathtub! She also loves our storm door on the front. People who visit laugh at her because she looks like she is saying "let me out". I don't really know why they do it other than it must feel good to their paws. My male doesn't do it - so maybe it's a girl thing. She also scratches on her tree post regularly.

-- Anonymous, April 16, 1999