Carpet scratching reaching epic proportions

[PeachyCandle]

We have a 5 year old neutered male. He’s lovely, has no health issues, affectionate and wonderful with the DC but he is incapable of being anywhere in the house that is carpeted, as he can’t stop scratching it. He has:

1. a fancy scratching pole
2. cardboard scratch pads
3. access to outside/inside/food/water any time he wants
4. a variety of cat toys
5. a human around most hours of the day for company if he wants it

I really don’t know what to do. If he’s in the house I’m in a constant state of tension listening out for that horrible sound - he can’t just settle down on a lap or bed, he just roams the house scratching the floors. It seems to be like a game to him. Has anyone got any ideas?

Yeah that irritates the crap out of me as well. I think it's a scent marking thing as well. It could be worse, he could be spraying.

I don't really know what to suggest other than make the area offensive to him in some way. Carpet sample tiles with a deep pile on them as rugs?

Does he scratch around the edges? Mine likes to scratch where the carpet meets the doorway. I have attractive silver tape down which seems to deter him. Looks crap but better than the alternative!

I have one that scratches the carpets a lot, despite several scratching poles. In her case, I think either its somehow its an extension of scratching litter over in the litter tray, which is placed on the carpet (she is obsessed with this, she frequently thinks her brother has not done a good enough job and will rectify his sloppiness in her eyes by covering up his better); or its a form of entertainment, whereby they have worked out its a sure fire way of galvanising us into action!

Double sided sticky tape works but if he's scratching in loads of places you'll need to put it everywhere & it'll soon go all horrible.
PicklePig scratches the bed when I'm in it if I don't give him the attention he feels he deserves at 3am, he wakes me up by head butting me and then if I don't respond straight away he scratches the sheets next to my legs. A swift, very loud HISSSSSSS!! works about half the time
Try hissing or clapping loudly? The noise tends to shock them out of it.

Thank you all for the replies

He scratches mainly in the corners of rooms but not exclusively - he goes nuts for a patch in front of DD’s wardrobe which isn’t in a corner. I think you’re right Germgirl, it’s probably just because he likes to have us fly up the stairs to find out where he is which he finds entertaining - but the house we’re in now has lovely new carpets and I just can’t have him destroy them like he did in our previous house (he scratched one corner of the living room so badly it totally disintegrated and went through to tbe floorboards).

He is a rescue cat we’ve had for over two years and initially he didn’t do it - then suddenly one day he started, and it’s just got worse and worse to the point where if he’s in a carpeted room he does it immediately on entering. Shouting and hissing just make him bolt off to another room to do the same, and with two little ones I can’t be chasing him round the house. I could shut all the doors but there’s still a lot of carpet he can get to even then. I miss him sat on my lap in the lounge but he can’t be trusted not to sprint upstairs to scratch the landing outside DS’s room, and there’s no door between the lounge and upstairs

Is he quite a big cat? Mine is and prefers large heavy doormats to the cardboard scratch pads as she can really stretch out without it moving. She likes the fixed down ones best - we have two now, inside the front and back door. Problem stopped.