In the middle of the night, say 3a.m., the sound of a cat who compulsively scratches the top of the litter box, desperate to cover the odor that might go away if he actually scratched the litter instead of the roof, is exactly the same as the sound of a newly crowned three-year-old (with his infant insomnia still intact) padding into the living room to use the new chalkboard that grandma and grandpa sent for his birthday.
So if one parent went tearing into the living room, confused, groggy, and more than a little surprised to find it empty, then barked angry instructions at the still scratching cat; and the other parent lay in bed, confused, groggy, and calculating the odds that the midnight sounds were cat-based not child-based, well, then you will fogive both. They aren’t firing on all cylinders anymore. Cats who scratch the lid of the litter box and child who wakes them several times a night have killed their sanity, deductive reasoning, and willingness to just let other creatures scratch and color and generally keep to their noisy selves at 3 a.m.
Merry March to all and to all a good night.
NaptimeWriting 
sounds like thems cats and thems three year olds need locks on their bedroom doors/cat boxes during the night! hahah.
It’s hard to tell at 3 in the morning. It’s hard to tell anything at 3 in the morning, especially “Go BACK TO BED!”
Glad my cat isn’t the only one. That is maddening and usually results in yelling (although not as much as when she’s scratching the end of my dresser or the footboard – looks like we have a serious termite problem).