Most cats I have had do this, scratch on the floor immediately before or after eating. I put a cardboard scratch pad right by their food area, and made sure to rub catnip all over the cardboard beforehand. This way they will scratch the pad and not the carpet.
Three months ago I started feeding a stray outdoor cat with two newborn kittens who were a month or so old. After a week or so of feeding them on my porch I started opening my door and putting the food inside the door and they would come in and eat, and I closed the door and made them indoor...
