--- a/scripts/general/postpad.m
+++ b/scripts/general/postpad.m
@@ -94,6 +94,10 @@
 %!assert (postpad ([1;2], 2, 2, 3), reshape ([1;2;2;2], 2, 1, 2))
 %!assert (postpad ([1,2], 2, 2, 3), reshape ([1,2,2,2], 1, 2, 2))
 
+%! ## Test with string concatenation (bug #44162)
+%!assert (postpad ("Octave", 16, "x"), "Octavexxxxxxxxxx")
+%!assert (postpad ("Octave", 4), "Octa")
+
 %!error postpad ()
 %!error postpad (1)
 %!error postpad (1,2,3,4,5)

--- a/scripts/general/prepad.m
+++ b/scripts/general/prepad.m
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@
     y = x(idx{:});
   else
     sz (dim) = l - d;
-    y = cat (dim, c * ones (sz), x);
+    y = cat (dim, c(ones (sz)), x);
   endif
 
 endfunction
@@ -97,6 +97,10 @@
 %!assert (prepad ([1,2], 2, 2, 3), reshape ([2,2,1,2], 1, 2, 2))
 %!assert (prepad ([1;2], 2, 2, 3), reshape ([2;2;1;2], 2, 1, 2))
 
+%! ## Test with string concatenation (bug #44162)
+%!assert (prepad ("Octave", 16, "x"), "xxxxxxxxxxOctave")
+%!assert (prepad ("Octave", 4), "tave")
+
 ## FIXME: We need tests for multidimensional arrays.
 
 %!error prepad ()