How to make a scratching post for a cat: do it yourself?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Pets bring a lot of joy, but they also create a lot of problems. If you are going to get a cat, you need to think in advance how the issue with smells, fallen hair and claw marks on the wallpaper will be resolved. Of all the accessories needed for a comfortable life together, the most expensive item is the complete cat scratching post. It is not very difficult to make such a device with your own hands. Therefore, owners often resort to the help of their skilled hands.

What is a scratching post for and what should it be

Contrary to its name, the device is not needed to get rid of overgrown claws. They can be trimmed regularly by a veterinarian or by yourself.

Actually, this is a place where a cat can leave its territorial mark without damaging the interior and furniture. Even the most well-mannered and affectionate pet in the depths of his soul remains a beast. An invincible instinct makes a cat in the house mark with its smell the boundaries of the inhabited territory, hunting paths,lair and strategically important observation posts. If you struggle long and hard with natural needs, the cat will begin to leave the smell in another, even more unpleasant way for the owners.

It is impossible to defeat the nature of the animal, but a good compromise can be found. Attached to stands and walls will attract the animal and help protect things from cat encroachment.

There are a few general rules on how to make a scratching post for a cat with your own hands. Let's take a closer look at them.

Stationary complex with scratching posts is firmly attached to the side, top or bottom supports, depending on the design and size. The floor structure is made with a stable base: heavy or wide. The scratching post should smell attractive (like catnip) or neutral. New fabrics often have a pungent odor - it is best to wash them before use. The surface is checked for safety, for the presence of sharp chips and nails sticking out under the upholstery.

A device that a cat actively uses quickly becomes unusable. Therefore, a do-it-yourself scratching post for a cat should be easy to restore. When designing a complex complex, functional areas should be planned to be removable or accessible for repair.

Knowing the preferences of your pet, you can make a scratching post for a cat with your own hands from a material that is pleasant for paws. It should be safe, pleasant and interesting for the animal. Carpet, tapestry and other upholstery fabrics, jute, sisal, nylon cord, cardboard, soft varieties are perfectwood.

So, how to make a scratching post for a cat with your own hands so that the animal likes it and does not take up much space?

To intimidate enemies and competitors, the cat tries to leave marks as high as possible. Therefore, she will be grateful for a small accessory placed 60-80 cm from the floor, and for a high complex with comfortable places for sleeping, observing and playing.

Experienced breeders and just attentive owners know that there should be as many scratching posts as the cat starts marking places. Over time, moving them apart and reducing their number imperceptibly to the cat, you can leave one or two in acceptable places. To do this, make portable posts on stands, hanging boards or three-dimensional figures.

A cat is an active and inquisitive animal. She doesn't have much to do in the house, and if she likes the rustle of vinyl wallpaper or sofa upholstery, then renovation and new furniture is just a matter of time. You can keep your cat entertained by offering a loose toy scratching post. It differs from traditional toys in size (30-40 cm) and functional surface.

Whatever the design, it usually includes simple modules, which are actually scratching posts, upholstered in fabric or tightly wrapped in rope. The choice of mounts and supports is determined by the possibilities of the room and the preferences of the cat.

Flat module

This design is a board upholstered with tightly stretched fabric or carpet. A small amount of filler is allowed - synthetic winterizer, foam rubber, coconutfiber, horse hair and so on. The upholstery is cut with a significant fold allowance.

The filler is laid out on the wrong side with a roller, it is pressed against the top with a board. With a wallpaper stapler or self-tapping screws, the edge of the fabric bent in two layers is attached to the back of the board. If the module is to be used on both sides, the fabric is attached with an overlapping, neat row of fasteners. The process of creating such a scratching post for cats with your own hands, step by step in the photo, seems simple.

Round module

This is a wide, hollow tube, usually polypropylene, tightly wrapped in cloth. This can be purchased at a plumbing store. To make attachments to it, it is necessary to tightly clog both ends of the pipe with round plugs made of durable material, such as wood. A hole for the dowel is made in the center of the cork.

The cork will not allow the walls of the pipe to break when the scratching post is actively used. This is what shop designs often do. The fabric is attached with hot glue or liquid nails. Penetration holes from metal fasteners are not allowed.

Wound module

A round base or a simple board can be wrapped tightly with rope - sisal, jute or nylon. It is a more durable material than carpet or upholstery. Each turn must be secured with glue or staples. Both ends must be hidden under the winding and fixed especially firmly. The rope is tapped with a hammer during operation so that the turns lie flat, withoutgaps and the surface is not bumpy.

You can see a self-wrapped scratching post for cats in the photo.

It takes about 10 meters of sisal rope to wind a round pipe with a diameter of 20 cm and a length of 10 cm. It is worth stocking up on materials in excess. The remaining rope will eventually be needed to restore the worn sections.

Corner design

You can make your own cat scratching post in the form of a book cover from two one-sided flat modules by connecting them with a vertical strip of the same fabric that was used for upholstery. Iron loops are screwed on both inner sides of the scratching posts from above and below.

The construction is hung on a protruding corner with four self-tapping screws so that it does not move during use. Standing on its hind legs, the cat should not reach the very top of the product. So that the animal, carried away by the process, does not continue the exercise on the wallpaper, wall-mounted scratching posts are made with a smooth plastic or oilcloth frame. Cats do not like cold, slippery surfaces that feel like touching water.

Do-it-yourself floor scratching post for cats (step by step)

This design consists of a wooden base, a round module and a dowel.

Instruction:

Step 1. A hole for the dowel is drilled in the center of the base. The module already has it.

Step 2. The base is upholstered with fabric using a wallpaper stapler.

Step 3. A dowel is inserted into the hole and fixed. You should make sure that the hat will not stick out and scratchfloor, and the scratching post will be stable.

Step 4. The upper section of the module is covered with upholstery fabric, a suitable plastic cover, or sealed with a coiled rope. You can attach a small toy to it on a piece of rope.

Another version of the floor structure. Here, instead of a round module, a wooden profile is used with identical cardboard cards planted on it. The cardboard is very tightly pressed, but not glued. Damaged sections can be easily removed by removing the top cover and replaced with new ones. Such a do-it-yourself cat scratching post, the photo of which is presented below, is done quickly and easily.

Cat Tree

This is the name of a complex for cats with several levels, scratching posts, a house, hammocks, attached toys, beds and other amenities.

When creating a house for cats with a scratching post with your own hands, you do not need to place them on the same base. Cats very clearly divide the space into functional zones. Most likely, the animal will not use an accessory located close to the place of sleep. A multi-tiered cat scratching post with a house will be much more interesting.

You can assemble a unique design with your own hands. Wrapped modules are usually used to connect the tiers. At least two support modules are attached to the lower one. The upper tier is a shelf or a house, it is installed on them and so on.

Special attention should be paid to the stability of the structure and the reliability of the fasteners. Since fabric upholstery will require large parts, upholstery is bestglue over the entire area. The inside of the house is not upholstered. But it can be supplemented with a small pillow.

Approximate dimensions

For an average cat 3-5 kg weight:

• flat module - 30-40 cm long and 20 cm wide;
• round - not less than 20 cm in diameter and 30 cm in length;
• box for a house not less than 404040 cm;
• inlet - from 15 cm in diameter;
• bed - at least 35-40 cm;
• shelf for play complex – 3535 cm.

A DIY cat scratching post should be sized to match your pet's height. To use the scratching post, the cat will stretch as much as possible in length. In the house and the bed, the animal should straighten its back freely, and on the shelf, stand - stand on all four paws.

Toy scratching post

You can make a funny sharpener toy out of two ordinary jute bags. One bag is folded into a tight bundle. From the second, a cover is cut out for this bundle. The stretched cover can be tied, stepping back a little from the edges, so that you get a candy. If you drag the package in several places, the cat will have a bunch of huge sausages.

Another variant of such a scratching post is a box of about 301015 cm, wrapped with hemp or sisal rope. A button, a nut or a handful of dried peas placed inside will make the accessory even more attractive to a cat.

Natural scratching post

A saw cut of a tree or an ordinary log, peeled from the bark, will serve as an excellent accessory. An elastic apple tree is suitable oron the contrary, soft and supple pine. Only a skilled craftsman can make a scratching post for a cat with his own hands, as in the photo.

A simplified version is available to almost anyone. The main task is to firmly fix the tree in a comfortable position: vertically or tilted. After use, the cat will leave a small amount of sawdust nearby each time. Therefore, it is better to make the base fleecy, for example, upholster it with plush or carpet. So the debris will linger near the scratching post, and not spread throughout the house.