Cat owners understand that cats don’t take a lot of time or work to care for even as completely indoor pets. Although considered quite independent creatures, cats do get attached to their owners and know how to show affection, but they do respect their personal space and have quite a personality. Still, they are loving pet, providing company, amusement, and affection. While cats can seem lazy to most people, they are natural hunters and can be quite active and playful at times.
Unlike most pets cats are very difficult to train, preferring to do their own thing instead of following their owner’s commands. There are ways to train cats that require a lot of time and patience, but one thing you can’t teach a cat not to do is scratching on the furniture. Cats have to have their claws in hunt-ready shape, sharp and neat. Scratching tough surfaces is the best way to do that, so you can be sure that your sofa can become your cat’s scratching victim, even if it’s an expensive leather one.
To prevent that you will need a scratch post, which can be pretty expensive. A cheaper solution is to make one yourself with the help of these top 10 DIY cat scratchers tutorials. Your cat will be grateful.
DIY Sisal Scratching Post
The most common material to make a scratching post is a thick rope. This scratching board is nice not only because it’s easy to make, just wrapping a board with a rope, but also because you can hang it wherever you want and you can put it away when your cat is not interested in her claw maintenance.
Craft Fail: Cat Scratch Posts
For making a scratching board more colorful, you can try wrapping a board with different color twine. Since twine isn’t as durable as rope, you’ll have to make some patterns or put more layers on it, and the different texture will definitely pique your kitty’s interest.
DIY Cat Scratching Post
Cat paws are very sensitive, so they will appreciate different textures to their scratching post. This one has the rope wrapped around and glued horizontally. An added bonus, a little piece o rope dangling from the post and with a feather to the end. It will offer your cat hours of fun.
Cardboard Scratcher
Cardboards are another good scratching material. The tricky part here is that you’ll need a lot of cardboard, since you;ll have to glue the sides together so that the scratching part is not the flat side of the cardboard but the middle of it. It might take some time, but it will make a great cat scratching pad.
Diy Cat Scratching Post
If you’re looking for a more traditional-looking scratching post, stick to the basics. Secure a wooden board to a wider base, so it doesn’t tip over, wrap the board with a rope end cover the base with some nice textile or carpet material. After all, kitties want of things to stand on while sharpening their claws.
Scratching Wall Frames
We mentioned that cats have very soft and sensitive paws under those sharp claws. They love kneading blankets and other softer materials, so instead of a scratching post you can hang up several pieces of carpet with different textures and thicknesses, and your kitty will have a choice for scratching and you’ll have a nice decor for the wall.
Vase Scratching Post
If you have a really, really big vase at home, you already have a great base for a scratching post. Just wrap it in some rope. It will save you space and no one will notice that your nautical decor has more than one purpose.
Cardboard Scratching Mat
If you found the cardboard scratching pad interesting but thought it will take too much work and material to make, then give this one a go Instead of gluing pieces of cardboard together, you roll thin pieces of cardboard into a snail shape, and keep going until you’ve reached the desired size. It also makes a cute kitty bed.
Cactus Scratching Post
You might have seen these cactus-shaped scratching trees at the pet store as well as the huge price tag attached to them. With some PVC pipes, sisal rope, wooden board for the base and a lot of hot glue, you can mak this prickly little cactus tree for your cat.
Rainbow Scratching Post
If anything cat’s love more than scratching and sleeping, it is cuddling. If your cat s one that often rubs against you or your furniture, asking for pats, this rainbow shaped scratching post will give her not only a way to keep those claws sharp, but your kitty can also rub on it and even scratch her back as much as it like,
Hope these projects will end up on your to-do list and make your furry feline friend one happy kitty. What do you think is the best material for a cat to scratch? Do you prefer scratching posts or pads? Share with us your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below.
