Is it enough to use a cat tree as a scratching post?
Sunday, July 11th, 2010 at
6:17 am
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I think it doesn’t really matter whether they are stand-alone posts or part of cat trees, as long they are sturdy, covered with a surface the cats like to scratch, and you have at least one that is tall AND sturdy enough for cats to get a good stretch.
. I have one cat furniture item that includes a slanted part covered with sisal rope, and it gets a lot of use.
I also have the Ultimate Scratching Post and that is very popular here — one good thing about it is that it’s tall enough so that my long-bodied, long-legged cats can get a good stretch. Some of the large cat trees are also made with some very tall posts that would serve the same purpose. as long as it is covered in a material the cats like to scratch.
If I had like one of the really big long Maine Coon boys, I’d get one of those gigantic posts from the people who make the Purrfect Post.
I also have a cheap doormat made of rough material, used by one of my cats who likes to scratch horizontal surfaces.
For best results, one should provide several "approved scratching surfaces" in different areas of the house, and at least some of them should be in busy common areas along paths the cat(s) usually travel through the home, since part of the reason for scratching is marking territory, and wild cats and feral domestic cats scratch trees etc. along common pathways.
it depends. Some cats like scratching mats that lie flat on the floor as opposed to ones that are vertical. If the cats like vertical scratching then they will be just fine. If they would prefer a horizontal one then you can purchase a cheap cardboard mat at Wal-Mart. One word of advice don’t waste your money on the Emery cat. I have ten cats and not one of them will use the thing unless I put tons of catnip on it. The catnip that came with it made my cats pretty aggressive with one another.
The sisal scratching posts on my cat trees get a lot of use. They don’t seem to be interested in the wood posts however. But I also have a scroll scratcher that is very popular. See link for an example; they are available many places.
But one of my cats really likes the inexpensive cardboard scratcher, and I haven’t seen her use anything else. Some cats really want a horizontal surface for scratching.
My 3 cats have 3 different types of scratching "things!" The post on the cat condo,a shorter post with rough rug type material and the newest thing on the market,The Emerycat,which my 1 cat loves to death,but all 3 use it enough for it to do the job I wanted it too…..files their claws down instead of sharpening them,which eliminates any painful trimming or scary Peticure noise! Due to the 3 different materials,not one piece of my furniture nor any of my rugs are used as a sharpening device. The Emerycat sits on the floor and looks like a little foot bridge deal,but it works great and the refills are pretty cheap! Always good to give your cat a choice.