If you are a cat owner, scratching posts are essential to your home. They serve a very important purpose – scratching posts prevent your kitty from destroying your beloved furniture!
If you want to keep your furniture in one piece, I highly suggest you invest in some good scratching posts.
Not each scratching post is made equally. The material, height, and weight matters depending on your kitty.
Here are a couple things to keep in mind before purchasing a scratching post:
- Cats need to scratch. It is essential for their health. You won’t be able to stop your cat from scratching surfaces entirely – your goal is for them to scratch the post and not your furniture or belongings.
- Cats mark their territory by scratching. This means that if you have more than 1 cat, you will need more than 1 scratching post. Otherwise, one of your cats will claim the only scratching post and the others will claim your furniture.
Choose a Tall Scratching Post
Cats generally like tall scratching posts. If you have a kitten, you might be tempted to buy a small, short scratching post.
Your kitten will eventually grow and require a taller scratching post, therefore it’s best to buy a tall post from the start.
Choose a Sturdy Scratching Post
It is very important to choose a sturdy scratching post. If it falls over, your cat will not want to use it.
In the wild, cats scratch trees. Trees are also stable enough to climb, therefore it is important to keep both stability and height in mind when selecting a scratching post.
My favorite tall and sturdy scratching post is the ultimate scratching post. To get the ultimate scratching post, click here.
Cats Like Both Vertical and Horizontal Surfaces
Cats like to scratch in different directions and angles. You might have noticed that sometimes your cat likes to stretch horizontally and claw the carpet.
To prevent this, keep both vertical and horizontal posts around your home to offer your kitty some variety.
Click here for this affordable horizontal scratcher.
Click here to get the 3 sided vertical scratcher.
Choose an Interactive Scratching Post
Scratching posts with toys that dangle make them more exciting to use for your kitty.
Little mice, feathers, or balls that hang off of the post give your cat an opportunity to paw at the toy and scratch the post. It’s a great incentive to scratch the post and stay entertained.
Click here for this tall, sturdy, and interactive scratching post.
Consider Furniture Protective Scratching Posts
If you already have a problem your cat scratching the upholstery on the side of your couch, this is a good solution.
However, these posts should only be used temporarily in a transition to a regular scratching post. Otherwise, your kitty might become too attached to scratching your couch leg.
Make sure you pick one that is tall enough to cover the problem area. I recommend the sofa scratching post in the image below.
Click here for this sofa scratching post.
Cats Like to Perch
Cats have a strong instinct to perch. Nature’s scratching post and perching destination is the tree. To give your inside kitty the same experience as a tree, choose a cat jungle or cat tree.
These are excellent for both scratching and perching because they offer plenty of scratching space and an elevated surface to perch.
Below are some of my favorite cat jungles and trees. Click on the images to learn more about them.
What is the Best Scratching Post Material?
1. Cats like material that shred. This is why they’re constantly going after your newspaper and toilet paper.
Choose a sturdy material that shreds and makes noise when being shredded. Cats seem to find the shredding noise satisfying. Scratching posts covered in sisal fabric are great for shredding!
2. Avoid scratching posts covered in material found in your home. For example, if you purchase a scratching post that is covered in carpet then you might find your kitty scratching your carpet too.
This is confusing for cats because they do not understand why it is okay to scratch the carpet-covered post but not your carpet.
4. Cardboard is an excellent material for scratching posts. They come in all shapes and sizes and are excellent for shredding. These are common in round, horizontal, and angled scratching posts.
So Which Scratching Post is the Best?
Ultimately, it is best to have multiple scratching posts of different shapes, sizes, and materials to experiment with.
Each kitty has a different preference and it is better for them to have options. More options mean they are less likely to destroy furniture and other forbidden surfaces.
QUESTION: Has your cat ever scratched the furniture? What did you do to help your cat learn to stop scratching the furniture?