cat scratcher – Green Little Cat

Love This! The Purrfect Valentine’s Day Gift for Your Cat

How purrfect that I saw this cute eco-friendly lounge and cat scratcher on Valentine’s Day! When your kitty steps inside, her heart will be filled with love. This heart-shaped bed is made from corrugated cardboard and non-toxic glue—plus it’s also recyclable. With its thick 1” walls, your kitty can snuggle up inside, and the 1.5” base makes a great scratching surface for her to stretch her claws.

Available in two fashionable styles, box color and leopard print, this scratcher can blend in tastefully with your home or make a statement. Whichever style you choose, at 14” x 12” x 3.5”, it’s super easy to find a cozy corner to place the lounge.

While the physical bed itself allergy isn’t huge, it is BIG on heart, and quite durable. There’s even a picture of a person standing on the sides of this heart-shaped cat scratcher, so you can be sure that this bed can handle a cat. As one wise reviewer pointed out, cats love to fit themselves into tiny spaces. Your cat will be purring with love when you give her the purrfect Valentine’s Day gift. And that’s at the heart of Valentine’s Day—sharing love :). So even if you take a pass on this scratcher, give your cat some extra pats today, and tell her you love her!

The Best Recycled Cardboard Cat Scratcher and Lounge

Here’s an eco-friendly long-lasting cat scratcher that’s big enough for your cat, and it looks good too! In the past, most corrugated cardboard scratchers were either flimsy, too small, ugly, not made from recycled cardboard, or all of the above. Well, those days are over now because PetFusion has completely revamped the humble cardboard cat scratcher.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge is its size. It’s a gargantuan 34″ long, 10.5″ inches wide, and 10.5 inches high. Even the biggest kitties can comfortably recline on its surface. The scratcher is also a hefty 7.5 lbs helping it to stay put when your cat leaps on. And if you’ve got more than one cat, Petfusion offers a jumbo sized cat scratcher and lounge for multiple cat households.

When cat furniture is this big, you can’t discreetly hide it in a corner. The good news is that you don’t have to. This is one good looking cat scratcher that you want people to see. You can even mount it to the wall by following the simple instructions and using inexpensive brackets.

The modern design, balanced proportions, and walnut brown color of the Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge blends in harmoniously with almost any decor. If anything, it might make your furnishings seem shabby in comparison! But as cat people, we all know that kitty comes first :).

PetFusion uses a premium cardboard that is denser and more durable than lower priced corrugated cardboard cat scratchers. In addition, the symmetrical design doubles the life of the scratcher—when one side gets worn down, all you need to do is flip it over for a fresh surface. Some people even suggest cutting the scratcher in half when both sides wear out so that you can make two new scratchers. Your cat may have nine lives, but this scratcher has at least two or three!

The Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge is made of recycled corrugated cardboard and non-toxic corn starch glue. It also comes with premium USA organic catnip. With over four thousand 5-star Amazon reviews, it’s no surprise that this cat scratcher won the 2015 Eco-Excellence Award.

While the Petfusion cat scratcher does cost more than other scratchers, it’s better made, lasts longer, looks better, and it’s also made from recycled cardboard. You’ll find the Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge on Amazon.com.

My Fuzzy Valentine – Gift Ideas for Your Beloved Cat

Admittedly since the arrival of the baby, poor spoiled Furball has been relegated to the status of cat in the household. No longer is he the only child, pampered and petted with all of his idiosyncracies embraced wholeheartedly (eg. whining for 2 hours in the morning beginning at 6am). Perhaps your feline companion has not met this unfortunate fate and you’re looking for the purrfect Valentine’s Day gift.

If that’s the case, you may be interested in Imperial Cat’s new Valentine’s Day eco-friendly cat scratchers. They’ve eta-i.org/tramadol.html just released three new cutesy pink designs including a classic “hugs and kisses” X & O print, a confetti design exploding in hearts and a candy stripe pattern. They’ve also added the Love Bug to their Scratch ‘n Shape line.

Scratch ‘n Shapes are made in the USA, from 100{456796300b989ac2391159a2df073ed1ad38074dfcdb28494d5d1df8ab5972d8} post consumer recycled materials, and are 100{456796300b989ac2391159a2df073ed1ad38074dfcdb28494d5d1df8ab5972d8} recyclable. The scratchers feature a honeycomb texture and also come with a bag of Certified Organic Catnip.

To find a retailer, visit the Imperial Cat website at: www.ImperialCat.com.

Uber Cool Cat Furniture You Can Make

I might be a little late to the party, but I came across this awesome DIY cat scratcher on the Design*Sponge blog. I love how it doesn’t look like a home made scratcher. Instead, it looks like something out of a modern furniture design catalogue.

Besides the good looks, it’s also green. Like a lot of the other eco-friendlier cat scratchers, Design*Sponge used recycled corrugated cardboard to make theirs. Not only can your cat scratch, he or she can also sit on it. It’s like a designer Kitty chair. Detailed instructions for making your own cat scratcher, kitty pad, are posted on the Design*Sponge blog. Check it out:

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/01/diy-project-recycled-cardboard-kitty-pad.html

How to Re-carpet a Cat Scratching Post

Cat scratching posts are a necessity, but they’re not very eco-friendly. I try to extend the life of Furball’s cat tree by trimming the excess threads of carpet and vacuuming it regularly. However, there comes a time when the carpet is threadbare and the cat starts using the floor or the couch instead. Throwing out the scratching post and getting a new one is double whammy to the environment, so what’s a cat lover and tree hugger to do? The answer is to re-carpet that scratching post!

I’ll admit it does take some time and requires a few tools, but fortunately, you’ll only need to do it once every few years. Here are instructions with pictures on how to re-carpet a cat scratching post.

What You’ll Need:

Sharp knife for cutting carpet
Pliers
Flat head screwdriver
Replacement carpet
Nails
Hammer or nail gun (nail gun is easier)

3 Steps and Your Done!

Use the sharp knife (be careful!) to cut the worn out carpet off of the scratching post. In this case, we took it off of Furball’s cat condo post. Remove the carpet from the scratching post in one piece. You may need to use the flat head screwdriver and pliers to work out any old nails holding the carpet in place.
Use the removed carpet piece as a template. Place it over the replacement carpet and cut out a piece of carpet in the same size.
Take the nail gun (be careful!) and nail the new piece of carpet onto the scratching post. Depending on the size of the carpet, a nail every 2″ should be adequate. Use more nails if the carpet piece is large and heavy. Use fewer if it is small and light.

That’s it! Of course, that take at least an hour of your life, but it’s well worth it to re-carpet your cat’s scratching post. You’ve recycled your old scratching post, prevented it from ending up in the landfill, you’ve saved on the resources needed to create a new scratching post AND you’ve saved some money too.

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Where To Find Replacement Carpet for Your Cat Scratching Post

Ask friends and family if they have any carpet remnants. Surprisingly, one of our best friends had a roll of carpet sitting in her garage for years. I would never have known if I didn’t ask.
Try posting on freecycle.org to request some carpet scraps.
Visit a carpet store to buy a remnant for a few dollars.

Tips for Making Your Own Cat Furniture Such as a Scratching Post or a Cat Tree

The typical carpeted cat scratching post is bulky, heavy and usually thrown out after Kitty has worn out the carpet. Rather than buy another scratching post or cat condo, why not make your own? Ideally, it would be better to re-carpet your scratching post or cat tree and I’ll talk about this in a future blog article.

Since many scratching posts can be made with odds and ends, you can reuse scraps of wood and carpet that would have ended up in the landfill instead. Great sources of cat furniture material are friends, family and freecycle.org. Freecycle is like an online classifieds site where people in your community post items to be given away and request items they need. I often see wood pieces up for grabs.

To get you started, I’ve searched the web for some decent instructions on how to make a scratching post from sisal rope, a cat condo and a basic cat scratching post made with carpet.

Vertical Sisal Rope Scratching Post: Instructions given by an industry other veteran who has been making these for 20 years
Detailed Cat Tree Plan with Three Curved Perches: Detailed instructions on how to make a 5 star cat condo

Here’s a video on how to make a basic cat scratching post:

If you want to try your own design, Rebecca Mountain of Mountain Cat Trees designs and builds eco-friendly cat trees. She offers 4 tips for building a cat scratching post that your cat will love:

First consider the scratching style your cat prefers. Some cats scratch vertically while others horizontally.
Ensure the structure is designed not to wobble or tip as this is a sure way to scare your cat away from using it.
Cat trees are best if they at least give access to the height of a window, for cats to see out.
Scratching posts should have a surface that cats are attracted to such as sisal rope or a soft wood like cedar.

Eco-Friendly Cat Scratching Posts Branch Out in a Different Direction

Mountain Cat Trees takes a different and novel approach to creating eco-friendly cat scratchers. Based out of the North Quabbin region of Central Massachusetts, this company eschews the typical carpet and wood composite inputs, and instead uses real trees to create natural looking cat trees that are simple and eco-friendly.

Scratchers from Mountain Cat Trees are made using only natural untreated wood and sisal rope. The vertical posts are real trees with the bark removed. I find it rather ironic that a scratcher made from a real tree is the exception as opposed to the norm ;). The scratching posts are eco-friendly because:

They’re made without carpet or synthetic materials using all wood construction
The trees are harvested locally using sustainable practices
The scratchers are 95{456796300b989ac2391159a2df073ed1ad38074dfcdb28494d5d1df8ab5972d8} biodegradable

I asked Rebecca Mountain (yes, that’s really her name!) of Mountain Cat Trees what her inspiration was to start her business. Here’s what she had to say:

“While living in the Chicago area years ago, I became involved with a not-for-profit group that was committed to helping curb the overpopulation of feral (wild) cats living in neighborhoods in the area. As part of our efforts we would catch the young kittens in these colonies, socialize them, have them vet checked, and adopted them out to caring, responsible homes.

It was during this time while fostering kittens in my home that I found the need for the kittens to have a scratching post and place to lay by the window. I was not pleased with the carpeted ‘kitty condos’ at the pet store. My experience with them was one of shedding carpet fibers, and an endless battle of trying to vacuum off cat hair. They soon became unsightly behemoths that eventually ended up in a landfill. I decided to make my own cat tree and was determined to create one that was fun and appealing to the cats, attractive in my living room and easy on the environment. A few years later Mountain Cat Trees was born.”

Rebecca has four cats that test each new product design. A new design must pass their scrutinizing evaluation before going into production, so you can be assured that Mountain Cat Trees’ cat trees get the kitty stamp of approval!

To learn more or to find out where you can purchase Mountain Cat Trees products, please visit their website at www.mountaincattrees.com.