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.