Why You Should Get A Cat Scratching Post For Your Cat
Why You Should Get A Cat Scratching Post For Your Cat
by Paulina Jenkins
If you own a cat then a cat scratching post is a MUST. It is
very useful in stopping your cat from scratching and ruining
your furniture, drapes and rugs. It is a natural act of all
cats to scratch, stretch and to knead with their front
paws.
Providing their cats with the right products to satisfy the
need to scratch is not something that many cat owners know
they should do. Instinctual behavior can’t be changed so the
best thing to do is provide an acceptable object for the cat
to scratch. Every comprehensive cat care regimen should
include a scratching post to meet the cat’s need to scratch,
stretch, clean and sharpen the claws and mark his
territory.
A quality cat scratching post should have a solid base and a
heavy duty carpet covered post that serves as the scratching
surface. All exposed surfaces are covered in woven materials
such as carpet. A scratching post can be vertical or
horizontal on the floor or slanting at an angle. It is
important that the whole frame and structure must be sturdy
and stable so it does fall over when the cat does its
scratching on it.
Cat scratching posts come in many designs, heights,
materials and colors. Some even have toys hanging from them
to give the cats some exercises. There is one type of
scratching post that has corrugated cardboard strips slotted
into the body of the frame or structure to serve as
scratching surfaces.
The cat will soon have the cardboard strips torn and
shredded and the strips have to be replaced. A very common
type of cat scratching post is one that has a vertical
scratching surface on a post with a base. Some cats like
such posts, could be because they are like trees or tree
trunks. Very often such vertical scratching surfaces are
wrapped in a tough fabric like carpet or rope for the cat to
scratch on.
Making your own cat scratching post is easy. You cover a
piece of wood about the size of 6 inches wide and 2 feet
long with carpet and screw it onto the wall. You can also
make a hanging cat scratching post. Just hang a piece of 17
inches long carpet from the ceiling to a height that your
pet can scratch on. A cat tree can serve as a cat scratching
post provided that the base of the cat tree is strong and
large enough so the structure will not fall over.
The best type of material to use for a scratching post is
any durable fabric with a pile, like carpet. The post itself
can be made of solid wood or plastic. The under side of the
base is usually sisal or vinyl with nylon buttons to keep
the scratching post from sliding around on a hard surfaced
floor such as hardwood or tile. Sisal is also a good option
for wrapping the scratching post as cats enjoy the
coarseness of the fibrous rope and it is very durable. It is
great for conditioning the cat’s claws.
Finding a scratching post that meets your cat’s need and
preferences is easy with the variety of styles and sizes
available. Your cat will leave your furniture undamaged with
his own scratching post placed in a nice sunny window or
corner free from drafts. For cats that are already
scratching up the furniture, placing the scratching post in
the same spot will soon have the cat scratching on the post
instead.
About the Author: Paulina Jenkins has a website that is
dedicated to all cat owners with informations on cat breeds,
cat supplies and products. Why cat scratching post is
a necessity if you own a cat? Do you know what is the
purpose of a cat
scratching post?
