Scratching Post

Providing a scratching post for your cat is essential to their good health and that of your furnishings! Let’s face it, cats NEED TO SCRATCH and if you don’t give them something to sharpen their claws on they will pick something out for themselves.

This is a simple truth that we have learned the hard way, more than once.  So, that’s why when we went looking for something “people approved” for the cat to scratch we thought we’d condense the information we’d discovered and share it with you guys!  We can’t be the only people with the problem, y’know?

If you’re in a hurry and want to know the one we here at Spiffy Pet recommend, this scratching post from amazon has our full endorsement!

It’s an incredibly sturdy scratching post with thousands of happy reviews on amazon.  I even saw a few people who were so happy with their first one they decided to buy a second one for another room.  It’s 32 inches tall, allowing your cat to really have a good stretch and scratch.  It’s base is 16″ x 16″ making it very stable!  It’s not going to go tipping over very easily.

But, if that one doesn’t float your boat lets get into the other options available to us!  Since there are definitely other great ones out there!

Cat Scratching Posts

Scratching is a natural thing for your cat, it’s instinct.  They do it to mark their territory through scent glands in their paws, to relieve stress, get a good stretch and maintain their claws!

It’s up there on the top of the “things your cat needs to do” list.  But, to avoid having our couch be the unwitting victim of our cats scratching needs we have got to be proactive and offer them a really good place to scratch.

Scratching posts offer that place!  Some are taller than others, some are more compact and some are pretty dang stylish.

You have a plethora of options!  I personally like the SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post and Mr. Peanuts Couch Saver!

Cat Scratching Pads

Scratching pads are another excellent option, especially if you are a little low on space!  They come in a variety of shapes and sizes so no matter what, you’ll find one to fit your needs.  If you have a cat that you need to transition from “couch scratching” to …. “not couch scratching” these might be a good option.

Here’s why!  When you’re trying to get your cat to stop scratching the couch and start scratching a pad or post you want to put the new scratching furniture near or next to the spot they are currently scratching.

That’s clearly the optimal spot in your cat’s mind, so providing the scratch approved item near that spot is going to increase your chances of success.  Scratching pads are pretty compact, generally speaking, so if you have an awkward space to work with, these might work better than a scratching post!  For more information, go check out what the Humane Society of The United States has to say.

If you are in a real hurry, we recommend this cat scratching pad!

Made with truly superior cardboard, this cat pad seems to be one of the best purrchases you could make when it comes to cat scratching furniture.  With a little over six thousand reviews and five stars on amazon (at the time of writing this), I don’t think I’ve seen an item on there that highly rated with that many reviews in a long time.

It’s made of incredibly strong recycled cardboard that is glued together piece by piece to ensure it is as sturdy as possible.  And the glue itself is a non-toxic corn starch glue, so you have absolutely not worries there.

It’s a great shape for a lounging cat and smaller cats seem to really like nesting in the little cubby holes.  I’ve even seen a few people transform this scratching pad/lounger into a cat shelf using some large and strong L brackets.  A few people have reported these scratching pads still going strong a year after initial purchase.

If the PetFusion Scratcher doesn’t quite meet your needs then check out the scratching pads below, as there are plenty of other options for you to choose from!

Cat Scratching Toys

Since one of the needs we are fulfilling by getting cat scratching furniture is mental stimulation, we might wanna go one step further and integrate scratching pad and cat toy!  There are a few different options if you’re looking for something like this, thankfully.  Though, perhaps not quite as prevalent as pad designs, we still have some great things to choose from.

I’ve personally always been fond of those turbo scratchers.  You know, the round one with a ball that spins around when the cat baps it and cardboard in the center that you can sprinkle catnip on?  I remember we had one when I was little and my cats just loved it.  We have a few of those featured down here along with a couple other fun designs we found!

I particularly thought that the ANG Cat Scratching Pad Toy looked like a pretty good toy to try and I fully intend to give it a go in the near future!

Cardboard Scratching Posts

Last but certainly not least on our list is cardboard scratching posts or pads.  They can be a bit more affordable than some full blown cat scratching posts made with sisal, so if you’re looking for an easily replaceable option that’s on the lower end of the cost spectrum, you might want to consider trying one of these.  I have two things that I like in particular!

The first one is the cheaper of our two options!  The Catit Style Scratcher lays comfortably on the floor, provides a nice spot for your cat to lay and scratch!  After poking around the reviews on Amazon for this scratcher, people’s cats seem to immediately take to it and have a wallow and nap.  Which, I think is a great sign, personally!

The next one I’d like to talk about is from PetStages, it’s their cat hammock and scratcher!  It comes in an X shape that lets your cat get up off the ground for a good snuggle and then scratch away their stress when they aren’t in the mood to sleep!

If those aren’t quite what you’re looking for, there are a variety of others featured below here for you!

We really hope you found these cat scratching posts useful!  It took awhile to get all of this sorted, but I feel like it was well worth it in the end!  From the scratching pads to the scratching posts I’m sure there’s a little something in here for everyone, no matter your price point or space needs!

And, if you happen to be thinking you might want something a little larger, but still need a good place for your cat to scratch?  You might want to check out a cat tree!  They come in all shapes and sizes too.  If you aren’t sure what you want… You should check out our cat furniture page, it has a long selection of just about, well, everything cat furniture!

And with all that said, I hope you all have a wonderful day and give your kitties some love for us here at Spiffy Pet!

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