Cat Scratchers

Cat Scratchers are ingenious inventions. One thing that pretty much every cat owner will know is that cats love to scratch. In fact, they love to scratch and claw pretty much anything that is costly and valuable to you, such as your carpets, your doors, and your expensive furniture. However, scratching is a natural instinct for cats as it is the thing that keeps their claws finely tuned and in good shape, just like if they were in the wild.

Let them take it out on something else

Of course, whilst we appreciate that cats need to scratch because it is instinct to them we also want to avoid the damage that this can cause to the brand new leather suite we have taking pride of place in the living room. This does not necessarily mean whipping your cat to the vet to get its claws clipped! Instead, you can consider specially designed cat scratchers that are perfect for your cat and will save you a fortune in furniture repairs.

You can get these scratchers in a range of styles and sizes, and they provide the perfect solution for allowing your cat to scratch without your home and furniture being ruined. You can also get these scratchers at really low prices, so you won’t have to fork out a fortune to provide your pet with a more suitable means of keeping their claws in good shape.

Cat scratching posts come in three main types of material

• Corrugated cardboard - This is the cheapest, but doesn't hold up quite as well as the others.
• Sisal - This is said to be the most durable, being a rope-like material.
• Carpet - This is the most common type of cat scratching post.

Cat scratching posts can come in a variety of colors and sizes, with some even having accessories attached for further entertainment, like tunnels or perches.

Cat scratcher options

You can look at a couple of options when it comes to buying a cat scratcher. You can buy these scratchers as individual items, and this will enable you to benefit from a low cost, compact solution for your cat’s scratching needs. This is a great option for those that want to keep costs down.

However, you will also find that these scratching posts can be incorporated into cat activity centres and jungles. If you are planning to buy an activity centre for your cat then you may find that there is no need to buy an individual scratcher, as the posts that form part of the activity centre are often sisal scratching posts that are already built in for increased convenience.

How can you get your cat to use a cat scratching post?

There are a few things you can do to encourage your cat to use his scratching post:

• Feed and play with him near the post to encourage him to use it
• Rub dried cat nip leaves or powder on it
• Give him a treat as a reward when he goes onto it
• Tie his favorite toy to the post

How can you discourage your cat from scratching elsewhere?

• Cover the area with aluminum foil or double sided tape
• Cats do not like scent of citrus, so take a citrus based spray and cover the area with it, or rub it with an orange peel
• Blow a loud whistle when he does it
• Spray your cat with a water bottle when he does it

Here are some of our favorite scratchers..

-- Cat Scratchers --

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