Cat scratching posts? Or other scratching solutions?

[Sadik]

Do they help persuade cats not to scratch elsewhere? NewCat has a real habit of scratching up the carpet - she was in rescue for a while I think, & no access to outside to scratch at trees etc.
I'm planning on getting new flooring in the next few months, probably wood downstairs, but can't think of a great alternative to carpet for stairs / upstairs hall. I wondered if I provided a couple of these sort of posts, if they might divert her from the carpet. Any experiences?

(I don't really need a large cat-tree sort of thing, nor have space for it - have 2 cats that rampage around together & also have free access to the garden with lots of real trees to run up and down.)

That post looks rubbish, my cats would push it right over. I don't know how posts ever work.

I wrapped (nailed or screwed down) some spare carpet over raised boards & the cats have taken to those very well. They stand on top, they like to have edges. Something like this but mine is wider & longer, google for 'cat scratch board',

Our cats are particularly enamoured with the cardboard cat scratchers you can get on amazon for a pack of three.

That looks good, lljkk - maybe the trick would be to make a few things like that with the old carpet - planning also to look for a very short dense flooring which hopefully will be less desirable!

I have curved ones that fit around the sofa, that he likes. The stairs have seagrass matting, that was in place when I bought the house, highly desirable for scratching but seems indestructible

Ours love the Sisal/coir doormat, they're heavy/thick enough to withstand a good sharpening session although it does shed a few bits as well as scratching the fuck out of the stair carpet

lurkymclurkerson I bought one of those (it even came with catnip which my two usually go daft over) thinking they'd love it as there's usually a fight over cardboard boxes in our house between cats and DC! They just sniffed it and didn't bother using it - I even got on my hands and knees pretending to scratch at it in my desperation that maybe they just needed a demonstration they looked at me like I'd lost the plot and were probably right - that was a personal low I hadn't even admitted to DH

Weedsandseeds, I wondered about seagrass matting, looks nice & I thought it might be reasonably cat-proof. (Had heard it shows marks badly though? I also need something teenager proof!)

I think I'm going to try a couple of the cardboard scratchers in the short term, & see whether she takes to them.

This, lurky?

My cat likes cardboard, its easy to make and costs beggar all if ypou buy things from amazon regularly. Bit of time and a pair of scissors is all you need.

I need a catcam here - I have a cat (though not scratchycat) - reading this thread and looking at all your links with extreme interest

Mine doesn't really bother with the cat sofa. She was a great big barrel scratch post with a bed on top. Ideally I'd like more than one but they are expensive. What age do they get interested in cat nip?

They don't all like catnip. I think, if they are interested it's about 6 months to a year

Ozzy is terrified of the cardboard scratcher. The laundry basket, on the other hand....

Do you have newel posts on your stairs/bannisters? Sisal rope wrapped around them (secured with non toxic glue) can make awesome scratching posts.

I think Poltergoose has nailed it - she's definitely a horizontal and not a vertical scratcher - so will hope providing some flat scratch-objects will do :).

The seagrass seems fairly bombproof, but it does change colour as it ages. You also can't use a wet carpet cleaner as it shrinks. I didn't put it down, was already in the house, but impressed by how tough it is!

I don't understand what folk R talking about. Can someone post a pic of a cardboard scratcher? Or is it carpet in the cardbd box?

As well as a cat-scratcher have you tried a feliway plug-in and spray? My three used to claw incessantly at the sofa arms (drove me potty) and I was recommended to use the spray on them (sofa arms not cats) and it really worked! Maybe give that a try as well?

I see they've brought you a healthy balanced snack Polter

ok, now I get the cd-bd box thing. But is it heavy enough? I imagine my puny cats pulling one over. Skinny cat puts a lot of wellie into his scratch sessions (horizontal).

Ollie has the willow scratch box from pets at home
Any others are rejected and anything vertical is too much effort. He likes to nap on it too

Love PolterCat's Whole Rodent on a Bed of Freshly Paw and Mouth Picked Baby Seasonal Leaves. I would have given him extra points if he'd scattered some fried Chorizo peices and drizzled it with the Chorizo oil.