How to Make a DIY Scratching Post
In order to prevent your cat from tearing up and destroying your furniture, offer it a scratching post as an alternative option. Once you see that your pet has started to scratch at the couch again, try to gently refocus the cat’s attention to another place. You can use associative help like treats to reach your goal. Applying catnip to the scratching post can be another effective solution.
5-Minute Crafts wants to show you 3 ways to make a scratching post by yourself.
1. Simple: from cardboard
You’ll need:
- a small cardboard box (you can use the top part of a shoebox)
- corrugated cardboard sheets
- a pen
- a stationery knife or scissors
- measuring tape and a ruler
- Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) Adhesive (it’s not toxic, which is why it can be freely used in this case)
How to do it:
- Take a measuring tape and measure the width of the box.
- Then measure the height of the box.
- Draw a strip corresponding to these measurements on a sheet of corrugated cardboard. Cut out the rectangle that you get with the help of the stationary knife. Place the strip on the remaining piece of the cardboard sheet and cut out more strips along its outline. Their number depends on how big your box is.
- Glue 2 strips together and put them into the box. Secure them on one side with the help of glue. Continue gluing the strips in sequence, one after another. Secure the last strip in the same way as the first 2 strips.
2. Medium difficulty: from wood, twine, and carpeting
You’ll need:
- a wooden board
- jute twine (it’s better to opt for a thicker version)
- a piece of carpeting
- a stapler for furniture
- a drill
How to do it:
- Secure a piece of carpeting around half of the wooden board with the help of a stapler for furniture.
- Wrap twine around the second half. First, secure its end: hold it with one hand and fix its position by wrapping the rest of the twine over it. Continue moving spirally and insert the second end inside the wrapped twine with the help of scissors.
- Decide on the place where the scratching post will be located. For example, you can place it on the wall. Drill a hole in the upper part of the board, thread the twine through it, and hang the construction. Secure it so that it doesn’t dangle while you’re using it.
3. Difficult: from a pipe and twine
You’ll need:
- a square wooden board
- a PVC pipe
- a pipe plug
- a piece of carpeting a bit bigger than the board from each side (approximately 4 inches)
- jute twine
- metal corners (3 pieces)
- a screw
- a screwdriver
- a stapler for furniture
- glue (make sure it’s not toxic for people and animals)
- a pen
- a stationary knife
How to do it:
- Mark the size of the base of the pipe right in the center of the inside part of the carpeting with the help of a pen. Cut out the circle that you get.
- Secure 3 metal corners to the base of the pipe with the help of a screwdriver. Place them at an equal distance from each other so that the construction is stable.
- Secure the pipe to the board using the screwdriver. Before that, find the center of the board by marking out diagonal lines on it.
- Put the pipe through the hole in the carpeting and secure the ends to the back of the board with a furniture stapler.
- Start gluing the twine on the pipe moving in a spiral from bottom to top. Make sure the rows of twine stick to each other tightly.
- Secure the twine once you reach the top and insert the plug into the pipe. You can glue a circle piece of carpeting over it.
Tip: Attach a bow or any other toy to the scratching post to attract your cat’s attention.
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