Creative Ideas for Incorporating Cat Scratchers into Your Home
Let's face it. Cats love to scratch. From the arm of your favourite sofa to the corner of the living room rug, no surface is safe. So, what do we do? Wave the white flag and let them run rampant all over the home? Instead of resigning to a future of textured table legs, you can redirect your cat's natural urges into places specifically designed for them to scratch.
Wall Inserts
Are you familiar with wainscoting panels? These are designed to cover the bottom half of a wall with a pattern that would otherwise take a long time to build if done by hand. In the ideal house of a true cat lover, wainscoting panels might be the best place to incorporate scratchers into your décor. Whether you cut into the panels to fit scratchers, or glue on top of them, the finished product will be both trendy and functional.
If you aren’t into wainscoting, find a few spots where you could mount something for your cat to scratch. Purpose-built cardboard scratchers or pieces of carpet are ideal (carpet samples from the flooring store are great and affordable).
Regardless of how you approach it, wall-mounted scratchers allow your kitty to scratch to their heart’s content, while you get to think about all the room you saved!
Scratch Cave
Why settle for a scratching wall when you can give your cat a place they can retire to as well? Find a small space in your home, ideally one they already like to spend time in, and then upgrade it! Stop by the pet store to grab some purpose-built corrugated cat scratching cardboard and set up one or two of the sides in their space with it. Add a nice little blanket to keep them comfortable and you’re off to the races.
If you don’t already have a small space your cat might enjoy, don’t be afraid to create one. Something as simple as a cardboard box with some blankets and other comfort items are enough to keep them content. A cardboard box can also be a decent, disposable scratching option if you don’t want to get too fancy.
In Plain Sight
Sometimes you might not want your cat’s scratching options to be the most obvious part of your home. Not everyone wants to live inside an idealized cat jungle gym, and that is, for the most part, completely normal. If you are looking for a stealthier option for your kitty, consider adding some catproof material or furniture covers to your existing pieces. Some scratch-resistant fabrics can complement a room just as well as they can defend themselves from a cat.
Repurposed Furniture
Before you throw out that old sofa chair that’s sitting in the garage, consider pulling out your toolbelt and turning it into something your cat might love. Cats enjoy a good piece of shreddable furniture, and you can save yourself the cost of a cat tree by converting an old piece of junk. Pull the material off and save it to wrap around some of the wood panels. Break down the boards into a coherent shape and make sure you remove all the staples or nails. Once it’s done, cover it in the old material as best as you can and let the felines decide whether it stays or goes.
Final Thoughts
Cats love to scratch as it is an important behaviour to keep their nails sharp/shed old layers. Scratching is not a behaviour we can stop, but it is one we can nudge in the right direction. Instead of scolding your cat when they scratch your furniture, ask yourself how you can redirect their scratching to a purpose-built space.
It doesn’t take much to build an exciting scratching space for your cat, so don’t waste any time! Think about some of the suggestions we have made, have a look around your home, and ask yourself where you might incorporate some scratchers to keep your kitty healthy and happy.