How to Pick the Best Scratching Post for Your Cat

Scratching Posts are a great option for offering your cat an appropriate outlet for his instinctual need to scratch. In order for the scratching post to be effective you must consider your cat’s preferences. Does he enjoy scratching on vertical surfaces or horizontal? Does he scratch hard surfaces or soft surfaces? The scratching post you provide must meet his needs, or else he will continue scratching on your belongings.

There are a few basics every scratching post must have:

1. The post should be made of an appealing texture. This includes sisal twine, burlap, corrugated cardboard, or bare wood. Look at what item(s) your cat currently enjoys scratching and try to replicate.
2. The post should be stable enough to stand up against the weight of your cat and tall enough for him to stretch his entire body upwards against the post.
3. The post should be tall enough or long enough for your cat to really stretch as he scratches

The post should be placed in a location that is appealing to your cat. Place the scratching post near the area or object where your likes to scratch. If you have multiple cats and/or your cat enjoys scratching in multiple locations, you will need to have more than one post available.

When introducing your cat to the scratching post, most feline behavior experts discourage owners from holding their cat’s paw to demonstrate the desired scratching behavior. For some cats, this can create an aversion to the new post.

If there is a need to replace your cats scratching post, place the new post right next to the old one until your cat begins to use both posts.