apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Super cool. We are thinking of getting a cat but having it not scratch the crap out of the furniture is one issue. Apparently these sorts of things help. Might have to go for a fossick around the neighbourhood next hard rubbish pickup...

Hughbert,

You HAVE to get a scratcher of some sort for your cats. They have to scratch so just expecting them not to claw the hell out of your furniture, your doorframes (mine don't, but I've heard some do), or your carpet if you don't have something they CAN scratch is insane. Mine used to claw my couch until I figured out that they like the cardboard scratchers. They much prefer those and never claw my couch anymore. Finding what they like to scratch and how/where (Vertical like a couch or drapes? Horizontal like the carpet? At some angle? Up high or down low?) is crucial.

I hate to say it because "self help" books haven't ever been my kind of thing, but Outwitting Cats (can't remember who it's by) was a great resource. I suggest doing some research before getting a cat. Knowing how not to give them bad habits is much MUCH easier than trying to break them of said bad habits later.

That said, I would be so lonely without my kitty girls! They're wonderful companions and even with their bad habits I couldn't ever give them up.

Thanks for the comments Tiamat. Yeah, I read that cats like to scratch tree/bark surfaces, so I thought something like this could be built with cut up branch bits. But apparently it has to be super solid otherwise the cat won't touch it. I also heard the back side of carpets/rugs is a good kind of surface for scratching - so recycling an old rug could be another option.