Cat Scratch How To Clean
Cats scratch when they play, to sharpen their claws, to relieve stress, and to mark their territory. If you don't have a scratcher, your feline may direct this behavior onto your furniture instead. To find the best cat scratcher, we sought the help of 74 cats and kittens at the Little Wanderers NYC rescue group. Our cat-tastic experts loved the Pioneer Pet's SmartCat The Ultimate Scratching Post because it's sturdy, time-tested, and tall enough for even large cats to enjoy with ease.
The Ultimate Scratching Post's sisal surface and tall, boxy design should satisfy most kitties, but if your cat doesn't like it, we also have picks for a carpeted post scratcher, a cardboard lounger, and a scratcher that you can mount on a wall or lay on the floor.
Our pick
Why we love it: Pioneer Pet's SmartCat The Ultimate Scratching Post is the best-looking, most durable post scratcher of the 16 post models we researched and the five we tested. At 32 inches it's tall enough for your cat to stretch out comfortably. Its solid-wood base is sturdy, so it says upright even during vigorous scratching or leaping, and its woven-sisal scratching surface is a natural fiber that shreds cleanly (unlike carpet) and won't become prickly over time (unlike sisal rope, also common among scratchers).
On top of that, woven sisal is extremely durable: We let 20 cats abuse it for a week and a half, and it had no visible marks. Several Wirecutter staffers have owned this scratcher model for years, including senior staff writer Kimber Streams, who's owned the same scratcher since 2017. "It's had a long run for sure," they said. Elizabeth Llewellyn, a feline welfare and behavior specialist, writes that she has had hers for over five years. Newer Ultimate Scratching Post converts also report minimal wear and tear: "It's still going strong one year later with one tiny but determined cat," said Sasha VanHoven, Wirecutter's social strategy manager. On Amazon, where it currently has a rating of 4.7 stars (out of five) across more than 16,000 ratings, reviewers praise its durability: "Still going strong five years later," writes one owner, who may actually have had it for 10.
Unlike with most post scratchers, The Ultimate Scratching Post's wooden base isn't covered in scratchable material, but its rectangular post has nearly 900 square inches of woven-sisal scratching surface, more than most other models we tested. At 16 pounds, the post is hefty enough to stay put during vigorous exercise but still easy to move when needed, and it has a wooden platform on the top for your cat to perch on. It's also the least-ugly cat scratcher we tested—by a significant margin—and it doesn't look out of place with mid-century decor.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: We found a few spots in the woven sisal where the weave missed a loop or two, which a determined cat could loosen or even get their claws caught on. (We recommend spot-checking your post and securing loose threads during setup.)
This is the only scratcher we tested that has a rectangular post, so you'll need to rotate the scratcher periodically as it wears; traditional posts are tubular, so a cat can scratch them from any angle comfortably. Finally, our test unit of The Ultimate Scratching Post came with hex screws to attach the post to the base, but no Allen wrench, so you'll need to keep your toolbox handy.
Although woven sisal is an ideal scratching material, not all cats will like it right away. It may look unfamiliar and feel rougher than other surfaces such as your couch cushion. Nicole Kay of the Just Cats store in the Denver area told us you can attract your cat to a scratcher by dusting it with catnip, or scratching your nails against its surface so your pet knows it's okay to approach. (Just don't press your cat's paw pad to a scratcher; this scares some cats.)
Dimensions: 16 by 16 inches (base), 7 by 7 by 32 inches (post); 16 pounds
Also great: North American Pet Classy Kitty Cat Carpet Scratching Post
Also great
Why we love it: If your cat won't scratch sisal, the North American Pet Classy Kitty Cat Carpet Scratching Post is the best carpeted model we found. It's tall, sturdy, and inexpensive, and its carpet is a soft material that's familiar to most cats. While cat owners may prefer the look of a loftier carpet scratcher, thinner carpet is better for cats because it shreds and pills less—our Classy Kitty post held up great for 10 days in a 10-cat habitat.
The 32-inch scratcher is light for its height (less than 6 pounds), so it's easy to carry from room to room or to reposition in front of a new sofa. But it has most of its weight in its base, so it doesn't wobble when scratched. A Little Wanderers volunteer noted: "It's the perfect height, and very sturdy. My cats tend to leap on scratchers during zoomies, and this one never tipped over." It has also held up to a year's worth of abuse in our own homes: Carpet pilling has been minimal, requiring just occasional sweeping, and the scratcher is durable enough that you have to rotate it only every couple of months to ensure even wear and tear from scratching. And larger cats, such as my own 15-pound Maine-coon mix, haven't tipped it over.
Flaws but not dealbreakers: Because this is a carpeted scratcher, it will eventually pill and shred, and bits of the carpet will fall out all over your house. It won't last as long as our main pick. (I've personally needed to replace it annually for my cat.) And one major complaint of carpeted scratchers is that cats can easily get their nails caught in the carpet mat, which is a grid of tiny holes. That's true of our pick too, but our volunteers told us their cats freed themselves more easily from this scratcher than others they've used.
Dimensions: 16½ by 16½ inches (base), 4 by 32 inches (pole); 6 pounds
Also great: Pioneer Pet SmartCat Bootsie's Combination Scratcher
Also great
Why we love it: The Pioneer Pet SmartCat Bootsie's Combination Scratcher is made of the same strong woven-sisal material as our main pick, so it's more durable and leaves less mess than carpet or cardboard. In our tests, 10 cats scratched it for a week and left no marks. At 24 inches it's long enough for cats to scratch comfortably when it's horizontal, and you can wall-mount it at any height to accommodate their vertical reach. And at less than 3 inches thick, it can even work mounted in a hallway, without blocking the path.
The Bootsie's scratcher has rubber feet (bootsies?) that muffle wall bangs when cats furiously scratch it; the feet also keep it from sliding across the floor during intense pouncing sessions. It's big enough for cats to use comfortably yet thin enough to work in small spaces, and it's just 5 pounds, so you can move it easily. Senior editor Christine Ryan has owned the Bootsie's scratcher for a year and loves its portability: "It fits beneath my couch, which is good for when I have to clean up the place for company."
Flaws but not dealbreakers: In our tests, some cats had trouble digging their claws into it when it was new, and those that did often got their claws caught. (This wasn't the case with the larger Pioneer Pet model because it was tall enough that cats could position their claws where they preferred.) Still, that didn't deter them: "They loved it," a Little Wanderers volunteer said. "The height is good, the material is great, and the width is perfect."
Dimensions: 7 by 2½ by 24 inches; 5 pounds
Budget pick: Catit Style Scratcher with Catnip (Urban Bench)
Budget pick
Why we love it: The Catit Style Scratcher with Catnip (Urban Bench) held up better to abuse than most of the cardboard scratchers we tried. In our tests, it didn't wobble or fall when cats sat on it, and it's large enough for most cats to use. And at its usual price of $9, it's cheap enough that you can buy several and spoil your pets.
This Catit model is made of 57 layers of 4 mm corrugated cardboard, and after we put it into testing for a week and a half with eight cats, they "barely made a dent in the cardboard top surface," wrote one Little Wanderers volunteer, who frequently repairs flat cardboard scratchers with duct tape because they're so flimsy.
The legs are stubby, so it's unlikely to wobble or tip when a catnip-crazed cat jumps on it. The Little Wanderers volunteer told us the cat panelists favored this scratcher over more interactive ones (like the K&H Kitty Tippy Scratch n' Track Cardboard Toy) because the Catit was more stable: "The cat stopped scratching [the K&H] until he restored his balance and then went onto the reliably stable bench scratcher for an enthusiastic scratching session."
We're happy to report that after a year of use, this little scratcher is surprisingly still going strong. As the volunteer told us: "The thick materials from which the scratcher is made are fairly durable after a year, although the raised bench-like design didn't hold up in the middle after a rather short while. (I might have accidentally stepped on it, or it was smushed down under the weight of a large cat.) Another upside of this securely glued scratcher is that I don't have to sweep up so much mess after the cats use it, whereas my flat scratchers inevitably add to my daily need to sweep up."
Flaws but not dealbreakers: The Catit bench is still cardboard, and it will still shred. Our volunteer tester estimated that it would take several weeks for her eight cats to destroy it. In households with fewer pets, it should last longer.
The lounger came with a sample of Catit's catnip, but the catnip was cream colored and full of stems, not the deep green leaves of fresh 'nip. If you really need catnip, consider our pick, Yeowww Catnip. No matter which catnip you use, prepare to clean up a mess. Wirecutter senior photo editor Sarah Kobos noted that it's easy for catnip flakes to fall through the cardboard and onto the floor.
Dimensions: 20 by 9 by 2 inches; 2 pounds
How to pick a cat scratcher
Scratchers can be vertical or horizontal, and they come in several shapes, sizes, and materials. The most popular scratching materials are cardboard, carpet, sisal, and wood. (Cardboard and carpet are less expensive than sisal and wood, and prices can vary depending on the quality of the materials.) The most common shapes are small horizontal slabs, slightly elevated slabs called loungers, and vertical scratchers with a long post attached to a square base. Some cat scratchers have interactive elements, such as attached feathers and crinkle balls, while others have poles of various heights and materials on the same base. As the quality of the scratcher rises, so does the price: In our research, a good scratcher could cost up to $80, though the cheapest we found was just $8.
Before buying an expensive cat scratcher, observe your cat's behavior. If your cat scratches the wooden legs of a barstool or the fabric of a sofa cushion, consider similar materials when selecting a scratcher. "They'll most likely prefer the scratching post [over your furniture] because of the texture and the height," said certified pet behaviorist Russell Hartstein.
The scratcher should also be big enough so your cat can fully stretch out while using it. Our experts agreed that bigger scratchers were better scratchers. For a horizontal scratcher, we recommend that it be at least as long as your cat's body minus the tail, which averages 18 inches. And a vertical scratcher should be 30 to 32 inches tall so that cats can stand on their hind legs and stretch. That height is difficult to find, however, so look for a scratcher that's at least 25 inches tall.
When the scratcher gets beaten up, or if it's the only scratching opportunity in your home, a cat may lose interest fast. You can keep a cat engaged with a well-worn scratcher by moving it, said Fara Erspamer, director of product development and design at K&H Pet Products. "Cats like variety. They tend to stay interested a lot longer if you move things around."
Lastly, don't be afraid to experiment with styles and shapes, or to put duplicates of their favorites in different rooms throughout your home. This way, they'll head straight for their scratcher instead of your stuff.
How we picked and tested
We found 34 cat scratchers in three categories: posts, loungers, and wall scratchers. Then we condensed the list to scratchers that had strong online reviews, were available for purchase from multiple retailers, and were big enough to accommodate a cat's long reach—at least 18 inches for horizontal scratchers and 25 inches for vertical scratchers. We short-listed 13 total cat scratchers for testing.
Our experts agreed that durability, stability, and size were all important in picking a cat scratcher. We conducted control tests with those categories in mind, and then asked the volunteers at the Little Wanderers rescue group in New York to make evaluations of each cat scratcher's performance as well. This process helped keep our internal test protocol tight so that we could prioritize real-world testing with our 74 cat panelists.
- Quality of construction and durability: We assembled each cat scratcher and examined their craftsmanship. Then we took plastic meat shredders to each cat scratcher and noted how easy it was to leave claw marks. Finally, we unleashed our cat panelists on the scratchers and examined them after a week or two of use.
- Stability: First we took our house cat stand-in (a 10-pound bag of rice) and knocked it against each scratcher to see how likely the scratcher was to scoot across a hardwood floor or tip over. Then we asked our human volunteers to evaluate each scratcher's stability when their cat panelists used it.
- Scratchable area: We favored cat scratchers with greater scratchable surface areas—the areas covered in sisal, carpet, or cardboard.
- Size: We favored larger scratchers over smaller ones within the same category, since they offered more room to stretch out. We also noted whether our cat panelists were more likely to scratch near the top of longer scratchers (they were), and whether they favored a lower position like that of smaller ones (they did not).
Notable competition
Post scratchers
The tube of the Max & Marlow Sisal Scratch Post is divided into two pieces with a spacer in between, so in our tests it was less stable than scratching posts with poles that were a solid piece. And at 26 inches tall, it's one of the shortest post scratchers we tested.
The MidWest Feline Nuvo Grand Forte Scratching Post is the largest post scratcher we tested. It weighs 20 pounds and measures 19 by 19 by 41 inches, too big for most households. Due to its mass, it's harder to assemble, and you need to retighten the post several times to ensure a proper seal. Because the pole is divided by a spacer, it was less stable than half the posts we tested; stability problems are also a common complaint among online reviewers.
The Trixie Pet Products Parla Scratching Post is 24 inches tall, making it the shortest post scratcher we tested. Next to the competition, it isn't as securely attached to the base because it doesn't come with a washer, which is meant to distribute pressure evenly and give the nut a flat surface to lean on so that it doesn't loosen over time.
Cardboard scratchers
The K&H Kitty Tippy Scratch n' Track Cardboard Toy came with attachable feet that made the scratcher wobble from side to side. While kittens enjoyed this interactive element, adult cats didn't; they opted for stable cardboard scratchers instead.
The Kong Naturals Cat Scratcher (Incline) was the only scratcher our cat panelists didn't scratch—we suspect that's because they were too busy batting the crinkle ball that dangled from it.
The PetFusion Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge and the PetFusion Jumbo Cat Scratcher Lounge are the largest cardboard scratchers we tested, as well as the most expensive, at about $50 and $80, respectively. The cardboard is denser than that of the competition, with the layers being just 2 mm thick versus 4 mm thick, which makes it highly durable—but as a result, the layers are too dense for most cats to scratch comfortably. In our tests in a habitat of 30 cats, more of them preferred lounging on these models, so they're ideal as shared beds in multicat homes.
Frequently asked questions
How big should a cat scratcher be?
You want to purchase a cat scratcher that's big enough to accommodate your cat's reach. A horizontal cat scratcher should be at least 18 inches long. Ideally, a vertical scratcher should be 30 to 32 inches tall so that your cat can stand on their hind legs and stretch (all of our picks are this tall). If you can't find one that meets this requirement, look for a vertical cat scratcher that's at least 25 inches tall and stable enough that it won't tip over during use.
How do you pick the best cat-scratching post?
Always observe your cat's behavior before buying a cat scratcher because the best cat scratcher is the one your cat will actually use. For example, if your cat scratches the living-room rug, consider buying a carpeted cat-scratching post instead of one with sisal rope. And make sure the scratcher is big enough for your cat to get a full stretch—at least 18 inches long for horizontal scratchers or 25 inches tall for vertical scratchers.
What is the best material for a cat scratcher?
The best material for a cat scratcher is something natural, like sisal rope, and undyed so it doesn't harm your cat's scent-sensitive nose. But if you notice your cat won't scratch a cat scratcher made of sisal rope, opt for materials you already know they like. After all, the best material for a cat scratcher is, ultimately, whatever your cat will actually use.
Do cats like cardboard scratchers?
Yes, most cats are attracted to cardboard scratchers because the material is pliable and feels good under their paws. It's also less dense than other scratcher materials, including sisal rope, so it's unlikely your cat will get their claws caught in the material.
How can I train a cat not to scratch furniture?
To keep a cat from scratching the furniture, deploy the Pioneer Pet Sticky Paws Furniture Strips. The long pieces of double-sided tape are more durable and wider than the kind you buy from an office-supply store, and they cling securely to surfaces and don't leave a residue behind when removed. Stick them to the side of the sofa, on the edges of curtains, or on baseboards to keep bad scratching habits at bay—cats don't like sticky things. Then direct your cat's scratching impulses to a cat scratcher placed near their favorite scratching locales. You can read more about preventative measures in our "What to Buy to Keep Pets From Destroying Your Stuff" blog post.
How many scratching posts should a cat have?
If a cat scratcher is worn or the only scratcher in your home, your cat may lose interest fast. Keep your cat engaged by moving the scratcher around the house. Better yet, cats love variety, so invest in multiple scratchers of varying styles and shapes (in their favorite materials) and place them in different rooms.
Sources
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Destructive Scratching, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
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Fara Erspamer, director of product development and design, K&H Pet Products, phone interview , February 12, 2018
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Russell Hartstein, CDBC, CPDT-KA, canine executive officer, Fun Paw Care, phone interview , March 16, 2018
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How to Choose the Best Cat Scratching Post, Purrfect Post
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Pam Johnson-Bennett, Scratching Posts: How to Choose the Best One, Cat Behavior Associates
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Nicole Kay, owner, Just Cats, email interview , March 11, 2018
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Volunteers (and cats), Little Wanderers cat rescue group, phone and email interviews , March 5, 2018
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Shelley Wester, How to Choose a Scratching Post for Your Cat, Petfinder
About your guide
Kaitlyn Wells is a staff writer covering all things pets and style. She has never met a pet she didn't like, although she can't say the same thing about shoes. Her first picture book, A Family Looks Like Love, follows a pup who learns that love, rather than how you look, is what makes a family.
Cat Scratch How To Clean
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-cat-scratchers/
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