Cat scratchers & trees
Scratchers, posts, trees and pads. Cats scratch to stretch, to mark, and to shed claw sheaths — it is not misbehaviour, and the fix is giving them somewhere better than the sofa. Placement beats product. Put the scrat...
How to choose
Scratchers, posts, trees and pads. Cats scratch to stretch, to mark, and to shed claw sheaths — it is not misbehaviour, and the fix is giving them somewhere better than the sofa.
Placement beats product. Put the scratcher where your cat already scratches, not where it looks tidy. That one decision saves more furniture than anything else on this page.
Match the direction. Cats that scratch upward want a tall post they can stretch out on — check the height against your cat at full stretch, since a post shorter than that gets ignored. Cats that scratch horizontally want a flat pad or a cardboard board.
Material: sisal suits most cats and lasts longest; corrugated cardboard is cheap and popular but sheds flakes, so keep it off carpet if that bothers you.
Anchor anything tall against a wall before your cat lands on it at speed.
Also see Cat toys & play and Cat beds & loungers.
Also see our guide: Match how they scratch.
