Cat Scratching Posts
Cats love to scratch at things with their claws extended, which is fine in their natural outdoor surroundings but less so if they are indoors using your furniture and carpets. It can also be costly too as anyone who has had to replace their sofa will tell you. This is where getting a cat scratching post comes in.
It's perfectly normal for cats to scratch. They do it to remove the outer sheath on the claws as their claws grow. It may also have something to do with marking their territory. Added to this is the fact that they actually seem to enjoy the stretching of their limbs while they are doing the scratching. It also has to be said that some cats seem to enjoy scratching more than others.
What cats seem to like to scratch is something they can hook the tips of their claws in. Bare wood is a favourite indoors and out, varnished wood is too hard and slippery for them to get their claws into. Material is great, from a cat's point of view, especially when stretched over your furniture. They can then imbed their claws in it and, with a slight pull down, make it tear a little. Of course each time they do this those little tears get a little bigger. And it quickly looks unsightly.
Cat scratching posts are designed to give them something they can really get their claws into and so distract them from using the arms of your sofa or your carpets. At there most simple cat scratching posts are a flat base with an attached pole, covered in a rough material, e.g. sisal or carpet.
Although you can buy cat scratchers that lay on the floor most cats seem to have a preference for stretching upwards to scratch. This is why it is the sides of your furniture that tend to suffer more than the tops. This is also why fence posts and trees are a favourite target of scratching cats when outdoors.
Because of this posts are the more sensible option to choose as your cat is more likely to use it regularly. They can be in different styles, from a very simple single pole to a multi-layer design. Just rest assured that there's one out there that will be loved by your cat and its claws.
The downside of getting a cat scratching post is that they can take up floor space. However, they can be multi-purpose in design and in that way the post can double up as a cat house or a play centre.
At the more expensive end of the scale, the scratching posts can be incorporate into an indoor cat tree with perches, ledges and hideaways that can be used by several cats at once. Often these trees are covered in several different types of material allowing your cat, or cats, to find the perfect surface on which to exercise their claws.