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Overview:
This project will show you how to build a cat scratching post. Here, kitty, kitty, kitty. Keep kitty happy – and away from your upholstered furniture, by building this simple scratching post. It's the perfect outlet for your cat's instinctive compulsion to claw.
Materials:
4 feet of 1" x 4" pine, 1" nails, 2" screws, 50 feet of 3/8" sisal rope, 14" diameter edge-glued round board or square plywood board (for base), wood glue, water-based liquid stain or latex paint, water-based polyurethane
Tools You'll Need:
power-lite cordless drill, 16oz. hammer, quick change utility knife, 10ft. or 25ft. tape measure
Before You Begin:
Paint or stain the base of the scratching post using water-based stain or latex paint. Finish with a layer of water-based polyurethane. Make sure each layer is completely dry before beginning assembly.
Barbara's Tips:
Lure your cat to its new scratching site by rubbing the sisal rope with catnip and bringing your cat over to smell it.
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Step 1: Tall Enough for a Good Stretch and Scratch
Cut two 24" pieces of lumber and sand the ends. Glue the post pieces together (face to face) making sure the ends are flush. Clamp the pieces together and allow them to dry for at least an hour.
Step 2: Wrap it Up
Using 1" nails, tightly secure one end of the sisal rope to the top of the post. Wearing your work gloves, wrap the sisal rope around the post. Make sure you wrap it very tightly so there is no space between each row. Continue wrapping to the bottom of the post and secure the rope at the bottom with 1" nails. Trim off any excess.
Step 3: Stand it Up
Attach the post to the base using 2" screws. Drill into the lumber and not the seam where the posts are joined. Make sure the post is secure and doesn't rock. If it tips over while your cat is using it, your cat will be wary about using it again. Settle into your (unclawed) easy chair and watch kitty go to town. You did it yourself!
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