It is so arranged by nature that cats feel the need to sharpen their sharp claws, and it will be better if they come across a scratching post in time, which you can not only buy at a pet store, but also make yourself. This is the only way you can protect your furniture, wallpaper or other pieces of furniture that are valuable to you.
Types of scratching posts
Today, stores offer a variety of scratching posts for pets:
- horizontal or vertical;
- corner;
- single-component or prefabricated.
These can be simple boards covered with fabric, carpet or ordinary thick cardboard. In shape they can resemble posts wrapped in rope. If space allows, you can purchase a multi-level structure that allows you to recreate natural conditions.
Making a scratching post ourselves
What we need:
- 3 thin, 5 cm in diameter and 1.5 m high, young trunks;
- sled rail, from which we will cut 3 crossbars, each 50 cm long;
- screws;
- drill;
- impact wrench;
- board measuring 20 x 40 cm for a bed;
- a piece of foam rubber of the same size;
- tight fabric;
- furniture gun with staples.
Progress
Let's prepare the material. We will clear the trunks of branches and cut them to the required length. Our design assumes that birch trunks are 20 cm shorter than an aspen tree trunk. We did this so that the kitten, lying on the shelf, could sharpen its claws. We will make the lower crossbars from the sled rail to make the structure stable.
We will prepare screws of different lengths: from 2 to 7 cm.
We drill a hole for the screw in the rail at a distance of 2 cm from its edge. This must be done to ensure that the wood does not come apart. Using a screwdriver, we drive the screw through the hole in the batten into the birch trunk at a distance of 10-15 cm from the edge.
We do the same with the second and third trunks, and then attach a stand at the top - a shelf for the cat to lie on. Now you can let the kitten try out the design to make sure of its strength, take into account the nuances and correct all the shortcomings in a timely manner.
After this, you can begin tightening the shelf and final assembly of the scratching post.
We cut out the foam rubber the same size as the shelf itself, and the fabric with a hem allowance. Using a furniture stapler, we attach the fabric to the board.
If you don't have a stapler, you can use PVA glue. To make the lower part of the shelf look aesthetically pleasing, we nail a solid piece of fabric to it, covering all the joints.
Using long screws, we secure the shelf in place.
You can attach toys or a bow on a rope to the top of the structure to attract the kitten’s attention. Your pet will certainly love your creation.
