Follow these easy instructions to build a scratching post your cat will love!         
article by Kim Thornton

It's a fact of life that cats scratch, and when they do, they can destroy furniture, wallpaper and carpet in no time flat.  If your furniture is in shreds, and Purrcy turns up his nose at the expensive carpet covered post you bought him, the problem may not result from the cat's stubbornness but from the post's design! 

Cats need to extend their bodies full-length when they scratch.  A one foot high scratching post offers enough scratching room for a kitten, but an adult cat needs a post at least 3feet high.  Such a post offers a scratching surface your cat can enjoy its entire life.

Because some cats have trouble distinguishing between carpet on the floor and carpet on a post, you may want to consider a post made of a material other than carpet.  The easy-to-build post described here utilizes rope as a scratching surface.

Materials You Will Need

Before you begin to build the scratching post, gather the following materials and tools:

• One 16-by-16-by1/2 inch piece of plywood (a round piece 16 inches in diameter by 1/2 inch thick also works nicely)

• One post or log, 3-4 inches in diameter and at least 36 inches high.

• 100 to 150 feet of 3/4 inch sisal rope ( the length you will need depends on the height and diameter of the post)

• One small box of U-shaped brads 1/2 to 3/4 inch in length.

• Two 1 1/2 inch wood screws.

• Drill

• Drill bits 1/16 inch in diameter - plus the diameter of the wood screws you are using.

• Hammer

Building the Post

To begin building, cut the post or log to at least 36 inches high. Using a U-brad, attach one end of the rope as close to the post's upper edge as possible.  Start wrapping the rope around the post, attaching a U-brad at every quarter turn during the first wrap.  Continue wrapping the rope, pushing the rows close together every five to 10 turns to avoid gaps and loose rope.  Occasionally add a U-brad to keep the rope from slipping.

If you run out of rope before the post is completely wrapped, fix the end of the rope to the post with a U-brad, and attach the new end of a new rope to the post, butting it against the end of the old rope with another U-brad.  Then continue to wrap the post until it is covered with rope.

On the final wind, tack the rope onto the post using two or three U-brads, and make sure the end is secure.  Hammer all the U-brads well into the post so your cat cannot pull them out while scratching.  Set the post aside.

On the bottom of the piece of plywood, draw a diagonal line from one corner to the opposite corner, then draw another diagonal line that intersects the first.  Use the lines as guides for drilling two screw holes in the base.  Drill one hole on each side of the point where the two lines intersect and approximately 3/4 inch from the intersection.  Make sure the holes are the same diameter as the wood screws.  At this point, you may wish to stain the base.

Place the board on top of the post, making sure the board is centered. Using the holes in the base as guides, drill two holes 1/16 inch into the post.

Now screw the base onto the post until the screw heads are flush with the bottom of the board or slightly sunk into the bottom of the board.  Turn the post on its base.  If you like you can make a smaller version of the base for the top of the post using the same procedure.

Training Your Cat To Use the Post

When training a cat to use a scratching post, three cardinal rules apply.  Follow them consistently, and you should have minimal trouble weaning your cat from the furniture to the post.

First, never punish or frighten your cat while he uses the scratching post.  If the cat associates a bad experience with its post, convincing the cat to use the post again may be difficult or impossible.

Second, when you catch your cat scratching on the carpet, furniture or some other forbidden place, sternly say, "No" and place the cat on the post.  Praise the cat to high heaven when it uses the post.

Finally, be patient.  Your cat may take some time to get used to the idea of scratching on  a post and may need some encouragement.  Show the cat how to use the post by scratching on the post yourself. The noise will attract your cat's attention, and soon should be scratching on the post to its heart's content.