If your cat scratches the sofa, curtains, or door, it's not doing it to annoy you. Scratching is a necessity: that's how they care for their claws, stretch, and mark their territory with the glands in their paw pads. The solution is not to forbid it, but to give them a better place to do it.
1. Taller than your cat stretched out
A scratching cat stretches from its hind legs to its front legs. If the post is low, it cannot stretch out completely and will return to the sofa. As a rule, the post should measure at least 70–80 cm for an adult cat. For small apartments, compact scratching posts with a good sisal post work well.
2. Make sure it doesn't move
This is the most common failure. If the scratching post wobbles the first time, the cat will not use it again. Look for a wide and heavy base or fix it to the wall. In multi-level cat trees, the higher it is, the more important the base.
3. The material
- Sisal: the most resistant and the favorite of most cats.
- Cardboard: cheap and very well accepted, but it doesn't last long.
- Jute and carpet: pleasant, although they wear out sooner.
4. Vertical, horizontal, or cat tree
Some cats scratch standing up and others lying down. Pay attention to what they scratch now: if it's the back of the sofa, they need a vertical post; if it's the rug, a horizontal one. If you have space, a cat tree with platforms and a house also gives them height to keep watch and a corner to sleep in, and it is the best option if you have several cats.
5. Where to put it?
Place the scratching post next to what they already scratch, near where they sleep or at the entrance of the house: cats mark upon waking up and in high-traffic areas. Hiding it in a corner is the fastest way to make sure they don't use it.
6. How to get them to use it?
- Rub some catnip on the sisal.
- Play with a wand or a feather toy around the post.
- Reward them when they use it, and never punish them for scratching something else: simply take them to the scratching post.
- Temporarily cover the area of the sofa they scratch with a blanket.
With the right scratching post, in two or three weeks most cats will change their habit. Take a look at our scratching posts and cat trees and, to complete their corner, our beds and toys. Free shipping throughout Spain.
You may also be interested in: cat trees from 48 cm to over 2 meters.
If you prefer to gather everything at once, in the Cat at Home Pack you choose what your cat needs among fountains, beds, scratching posts, and toys.