« DIY Cat Scratching Post »
Wednesday, August 29, 2012 
Never, ever, ever will I have a cat declawed. I have decided that cats have claws and if I have cats I have to deal with that fact. If I didn't want cat claws then I shouldn't have gotten cats.
If you don't have cats, you may envision my home with wrecked furniture and scratched up rugs, but that isn't the case. You can train cats to use a scratching post and you can trim their nails.
Which is why I didn't even flinch when purchasing a cat scratching post last year. I paid $40 and it was a really great one compared to a lot of them I had seen. It lasted a few months before the covering started to come off and it had to be replaced. When I noticed that the cats were getting pissy witht their post, I knew it was time to replace it.
The thing is, most of the affordable cat scratching posts were covered with carpet instead of sisal. I don't know about you, but if you don't want cats scratching up the rugs in your house, the idea of covering their scratching area with that seems counterproductive to me. Sick of it all, I decided to head to the hardware store and make one from scratch.
This one was more expensive that $40 BUT this baby is going to last a lifetime. It's just that heavy duty. If you want to quell your cat's urge to scratch for the long haul, you will need:
- 3/4 inch plywood, 18 x 18 inch square
- 4x4 wood post, 2.5 feet long
- 3/4 inch decorative wood trim, at least 3.5 feet
- mitre box
- hack saw
- wood glue
- trim nails
- hammer
- long wood screws
- 100 ft sisal rope (not synthetic)
- wood bit a smidge smaller than your screws
- power drill
- 4x4 decorative cap
- wood stain
- rug (optional)
STEP 1: Draw out the placement for your 4x4 post. When working with a square, I like to draw lines extending from each corner to make an "X" across the wood face. Align the square shape of your post's corners on each of the lines for a perfect center. Trace the square with a pencil.
Put a thin line of wood glue inside of the square you have drawn. Place the post inside and hold. Clean up any glue that squeezes out, if necessary.
STEP 2: Turn the wood over and drill holes through your bottom square and the 4x4. Screw your saws into the holes to permanently affix the two pieces of wood together.
STEP 3: Now it time for your decorative wood trim... You can purchase this two different places. It is sold at hobby stores for about $3 a piece. You will need 4 pieces for $12 for this project. OR you can purchase a long piece from hardware stores. I purchased a piece for $6 and had about a foot and a half left.
Now for a short lesson on mitre boxes, in case you need it... A mitre box is used to cut uniform angles. This is particularly handy when working to make trim pieces match up really well. According to my dad, I do this totally backward, but also according to my dad I do a really good job matching pieces up. Here is my method:
Make the first angled cut on your trim. You'll want to have your angles pointing away from the piece of wood instead of inward so that it matches up on the corners. The saw fits snugly into lines cut to guide the saw for perfect cuts.
STEP 4: Take your piece with its first cut made and place against the plywood bottom. Put the straight line just inside of the angle and mark the edge of your wood. This is where your next cut will start. Line up your mark in the mitre box and cut your next angle, taking care that it will be pointing away from the wood before you begin to saw.
Cut your first piece, apply wood glue and press up against the plywood. Use trim screws to permanently affix.
STEP 5: If your decorative cap is wood, attach it now. Stain the entire piece and allow to sit overnight.
STEP 6: At this point I decided to add carpet to the plywood to make it a bit prettier. I didn't take pictures of the process and for that I am sorry. It was basically cutting up a rug to size with a 4x4 square in the middle and with a slit at the back to wrap on the plywood and around the 4x4. Use wood glue to affix.
STEP 7: Take the end of your sisal rope and using your hammer and trim screws, attach to the 4x4 at the bottom. Wrap the rope snugly around the post occasionally using a nail to tack down, or as necessary.
My old junk one on the left and my fancy new homemade one on the right.
Take your rope all the way to the top of the post. If you have a metal cap to decorate the top, attach now.
And that's that! It's a fairly time consuming process. It cost me $43 before tax, but my last one was $40 plus tax and this one will last so, so much longer. I'm happy with that.
Happy middle of the week!
Allison Murray
This post was featured on Centsational Girl!
Reader Comments (21)
Not only will the rope last longer than carpet, but you can also replace just the rope next time. I made something similar a while back for my cat. It works and all my cats like it, but yours is definitely prettier. I didn't want to buy a pre-made one because none of the ones in my price range were nearly tall enough. A post is less attractive to the cat than furniture if the post is not tall enough to give them the stretch they need, so people with longer/taller than average cats may want to make their post a little taller.
Hey, Meryl! You are absolutely right on the height. I made mine 2.5 feet and it is ample for my biggest boy. Everyone should go on the height according to the size of their kitties. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. :)
This is a great post! The scratcher is awesome and your kitties are adorable.
Thanks so much, Sophie!!!
I've bought my cat sooo many scratching posts over the years and this design is still the one he likes best. I've always been frustrated with the ugly carpet they come with but now I can make one with my favorite Floor tiles.. YAY! Thanks so much for this, I'll be linking to your tute as well!
I'm so glad to be of help, Rachel. Thanks for the link up!!! I'm so honored to be on "One Pretty Thing"!!!
LOVE IT!!!!!!!
Brains, beauty and a love for cats. You are quite awesome.
Now you've gone and made me blush, Dan. Thanks for being sweet :)
Your creations are awesome! I too have 4 cats. I am 28 and a really big kid at heart. Just wanted to say keep being you and be proud of it :)
You are so sweet, April. Your encouraging words mean a lot!!
Curious as to why you chose nails to secure the rope rather than glue? I am making one for my cats, but am struggling with this decision. Can the nails come out and cause harm? Did you use a specific type of trim nail that won't come out? Thanks! Great, post!
Hi, Chris - I went with the nails rather than glue because I figured it would be considerably sturdier. In fact I started with just gluing the rope and it didn't feel like it was strong enough to last all that long and went back in with the nails.
I am honestly not sure what size the nails are but I remember I got "trim nail" from the box they came out of. There was a head but it was teeny.
So far there has been no issue with the cats being injured by the nails but I honestly used them as sparingly as I could while keeping the rope nice and taut. Sorry to not have better specifics but I hope to have helped you!
Awesome, thanks for the clarification!
This is lovely! I was wondering how sturdy it is. Does it move around at all and wobble when in use? Do you feel the base is sturdy enough? I want to make one as well, but my cat is pretty big and scratches vigorously, so I want to make sure it's something she'd feel comfortable using.
Hey, Ellie - This sucker is very sturdy and doesn't go anywhere! My biggest boy is 28 pounds and he really gets after it, too. I used 3/4 inch plywood, but they sell even thicker which will make the scratching post even sturdier!
Thank you so much!
Nice job!
My wife and I took in a new cat this week, and we were looking at scratching posts. I thought I might be able to make a one, and I really like your post.
Thanks for sharing!
Hey, Bill - I'm really glad that the post proved helpful to you. Also glad that a gentleman caller took the time to comment :)
I love this!! I'll have to make one for my cat
I am so glad, Alicia. Mine is still holding strong with 4 cats a'scratchin!!