Making a scratching post

I'm going to be building one, possibly two scratching posts for my kittens. I'll be using 2x4s that are at least a little higher than the arms of my sofa, because they like to climb those. I've never done this before so I have some questions.

1. How big should the base be and what type of material should it be?

2. What's the best way to attach the 2x4 to the base? My hubby was saying to use screws, but I don't know if that would be stable enough.

2. I have some carpet remnants in the basement, but I'm thinking of using sisal rope instead so they don't learn to scratch the carpet. What kind of glue should I use? I was thinking would glue. Do I need to attach the ends in any special way, or just with glue?

3. Should they have a place to sit on at the top? Do cats like those? And how big should it be?

Any other advice?

Thanks!

I'm just going to answer the questions that I can answer.

The scratching post that I had made has a couple of large screws comming up the bottom of it. It's very sturdy.

You should put a place to sit on top! My cats have one and they're always up there waiting to pouce on one another or sleeping. They love it. I've posted this picture before, but I'll post it again for you.


You can really see the differnce in the sizes of the one my dad made, and one that was bought at a store. FYI- if you use carpet on any part of it, make sure you staple under the ends so the carpet doesn't fray. I have little purple peices of carpet all over the place.

I havent made a scracting post myself (would like to at some point though) but I did re-rope the one we bought Oliver at the store because he used it so much he broke through the sisal (and his nails are capped!!)... so I picked up sisal at Lowes, removed the old rope and just used hot glue to apply the new stuff.... I wrapped the ends in clear packing tape to keep them from fraying and just used a good amount of hot glue to keep it on... I did this in January for Oliver's birthday and it still looks great today (obviously the rope shows signs of scratching, but it's still very much attached to the post).... let us know how this goes as I'm curious about making a stand up one... the only one I've made for Oliver is one that lays on the floor: I layered up several pieces of cardboard and duct taped them together and then covered it in a remnant from a long denim skirt that I had cut up to be mini (the slit in the bottom had ripped haha, so I recycled instead of trashing it).... then I hot glued the denim to the carboard - he loves it! I've since held on to 2 pairs of jeans that either dont fit or are ripped in order to make another when this one goes (which will probaby be soon since he uses it so much! haha)... good luck!

Originally Posted by Naturestee

1. How big should the base be and what type of material should it be?

2. What's the best way to attach the 2x4 to the base? My hubby was saying to use screws, but I don't know if that would be stable enough.

2. I have some carpet remnants in the basement, but I'm thinking of using sisal rope instead so they don't learn to scratch the carpet. What kind of glue should I use? I was thinking would glue. Do I need to attach the ends in any special way, or just with glue?

3. Should they have a place to sit on at the top? Do cats like those? And how big should it be?

Any other advice?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

I am in the process of building a cat tower. I am taking pics as I go and will post most likely when it is complete.

1 - I would make the base large enough so that they don't knock it over when they run and jump on it....maybe 2' x 4'. I would make the base out of 3/4" plywood.

2 - I would use 4x4 or 6x6 posts as opposed to a 2x4. It would be sturdier. I would attach the post through the bottom of the 3/4" plywood base through a countersunk hole using a long (3" or so) lag screw/bolt.

3 - If you use sisal rope, make sure you search out the unoiled kind. Most sisal rope sold in home improvement stores and local hardware stores is oiled AND treated with pesticides. I wouldn't glue the rope or carpet, but staple it.

4 - A perch to sit on top is entirely up to you, but we all know that most cats love high places.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

forgot something......if you can find 3/8" sisal, it holds up much better than 3/16" sisal.

Thanks!

2'x4' sounds like an awfully large base, especially since I have small rooms in a very small house. LunaLou, what size is your base? Your homemade post is about the same size as what I've been thinking of. Great pic!

And staples instead of glue for the rope? That sounds good to me! Gluing the rope on sounded like a pain.

I beleive the base is 20x20. It's about perfect for the size.