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CW's First Bogus Theory of Cats...
Watching cat behavior over the years, I have noticed that they scratch not only to flex their feet and claws, they actually like to stretch their shoulders and back, using their claws as leverage. This stretching behavior will tip over a commercially available 'normal' sized scratching post.
Whenever I have observed one of my cats try to get a good stretch out of a standard cat post, it has moved or tipped and the cat has immediately given up and gone to find a more suitable object for an anchor - usually my sofa.
I have noticed that when my cats start scratching at the furniture, the pieces they choose to destroy have a few things in common:
1. They are stable and heavy. (I have observed that my cats always prefer a post that does not move when they dig their claws in and yank.)
2. They are wider than any standard cat posts. (My cats prefer a post that is wider than their shoulders.)
3. They are taller than any standard cat posts. (My cats prefer a post that is at least twice as tall as they are long. They like to reach up as high as they can and get a good long stretch.)
Eventually, I developed a theory, which I have dubbed CW's first bogus theory of cats:
Merely disciplining a cat for using the furniture as a scratching post, but not providing them with an alternative that meets their needs is not likely to be a successful method of training. A post that serves a cat's needs better than the furniture does will be naturally preferred for scratching, and it should make training the cats much easier, since they will not be deprived of stretching out and getting a good scratch in, when their physiology demands it.
So, I have created this tree-sized post, which allows a cat to flex their whole body, from their paws all the way to their tail, if they so choose. Also, it is tall enough to allow them to exercise their innate and instinctive climbing abilities, without wrecking the curtains or other furniture.
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Signing UpStep 1Get ready - Collect supplies and tools
- 10 x wide elbows (Lowes part number: 96076 A21 2X1 ANGLE)
- 2 x narrow elbows (Lowes part number: 315683 STAN 1-1/2” ZN CNR BRC)
- 22 x .5 inch washers
- 26 x .75 inch screws
- 44 x 1 inch screws
- 2 x scrap lumber (½ inch thick, by 3.5 inches wide, by 36 inches long)
- 1 x concrete tube (10 inches in diameter, by 48 inches tall)
- 1 x edge-glued wood panel .75 inches thick, by 20 inches wide, by 36 inches long
- ½ bucket of plaster (about 6 lbs)
- A few feet of duct tape
- 5 x rolls of sisal (.25 inches thick, by 100 feet long, for a total of 500 ft)
- 1 x plywood circle (12 inch diameter or 18 inch if you have two or more cats)
- 1 x circle of foam (12 inch diameter or 18 inch if you have two or more cats)
- 1 x circle of cloth batting (12 inch diameter or 18 inch if you have two or more cats)
- 1 x large bottle of fast-drying wood glue (16 oz)
- 1 x piece of cloth or carpet to cover the top platform (I used a cotton bath mat.)
TOOLS
- pencil
- hand saw
- screw driver
- drill with 1/8” bit and 1/2” bit
- bucket
- stirring stick for plaster
- mixing bucket for plaster
- scissors
- magnet on a string (for fishing out tools and screws that you drop into the tube)
- patience*
*Wrapping the sisal takes hours, so get your patience all stocked up before you start.
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I have very little space though.. I'm thinking I might make this, but add another post to the top, with a shelf or two, high enough so they could climb to the transom window over the balcony door, to look outside. It's a regular door, not sliding, and I can mount a shelf up there for them to lie on. It's one of the few places in here where there might just be room for something like this and I know they'd love it. I have two adopted older girls,litter sibs, black and white, one tiny and crazy, the other was quite chunky when I got her, but is losing weight gradually on a carefully restricted diet of home made raw food. They are fourteen now, but still act like kittens often enough.. the little one, Matty, is absolutely nuts, loves to jump, climb and tunnel wherever she can. Brina is a bit more sedate, but more active now she is slimmer. I'd probably hardly see them if I build them a tall tree. Be a good project for this summer. Great instructions !
Also, I never would have thought about the superstition thing either, but the people at the shelter told me about it and it checks out online. Apparently, it is a well known phenomena among humane associations and cat shelters. It seems really strange to me and since I don't have a color preference, I just always get black ones now that I know they are the neediest of the needy.
When they were kittens, we bought one of those short thin scratching posts covered with sisal. I should have taken it back when the packaging said something along the line of, "Do not let pet use without supervision." (Huh?) I'd say it was because the kittens kept tipping it over. Your logic makes purrfect sense. Make it tall and make it sturdy. (My cats are thinking, "About time!")
Your guide for the "pin cushion" is fabulous. I have multiples who, when charging through the house, can take down Windsor chairs. I have agonized over finding an adequate scratching post. My Tater is 16 pounds of pure "HERE I COME" and we cringe when we hear crashing from the next room. All of mine are shelter cats too weib. Three of them are black as tar. LiveWire, Fuzzy and Stein. Pet store posts do not work. Your guide is going to make us all very happy; I can see this already. I wanted to tell you thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You've saved me a lot of grief...and Windsor chairs!
I'm going to build it this week and I'm no carpenter. I'll be back asap and I'll post the total material cost for those who want to know what the material will set them back. As you suggested, we're shopping Lowe's. I'll bring you pics of my post when it's finished. I'm going to add the shelves you suggested, offset the top shelf, and add a condo box at the top as well. The thought that I will have built them exactly what they need, with my own two hands, is just an awesome thought. I'm sure Zenith and Quasar know exactly what I mean!
Again, thanks weib!
Tammy
Good luck!
Moonchylde
Great guide, great instructions. I took some pictures of my process and posted them at the below link if anyone else is interested. I made some changes but in the end it turned out the same.
Few suggestions for others: I used some tile grout on the bottom seam to make sure nothing leaks out. I also used quickrete concrete instead of plaster. And I put the rolls of sisal on top of the platform while wrapping the post, and it was very easy to unroll it that way as gravity did half the work. I also added glue on 3 sides like you did, and every 6 inches or so I did it all the way around just in case.
Thank you for the inspiration and I hope others use your great guide.
http://picasaweb.google.com/andydumitrescu/CatPost?feat=directlink
Nothing that you can buy for a similar cost will be as sturdy or serve your animals' needs as well as something you customize specifically for them.
But it is funny when one of them gets a claw stuck in the material, so they're left there paw in the air, can't move, and I have to release them, which can be a pain too with Spud cos she's a grumpy little cow... :P
I know, isn't it a cool story? It's been several months and I still can't get over it. Zenith is just a really awesome cat. We knew that she was snuggling with the kitten and playing with her a few days after we got them, but even the vet was astonished when she started making milk. It's not unheard of, but it is kind of rare I guess for a mother cat to spontaneously adopt a strange kitten like that. We are very lucky to have her.
Also, I never would have thought about the superstition thing either, but the people at the shelter told me about it and it checks out online. Apparently, it is a well known phenomena among humane associations and cat shelters. It seems really strange to me and since I don't have a color preference, I just always get black ones now that I know they are the neediest of the needy.