Cardboard Cat Scratcher

Ever get sick of spending your hard earned money on cat crap for your cat(s)?

Yea..you know, like that stupid $10 "Cat Scratcher"...yea...you know the one, the block of cut down and glued cardboard strips?

Every time I'd buy one, I'd shake my head. Might as well give my cats $10 to play with and eat.

This is a great solution for you. As it's been for me.

Step 1: What you'll need.

You'll need the following:

1. A cat (in my case Three).
2. A piece of Card Board - 32x24 (I used 3 due to the amount of cats).
3. A razor for cutting.
4. A 36 Inch ruler (I like the metal ones).
5. Some glue.
6. Optional Cat Marijuana.

Comments

[katerlyn]

Thanks! I suppose it would be illegal to use up my postal cardboard boxes in this way!!

[bkennelly]

Loved your idea and needed something ASAP for a new kitten. Went to K-Mart and they had one for $20!

Took your basic premise but put the strips into the bottom of a 12-pack soda box. Fingers crossed she learns to scratch there and not my boyfriends golf bag LOL

[suerose]

No measuring or cutting or glue but not so pretty.

1. large cardboard box.
2. folded it to a size I thought the cat would like.
3. wrapped it around with twine.

5 minutes or less.

Cat loves it.

I'd like to know how to grow cat nip.

[container_gardener]

Thank you. I was adopted by a stray cat last week, and I was looking for a DIY scratcher for him.

[108841]

You mean catnip right? Not cat marijuana.

[neopirater]

Um...Yes. I was trying to be witty.

[bowmaster]

If I gave my cat $10 he would buy some catnip.

[Mr. Brownie]

Yes, I'm sure that's it.

[bowmaster]

You say "It's always fun to see your cats go mental." I say: When do they stop? I have a cat around 12 months old who makes a real racket at night. I stayed up all night a few days ago and I kept thinking a bunch of people where coming down the stairs. All because of an 8 pound cat.

[talonts]

Rather than go insane drawing lines over and over, invest in a wider yardstick, and just use it to set the width to cut. Or check out drywall squares, they are long and wide. Or just get a 1.5-2" wide piece of bar stock in steel or aluminum. You can also just make a cutting jig out of scrap wood, clamping a utility knife blade in it. Set it up with a channel with the blade at the width you want to cut, start with a straight edge from the box, and just run the box through it over and over, or if you make the jig small enough, hold the box off the end of a table/chair/whatever, and run the jig across it over and over for strips the same width without measuring. If you're only going to make one, it makes sense to just measure and mark. But if you're going to keep making them, a properly sized strip of metal or a cutting jig will save you a LOT of time. Having 6 cats, I'll be doing this soon. If I make a jig, I'll post it.

[neopirater]

I'd like to see what you come up with as far as a jig. I have a two in ruler, just isn't long enough for the cardboard I use. I moved out of the loft I was in...and only one cat (my cat Nana) remained with me. So...the scratcher was just recently built again. My ex got the old one. Nana doesn't seem to like using it as much, now that the other two aren't around to use it as well. She prefers the corner of my brand new bed mattress and the back of my favorite retro couch. I'll be getting a squirt bottle in no time...Cat nip on the scratcher didn't seem to go over all that well. Anyone know a good way to remove cat hair off of black sheets, without the use of a pet vac?

[talonts]

The simplest jig would simply be a piece of 1x2 pine with a slot cut near the end, with a screw going through side of the board (on the 3/4" side) through the slot. Put a carpet knife blade in the slot (they're safer than utility blades - they're the hooked ones), tighten the screw to clamp the blade down.

Then get another scrap of 1x2, screw/glue/nail/whatever it to the other perpendicularly (making a T shape), with the scrap under the blade board. The length of the blade board should be picked before fastening, just measure from the scrap board to the blade to set the cardboard strip width.

To use, place the cardboard over the edge of a table, put the cutter on the overhanging edge, with the scrap board parallel to and against the cardboard edge, and slide the cutter. Lather, rinse, repeat, feeding the cardboard off the end of the table for each cut, so the blade is always at least a couple inches from the table edge.

There are many, many ways to make a cutter or jig. For example, another way is to use the above T cutter, but with a standard utility blade. Now add another 1x2 piece under the scrap T edge, parallel with the blade piece. When setting the blade, run it down until the tip embeds in the lower 1x2.

Or yet another quick version - build the T cutter, but fasten it to a decent sized piece of scrap plywood. Rather than running the cutter over the cardboard, set the cutter on the floor, and run the box through it.

If you have scrap wood and fasteners laying around, your only costs will be the occasional replacement carpet or utility blade.

I could probably whip up a couple of examples if the above don't make sense. I'll just have to see if I have any scrap 1xXs or not.

[kill-a-watt]

Big 2x4 frame screwed together. Pre-cut cardboard that has as many sheets wedged in as possible.Done. .

[neopirater]

I like this...No glue, right?

[kill-a-watt]

no glue. I got the cardboard precut from some envelope boxes. There was a center divider down the center of the flats of envlopes. The cardboard, looked at edgwise, is in a V shape.. I just crammed as many as possible in the frame. You can see about two inches from the end where there's a notch. Originally I made a frameless scratcher by just strapping the cardboard in that notch, However using just the frame works better

[ItsTheHobbs]

Oh my gosh, your cat roxie looks just like mine named Trtella!

[neopirater]

It's my ex's cat...she's the devil. Roxy, not my ex.

[ItsTheHobbs]

haha. actually, Tortellas pretty evil too....

[ItsTheHobbs]

*Tortella

[MinnieLea]

With 4 cats, don't know why I didn't think of this. Keep the frame, make new innards. Free cardboard I can get, all I need. Thanks.

[HvW]

Nice!

I make a similar scratcher for my cat, but without glue. I'm just about to do an Instructable for it, figured I'd search first and see what else was out there. Free cardboard is so, so handy! I've actually wondered if the companies making the $10 scratchers are *also* getting it free. I bet they are!

I like your step about how a cat is required. :)

[MrsPost]

We bought the $10 ones to find out if the cats would like them. The answer is 'yes'. Now that we have the frames we'll be making new innards as needed. The catnip makes it fun for us to watch. ;) Very good instructable. Lots of pictures and clear instructions. Can't ask for better than that.

[ChrysN]

Nice, too bad I already spent the $10 on mine. Good idea to put the catnip right in there.

[neopirater]

Next time you have the chance to get corrugated cardboard for free...this is a nice little time killer...and a great money saver, while giving your pet a good place they know is "OK" to scratch...and keeping their claws healthy and your furniture new.