Cat Scratchers Your Cat Needs Now

Unless your cat is one of those angels who has never done a bad thing in his whole life and would never (gasp!) dream of touching your furniture or bedding with his claws... you need a cat scratcher.

While we love a good traditional scratching post, and so do our kitties… sometimes it’s fun to mix it up with a novelty cat scratcher. Some of these are like little houses that your kitty can go in and scratch and snooze in, or like the DJ scratcher, fun for pet parents to watch and photograph.

Here are some favorites we know you’ll love. Not sure what to choose? Read below for our tips on how to choose- and gratuitous photos of our furbabies.

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THE BEST OVERALL KITTY SCRATCHERS

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THE BEST CUTE FACTOR KITTY SCRATCHERS

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a few suggestions...

SIZE MATTERS: Some cats love the enclosed space of little “houses” and an enclosed cat scratcher can meet that need, but be sure to measure your cat, and read the product dimensions carefully. This picture shows one of our gorgeous Middle Eastern cats, and these boys tip the scales at nearly 15 lbs. He really, REALLY wants to fit inside the vintage TV scratcher, and you can see they’ve worked it over pretty hard scratching it-- but he doesn’t quite fit inside.

The same scratch TV and a 10 lb standard rescue kitty from our Rocky Mountain team? She fits inside just fine and naps in it for hours.

Know your cat and measure measure measure!

KEEP IT UPRIGHT: It's really important to be sure your scratcher stays upright so your kitty stays interested in it and doesn't become frightened by something that is unstable and tips over on him or with him on it. For posts, choose something with a broad base. The taller the post, the broader the base should be. Most cat trees skimp on this important factor and the posts aren't useful for cats bigger than 5 month old kittens.

PLACE YOUR SCRATCHER NEAR THE FURNITURE: Present your baby with alternatives to the sofa and chairs he likes to scratch. Chances are he likes to scratch places where you sit or hang out a lot. Give him something to do nearby and reward him by sprinkling catnip on his scratcher or other means of positive reinforcement.