DIY Cat Scratching Post

Black Beard Projects
by Black Beard Projects
2 Materials
$10
3 Hours
Easy
Thought of a creative way to build an inexpensive cat scratching post for the cutest cat in the world.
It wasn't too hard to put together so here is what I did, and maybe you can be inspired to make on too! Here are the basic steps. Watch the video at the end to see the whole process.
The post has a wood base which I sawed to size. It's a square shape with a small circle in the middle for the hard plastic pipe to be placed in.
With the square wooden base ready the next step is to cover it. 




Cut a rug in half. It will be used to cover the base. 


Staple it around the base using a staple gun and folding over the rug around the edges.
A circle needs to be cut around the rug in the middle where the whole in the wood is. The cardboard post needs to be inserted here. 
The cardboard post needs to be inserted here. 
Drill the post to the base. Make sure it is steady and secure. 
Take out wood glue because we are ready to start wrapping the twine around the post for the scratching. 
Fully wrap it around, starting from the top and keep gluing it in place. 
Create a lid for the post using the rug. 
Your cat now has a new cat scratching post. 
Please follow my channel http://www.youtube.com/c/BlackBeardPRojects for more projects. 
Suggested materials:
  • Rug
  • Cardboard Tube
Frequently asked questions
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  3 questions
  • Carol Nicholls Elkins Carol Nicholls Elkins on Sep 22, 2017

    Where did you get the (heavy duty) cardboard tube from ??

  • Julie Julie on Sep 23, 2017

    Materials you used. Rug, cardboard tube..... what about the twine? where did you get it. And will the wood glue really hold the twine? The one I bought from the store is unwinding already.

  • Ustabahippie Ustabahippie on Sep 23, 2017

    is the glue strong enough to withstand a strong cat?

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  • Lynne Wood Lynne Wood on Oct 04, 2017

    I used sisal rope to wrap the lower half of a support post in my basement ... my cats love it. Currently, for upstairs, I buy double-wide cardboard scratchers and use two screws to mount it vertically on a banged up door molding. When it gets used up, I unscrew it, flip it over, and remount. Then, when both sides are pretty well clawed up, I put the old one on the floor for a week or two (one of my cats likes it for napping), then toss it in the recycling bin. Meanwhile, I have a new one screwed to the door frame. Each one lasts about a month (using both sides) with 5 cats. The only real downside is that there's usually a lot of shredded cardboard on the floor, which makes me sweep my kitchen floor more often (that's a good thing). I'm going to keep this in mind, though, if I ever get fed up with sweeping up cardboard crumbs.

  • Natalie Jarnstedt Natalie Jarnstedt on Mar 31, 2018

    Instead of glue, I use duct tape and wind it around the tube on an angle with the sticky side out - it keeps the twine from loosening while I'm working, and keeps it in place when cats scratch on it. I re-twine all the purchased scratching posts - a lot cheaer than buying new ones. Cats also love to have a small platform on top of the post! I've also used large branches - cats love to scratch off the bark; once that's gone, I use the duct tape and twine to cover them. I have to improvise, keep costs down - I've been operating a cat rescue/adoption organization since 1992.

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