Tuesday, May 24, 2011

DIY Cat Scratching Board by Guest Blogger, Tracy Sitchen

DIY Cat Scratching Board

After moving to a new apartment last year, my partner and I found ourselves with a veritable mountain of empty cardboard boxes.  It was when I had to swat away our curious cat, Hiro, from this very same mountain that I knew exactly what to do with all the excess cardboard.

Materials

Cardboard boxes of any size

Tape or hot glue gun

Exacto knife

Cute paper or fabric scraps

Instructions

1.    Cut the cardboard into 2-inch wide strips (wider if you want) and at least 12 inches long.  Make sure the ridges in the material are horizontal so your cat’s claws have something to catch.

2.    Align the pieces together until collectively the pieces are as wide as your palm.  Use a hot glue gun to glue the pieces tightly together.  Don’t do this on a carpeted surface!

3.    Cut your cute paper or fabric so it wraps the frame of the board; secure along the sides with glue or tape.  Leave both sides (the top and bottom) of the scratching board clear so that you can flip it over if one side goes through too much wear and tear.

4.    Alternatively, try this method from Design Sponge, wherein you wind the strips into a tight circle and continue to wrap each layer of cardboard around it until you create a circular scratching pad.

5.    Sprinkle catnip or cat treats onto the cardboard and watch your feline friend go nuts.


Bio: Tracy Sitchen is a veteran coupon clipper, stay at home, and aspiring writer. While she loves shopping, she loves the chase of the deal even more! She’s recently been writing on printable Digiorno pizza coupons and the best way to find grocery coupons over at her blog where she shares deals and discounts to help every day people save money.

11 comments:

Angel and Kirby said...

That is a good idea! And a great DIY project!

Marg said...

Wow, that is such a good idea for the scratch pad. The kitties that live here love their scratch pads and they are always destroying them. So now I can build one for them. I just need some really sharp scissors to cut the cardboard. Going to check out her site too.

Boo-Bah said...

This is such a great idea! My cats love to scratch and not always where they should.

meowmeowmans said...

Awesome idea! We will try this for the animal shelter! :)

jenianddean said...

We tried to make a wedge scratching board. Dad thought he could sand the unevenness out of his bad cuts, but no success -- more mess than anything. So cut carefully from the beginning. But it was a fun project for him.

Our cat food prize arrived! Thanks so much. Four bags -- wow!
--Jasper

AttieCattie said...

this... is... GENIUS.

Samantha, Clementine and Maverick said...

Awwwww!!!! That looks like lots of fun and very easy to make!! Just wanted to let you know that we got the cat food and it's really, really good!!
Your TX furiends,

Au and Target said...

hey this looks like great fun!

wholesale hair extensions said...

easy to learn, good idea.

Chrissykat said...

No new posts from Maggie May in a long while...hope everything is okay.

Jan's Funny Farm said...

Happy Maggie May Day!

We, too, hope everything is okay with you.