Cat Scratching Post – the Main Types

Cats love to scratch. Scratching is an extremely important element of cat behavior. It has useful practical purposes:  cleaning the claws and keeping them sharp and healthy, marking the territory, stretching and exercising.  Although many people know that cats adore to scratch, the fact that cats have little scent glands hidden in their paws is little known. When cats scratch something, the object is marked with their specific smell. Everything is great by now, except for one thing: cats scratch everything they consider suitable – including your nice furniture. How to find a compromise between you and your kitty? There is an easy way – buy a cat scratching post! Thanks to this ingenious invention, cats can scratch as much as they want in a healthy, safe way, and you can enjoy your unscratched furniture for a long time!

Where to buy a cat scratching post? I’d suggest the online market – you can instantly visualize and analyze hundreds of versions of the product sitting comfortably at your computer.

There are many types of cat scratching posts available online – from the simplest wooden scratching posts to the more elaborate cat trees, cat towers and cat condos. Usually the scratching posts are around two – three feet tall, with a wide base and a rough surface which will trigger that cat’s scratching instinct. The post has to be tall enough for your kitty to be able to stand and stretch, and the base of the post has to be wide and sturdy, preventing the post from toppling over while your cat is playing with it.

Because we adore our pets so much and we want them to have a safe nice place for manifesting their scratching aptitudes, and because we want to protect or furniture at the same time, many types of cat scratching posts were created. Fortunately for us, there are only two main versions. The first one is the standard, classic cat scratching post. It consists of a base which supports a vertical pole. The pole can be wooden or covered with a special surface, like sisal or carpet. Of course, if you want a cheap cat scratching post, you can choose the first version.

But maybe you’re thinking about spoiling your little furry friend? In this case, the second type of cat scratching post is for you – the combination scratching post.

The standard scratching posts are perfect if you allow your cat to go outside from time to time or if you live at the countryside. They are useful in small apartments as well, where you don’t have enough space for a cat tree. If your cat goes outside, she will do a lot of scratching on trees and other suitable objects. But this doesn’t save you from the kitty’s unexpected urge to scratch while she’s inside of the house. In this case, a simple cat scratching post will save your things from those sudden scratch attacks.

Combination scratching posts are extremely popular nowadays. There are many kinds of combination posts and you can find each of them online: the cat tree is a perfect place for scratching, stretching, climbing and playing; the cat gym and the cat tower will invite your kitty for have even more fun and exercise; the cat condos combine all these elements, providing at the same time nice sleeping areas, like cat beds! All these models have many toys included, so you can be sure that your kitty will never get bored! Combination cat scratching posts are purrrrfect for indoor cats, especially if you have plenty of space in your apartment.