STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

I don't have any special furniture for Esme, but I *do* save my furniture from her nasty claws with one of these babies a cardboard scratch box. I swear, for something so simple, it is amazingly effective... she luuuuuuurves it:

http://www.petco.com/product_info.asp?familyid=5858&sku=1158920442&tab=2&dept_id=681&c1=680&c2=681&c3=&ct1=Scratchers&ct2=Cardboard&ct3=

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441808425&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302033671&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023690&bmUID=1123206669905

You can get similar ones anywhere (Target, whatever) - they're just oblong corrugated cardboard things that either come stuffed with catnip or you add catnip provided. My kitty scratches nothing else.... I also leave one at my friend's house who petsits her when I am gone, and they say she uses that instead of their furniture at their house as well. Gave one to my parents for their cats and they are having a lot of success as well. Traditional scratching posts have never worked for us, but this thing seems to be the charm. I buy a new one every few months.

Also, I do get a relatively cheap rug for my living room and replace it annually - just a $100-150 rug from Ikea like once a year. She'll trash it, I get a new one. (I used to have gorgeous mexican rugs but had to send them to our vacation because she loved them a little too much...)


-- Edited by dc at 22:02, 2005-08-04

I have this for my cat (well, ours only has 2 openings, so it's a little shorter, but you get the idea). She absolutely loves it - she curls up into a ball and sleeps on the top of it -- it's really soft and fleecy. She never shows any interest in our furniture anymore, which is a relief -- less hair on the couch! She loves her kitty condo!



-- Edited by Christine at 09:42, 2005-08-05

-- Edited by Christine at 09:43, 2005-08-05

I've got something like this for my cats, and while they do scratch on it a lot, they don't tend to sleep in it. It helps if you move it around the room from time to time because they get bored with it being in the same place. If you move it, they "discover" it all over again and continue to use it.



They also LOVE the cardboard scratcher (like DC described). It makes a mess, but totally worth it. They get all happy and stoned and fall asleep on the thing. So funny.

None of my throw rugs are expensive, so they do tend to scratch a bit on those and I don't mind so much. I think there are just some sacrifices you have to make for kitties with claws. No nice expensive rugs for me...and I'm okay with that.

I have one that is exactly opposite of the one gruiz posted - little house at the bottom. My kitties love it!

dot, My 18 lb cat (chicken) does fit in the house part, but he looks ridiculous in it! Like those fat ladies that wear their shoes too tight. Spilling out just a little.

Collette wrote:

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We call it their pot mat.

That's freakin' hilarious! 

If I buy anything for my cat, she won't use it.  I once bought her this nice comfy round sleep cushion, she wouldn't go near it.  She just has to sleep on my bed and uses my pillow to rest her head on!