Cat Trees, Condos & Scratchers

Scratching is not a habit a cat can be trained out of. It sheds the outer claw sheath, stretches the whole front end, and leaves a scent mark, so the only workable plan is to give the cat something better to scratch than the sofa. A cat tree or scratching post works when it is in the right place, tall enough, and stable enough that it does not rock.

The range splits two ways. Cat trees and cat towers are for climbing, perching and sleeping as well as scratching; cat scratching posts and flat scratchers do the claw job alone, in less floor space and for less money. Most households end up with one of each.

Height, stability and where it goes

A vertical post has to let the cat stretch out fully from front paws to back legs — for most adult cats that means well over half a metre of scratchable surface, and a post that stops short simply will not get used. Stability matters as much as height: a tree that wobbles when a cat launches at it gets abandoned after a couple of tries, which is why the solid timber Petsbelle trees are heavier than they look. Placement is the part people get wrong. Put the post where the cat already scratches, and where it already sleeps — cats scratch as they get up, so beside the favourite napping spot is better than in a corridor. A window view turns a tall tree into a perch and doubles the time spent on it.

Trees, ladders, posts and flat scratchers

Multi-level trees add perches, hammocks and hideaways to the scratching surface, and they matter most in a household with more than one cat, where being able to sit higher than the other cat settles a lot of arguments quietly. The Petsbelle range covers the solid wood side, from compact frames to tall multi-platform designs. The Monkee Tree is a different idea again: a scalable climbing ladder that bolts to the wall in trunk sections, with branch packs and a scratch patch to extend it, so it grows with the space rather than being replaced. K&H's Hangin' Feline Funhouse suspends the whole thing instead. At the simpler end, Ibiyaya makes fold-out, hide-out and sand dune scratching pads with replaceable boards, and Petstages does the cardboard tunnels and hammock loungers — cheap enough to put one in every room, which is often what finally saves the furniture.

Sisal, cardboard or carpet

Cats have a texture preference and it is worth finding out which one yours has before buying the expensive tree. Sisal rope and sisal fabric are the most durable and the closest to bark. Corrugated cardboard is the most popular with cats that scratch horizontally, and a replaceable insert keeps the cost down. Carpet-covered posts are the ones to think twice about, since a cat that learns carpet is for scratching will not distinguish between the post and the floor.

• Cat trees and towers
• Cat scratching posts and scratchers
• Cat beds and bedding
• Cat toys
• Ibiyaya scratching pads
• Catit
• Cat carriers and travel
• Cat collars, harnesses and leads