The Ultimate Easy Cat Scratcher

While some cats like to scratch at cardboard floor scratchers, others like to stretch out and give a reach at something higher up. You need not purchase an expensive piece of cat furniture to meet your pet’s needs. Instead, consider this budget-friendly jute scratcher that will hang on the wall inconspicuously.

Purchase a roll of jute rope for around $10 at your local hardware store or DIY center. You’ll need a length of board around 5-8” wide and around 24” long. If you’re off by a few inches on the length, don’t worry; the hanging height can be adjusted to be high enough. The goal is to do this project on the cheap. If you have a perfectly good board lying around that needs to be used, use it. You’ll also need a few pieces of hardware: a handful of fence staples or heavy-duty staples and a staple gun, two small “L” brackets, and a few screws. Tools include a hammer and screwdriver.

Begin by wrapping the rope around the top of the board and staple to hold in place. Now, wrap the rope around the board until you reach the bottom of the board. If you have a few inches or feet left over, try and push the wrapped rope towards the top of the board to make room for the leftover rope. Now, hammer a fence staple or staple in a heavy-duty staple every few inches, alternating on either side, to keep the rope from sliding around and exposing the wood. Fasten the end of the rope to the board, covering it with the last piece of rope wrapped around the board. Hopefully you won’t have much rope left over, or if you’re lucky, none at all!

Attach the board at cat-scratching height. With a cooperative cat, stretch her paws out as she stands. Make sure there is a significant amount of board left past that point—never underestimate how far a cat can stretch. Attach L-brackets at either end of the board and mount on the wall in an inconspicuous or out-of-the way location. You should preferably mount to a stud in the wall for maximum stability. However, if you do not have a stud available, toggle bolts should provide anchoring power enough to resist any pull from your average, or even above averaged-sized cat.