Cat furniture is a commodity that is known by many names. The most common include cat trees, towers, climbers, scratchers and cat gyms. There are dozens more, but whatever term you use to describe cat furniture, the purpose is the same – to prevent your cat scratching your carpets and furniture and enable him/her to follow their instinctual desire to scratch and also to give them a place of their own where they can exercise, play, and lounge.
There are many different types of cat furniture, made from such a variety of materials, that shopping for cat furniture can be confusing. Which materials are better? What design is the most stable? What size should I buy? Which style would my cat like? In this article, I’ll try to help you answer these questions so you can make a more informed buying decision.
Cat scratching: Why do they do it?
It’s helpful to understand cat scratching and why it is necessary for your pet. The primary reason for cats scratching furniture, carpets, woodwork, or other objects is to mark their territory for other cats (this is instinctual, so they will do this even if they are the only cat in the house). Additionally, the scratching helps remove the dead cells from the claw sheaths, and stretches their muscles and ligaments.
Feline behaviour is consistent, whether it’s a tiger in the wild, or your tabby in a tower. Scratching is the way they say to other felines in the area “Hey, I’m here, and this is my place”. Scratching communicates this in two ways. The first is obvious – the scratches provide a very visual cue to other cats. Additionally, cats have scent glands in their paws, which leave pheromones that other cats can smell.
Cat furniture coverings
In the past, most cat furniture was covered with carpet. This was a good choice, because it looks good, and it offers a material that cats obviously like to scratch. Some of the cat furniture manufactured today, especially hand-made models, still use carpet.
Most carpeting today contains fabric loops. Unfortunately, after thousands of scratches, cat claws can cut through these loops, resulting in unsightly and messy shredding. You’ve probably seen this yourself.
However, with today’s technology, engineers have developed an acrylic material specifically for use in the cat furniture industry. This material, commonly referred to as fake or faux fur, has become increasingly popular. The main reason for this popularity is the fact that it does not contain loops, so it doesn’t shred like carpet does, and therefore tends to last longer than carpet. The drawback is that since it doesn’t offer the resistance that carpet does when they scratch it, cats don’t like it for scratching as much as they like carpeting.
As a result, most cat furniture that offers faux fur also utilises sisal rope as a covering. Generally, the vertical posts are wrapped with sisal rope, and the platforms and enclosures are covered with the acrylic fur.
Sisal rope is made from the Agave Sisalana plant, which is native to the Yucatan area of Mexico. Cats seem naturally drawn to this material, and unlike the acrylic fur, sisal rope offers the resistance that cats need to tune their claws and stretch their muscles.
Some cat furniture manufacturers that use carpet as a covering also offer sisal-wrapped posts, and in most (but not all) cases cats will scratch on the sisal instead of the carpet.
Structural materials
Obviously the strength of the cat furniture is provided by the underlying structural materials. Vertical posts are usually wood 2 x 4’s or heavy cardboard tubes, while horizontal surfaces are either plywood or pressboard. Manufacturers sometimes use cardboard for enclosure walls that do not bear any weight load.
It is a common misconception that wooden posts offer more structural integrity than cardboard tubes. In actuality, this is not necessarily true. Of course everybody knows that wood is stronger than cardboard when flat. However, when thick (at least 1/4″) cardboard is made into a tube, and stood up vertically, it can hold an incredible amount of weight. The addition of a layer of sisal rope wrapped around it adds even more strength. One big advantage of cardboard posts over wooden ones is the weight. Shipping rates are based on weight, and shipping costs for a piece of cat furniture made with cardboard posts will be considerably less than a comparable model with wooden posts.
For platforms and weight-bearing walls in enclosures, manufacturers generally utilise either plywood or pressboard (also known as particle board). Pressboard is fiber pulp that is mixed with a chemical adhesive to create a smooth, uniform board. Plywood is manufactured by gluing thin layers of wood together, resulting in a board that is actually stronger than solid wood of the same thickness.
Generally, plywood is preferred to pressboard for cat furniture platforms for a number of reasons. During shipping, pressboard is much more likely to be damaged than plywood, especially if the carton is dropped on it’s corner. Additionally, pressboard tends to crumble around the edges of screw or bolt holes if the hardware is tightened too much. Pressboard platforms are also more likely to break if enough weight or vertical force is put on it, as happens if a child sits on it.
Floor-to-ceiling or freestanding?
Cat furniture models will be either freestanding or floor-to-ceiling (commonly referred to as cat trees). Freestanding cat furniture is usually wide and bottom-heavy, to prevent it from tipping over when cats are at the top, or are very active. Floor-to-ceiling models use tension against the ceiling to provide their stability, and so do not require as wide a footprint as freestanding models. A properly assembled and installed floor-to-ceiling model won’t tip over but is not the most sightly and, if you live in a smaller house, they can add a cluttered look.
So if you value your chaise lounge or your floor to ceiling curtains, you will be making a sound investment by adding some scratch points for kitty.
If you found Tips to stop your cat scratching around the house helpful, you’ll find more expert tips about caring for cats on our Pets channel.
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