Diy Cat Scratching Post

I'm done with cheap scratching posts. They fall over unless wedged under a chair, and my cats tear them up within a few weeks. They are also not tall enough for my Moose cat.
I cannot afford to buy a fancy one. Or to keep buying cheap ones.

So I am going to make my own. (wish me luck... I'm a 35 year old mom of 3 with zero experience in this area!)

I found some simple instructions on the internet that I can follow. But the one thing I want to make sure of is a wider heavy base. Moose is about 18 pounds, and he throws his weight into his scratching, so I need to try to create something he feels safe to do that on!

I figure a 3' tall 4"x4" is a good post. I'll be doing three sections of sisal rope (their favorite). They tend to shred it quickly (5 cats, after all).

But I need suggestions for a base. I feel like a wooden base wouldn't be heavy enough...

Talk me through this!!

If you are going to nail something, hold the nail with a pair of pinch nose pliers then hit it with the hammer. I prefer a light, small hammer, but that is up to you.

How would you attach the post to a non-wood base?

If you get a half sheet of inch ply wood and cut it in half and fasten the halves together you have a fairly heavy base. Inch ply wood is heavier than you think. Go on and make the base 3 feet by 3 feet. Why not? the bigger the base the more stable the scratching post. You might still want to put part of the base under the edge of the sofa if you make a really tall post for Moose.

Ok, that's the kind of thing I was thinking about. I wasn't sure if plywood would be enough, but two pieces together (and the 3' base) sounds good.

I originally was wondering about plywood, but gluing something heavy on the bottom...??? haha. But the double plywood sounds like the way to go.

You could try a melamine board for the base. The size is actually more important thsn the weight to keep the post from tipping. I would make it at least 30" square, especially if you have the floor space. You could also set it in a corner so there is support on two sides.

Screw the two pieces together. That means buying several screws that are a shade shorter than the two pieces of plywood stacked on each other. Buy extras. If you don't already have a magnet that is shaped like a pencil and extends now might be the time to buy one.
Put this in the search at Amazon to see what I mean.
Master Magnetics Telescoping Magnetic Grabber/Retrieving Magnet, 25” Length, 3 lb. Hold 07228

LeiLana80 said:

I figure a 3' tall 4"x4" is a good post.

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What material is the post itself made out of? We just recently made an 8ft climbing pole from PVC pipe with sisal hot glued to it. We used a PVC plumbing flange to connect the pole directly to the floor joists, but in your case you could screw the flange into a heavy wooden base like below...

LuvDeezKittez where did you get your hot glue gun?

Not sure... it's super old. Just a regular hot glue gun like you'd buy @ a craft store. The hot glue holds the sisal really well-- time consuming but easy to do.

LuvDeezKittez said:

The hot glue holds the sisal really well-- time consuming but easy to do.

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Yes!! That's how I've fixed ours in the past.

Thank you for all the tips!! I think I'm going to hit up my dad's garage and see what he has laying around. He's a self taught fix-it-all, jack of all trades. I might even get a little help, too! lol

GoldyCat said:

You could try a melamine board for the base. The size is actually more important thsn the weight to keep the post from tipping. I would make it at least 30" square, especially if you have the floor space. You could also set it in a corner so there is support on two sides.

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Ohh, I might have a piece of that already!! Good thinking!
Yes I was thinking of 2' 1/2 - 3' for the base!

LeiLana80 said:

I think I'm going to hit up my dad's garage and see what he has laying around. He's a self taught fix-it-all, jack of all trades. I might even get a little help, too! lol

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Awwww.. I love it! Some of my favorite memories are hanging out with my dad in his workshop. Does your dad need another daughter? I mean, Ohio's not THAT far away...

LuvDeezKittez He's always willing to have an extra pair of hands around to help!! lol

That's what I did a LOT of growing up- helping my dad fix up our house. We did literally everything. Plumbing, wiring, flooring, walls, ceiling, old walls torn down, new walls built, roofing, siding, etc. If it needed to be done, we did it! Granted, I was a typical teenager, so I sometimes went along with sighs and eye rolls. Now days I look back fondly at those memories and would kick my teenage butt!! haha

So I guess I DO have some experience with this kind of thing, just not first-hand, by myself.

Got my 3' post today! This weekend I'm hopefully going to find the base boards- possibly in my dad's garage!

Kflowers said:

If you don't already have a magnet that is shaped like a pencil and extends now might be the time to buy one.
Put this in the search at Amazon to see what I mean.
Master Magnetics Telescoping Magnetic Grabber/Retrieving Magnet, 25” Length, 3 lb. Hold 07228

Click to expand...

It's funny- I just ran across one of these today, digging around in my basement.

LuvDeezKittez - Would there be a reason to use the pvc flange when my post is square? I mean, I guess it would still stabilize it, right?

LeiLana80 said:

LuvDeezKittez - Would there be a reason to use the pvc flange when my post is square? I mean, I guess it would still stabilize it, right?

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We used a PVC flange because the post itself was just a PVC tube and it was conveniently located in the same aisle at Home Depot. If your post is square and made out of wood and your base is made out of wood you can just screw them together directly.
Then you might want to use a staple gun instead of hot glue to stick the roping or sisal on (not so sure hot glue will stick to the wood really well). You don't need to staple the whole thing since it's not slippery round PVC, just to get it started...after that you can pull the rope really tight around the corners and stack each row tightly on top of the next.

I guess the real question I should have asked is, what are you thinking of making the base out of?

Here is an awesome and easy tutorial about making a scratching post you can get some inspiration and ideas from:
Colorblocked Scratching Post DIY - A Beautiful Mess

Thanks for the link! I have a similar one I'd bookmarked too. Although theirs look more fancy than mine will! lol
I'm going to have 3 sections of rope- I have found that the bottom section and the very top section don't get used as much, so I'll be securing those parts separately. The middle section will be the actively scratched section and the replaceable part. Somehow my cats shred through the rope within a week and then it all unravels and becomes useless. I don't plan on stapling anything, just using my handy-dandy glue gun!

Sweet Gum and her predecessors managed to pull the nails, staples and upholstery buttons out of upholstered furniture. I'd use the glue gun if I were you.

That's a pretty scratching post.

It's assembled!!! It's huge and heavy and sturdy!
Now I need to buy a ton of sisal rope and find some type of carpet for the bottom...

Oooh oohh....you're so close now!