Can't find a decades old cat tree

[maggie101]

That I got at

Target. My cat Maggie loves it. She wraps her body around. Doesn't like the new ones guess because they are tall and skinny. Its carpet but not the kind she can scratch out and make a mess. I was hoping someone could help. I have searched far and wide

 

[Columbine]

What's wrong with the old one? If it's just the carpeting that's worn out you could try re-covering it to give it a new lease of life. I've re-covered posts with sisal rope before and it's not hard. I'd guess that carpet would be easier to work with than rope too.

Or what about checking out bengalcatman 's posts on Cat Scratching posts There are different styles, they look amazing and really sturdy, and Maggie might love one just as much as her old Target one.

 

[maggie101]

What's wrong with the old one? If it's just the carpeting that's worn out you could try re-covering it to give it a new lease of life. I've re-covered posts with sisal rope before and it's not hard. I'd guess that carpet would be easier to work with than rope too.

Or what about checking out bengalcatman 's posts on Cat Scratching posts There are different styles, they look amazing and really sturdy, and Maggie might love one just as much as her old Target one.

I will try recovering it if I can find similar carpet

 

[bengalcatman]

I will try recovering it if I can find similar carpet

Be careful with the carpet you choose - I have had two customers tell me that their cats got their toes injured when their claws got stuck on carpet scratchers. From what I gather, synthetic carpet was the problem in both cases. I suspect the problem is that some of the fibers form "loops" that trap claws (just guessing.) I have tested sisal, jute, wool, cotton and seagrass carpets, they all worked fine - none of them had "loops" of thread and claws pulled freely away.

As Columbine said, rewrapping with sisal is easy, you can often find it at Lowes or Home Depot. A 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch square post around 24 inches high will need somewhere between 65 and 100 feet of 1/4 inch sisal (depends on how tight you wrap and how dense the rope is.) Most sisal will work fine - just don't use ones labeled "oiled" (many have a tiny bit of oil -you just don't want it if it looks wet and sticky.)

What's wrong with the old one? If it's just the carpeting that's worn out you could try re-covering it to give it a new lease of life. I've re-covered posts with sisal rope before and it's not hard. I'd guess that carpet would be easier to work with than rope too.

Or what about checking out bengalcatman 's posts on Cat Scratching posts There are different styles, they look amazing and really sturdy, and Maggie might love one just as much as her old Target one.

Thanks for the shout!

Have to add, maggie101 is not the only one with a worn out scratcher. This is sitting in our kitchen now:

Talk about the cobblers kids going without shoes.... There is a few thousand feet of sisal out in the shop and machine to wind it... so I really don't have any excuse! This was an early prototype I never finished from many, many years ago, Makena always liked it so I just kinda left it... all 3 cats use it many times a day. They just managed to actually break the rope a few days ago. Guess I should either rewrap it or pick out a new one for them LOL.

 

[maggie101]

Be careful with the carpet you choose - I have had two customers tell me that their cats got their toes injured when their claws got stuck on carpet scratchers. From what I gather, synthetic carpet was the problem in both cases. I suspect the problem is that some of the fibers form "loops" that trap claws (just guessing.) I have tested sisal, jute, wool, cotton and seagrass carpets, they all worked fine - none of them had "loops" of thread and claws pulled freely away.

As Columbine said, rewrapping with sisal is easy, you can often find it at Lowes or Home Depot. A 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch square post around 24 inches high will need somewhere between 65 and 100 feet of 1/4 inch sisal (depends on how tight you wrap and how dense the rope is.) Most sisal will work fine - just don't use ones labeled "oiled" (many have a tiny bit of oil -you just don't want it if it looks wet and sticky.)



Thanks for the shout!

Have to add, maggie101 is not the only one with a worn out scratcher. This is sitting in our kitchen now:

Talk about the cobblers kids going without shoes.... There is a few thousand feet of sisal out in the shop and machine to wind it... so I really don't have any excuse! This was an early prototype I never finished from many, many years ago, Makena always liked it so I just kinda left it... all 3 cats use it many times a day. They just managed to actually break the rope a few days ago. Guess I should either rewrap it or pick out a new one for them LOL.

So what carpet is the one I have?

I like it because it doesn't tear as bad. It is starting to fall apart so I thought a brand new one would be nice

 

[bengalcatman]

Looks like a synthetic, not sure what type. Seems like you ought to be able to find a similar material in little area rug at a Walmart or Target? If the carpet is flexible enough, you should be able to hot glue it on or use upholstery tacks. Maggie will likely use nearly anything you put on that post because she will pick up her scent on it.