cat scratcher question

[fastnoc]

I'm sick of throwing out my worn out scratchers. the only thing worn out is the rope.

So i'm going to run down to lowes tomorrow and just buy some sisal rope (which is what they're usually made with).

BUT, I don't want to look like a ding dong. soooooooo

How do you pronounce 'sisal'? hehe like cecil?

 

[Willowy]

LOL. . .good question!

I'm pretty sure it's SY-sull. Or SY-zull.

I've found that it's actually pretty expensive, and it takes a lot more than you think to wrap around a post. But I've never tried Lowe's--maybe they sell it by the foot in bulk. But a roll at Wal-Mart isn't cheap! I did find a good-sized roll at a dollar store, though.

 

[fastnoc]

yup you're right on pronunciation. I lerned something today!

Yeah it's not cheap, but I hate to throw out those old ones. Put it this way. the scratcher was 20 bucks. A roll of sisal rope 100ft long is 10 bucks and that's plenty for two scratchers. so that's 5 bucks apiece versus buying new at 20.

I have insulated staples I'll use to tack the rope every 5 wraps or so. It'd be a pain on a straight board because you'd have to tamp it down to make it wrap tight, but my scratchers are round and that will be pretty easy.

Maybe it's more of a project than to save money? i've got 4 that are worn out. figured I"d replace the rope on 2 and see how it goes.

 

[fidget]

Oh, I thought you needed something to scratch the cat.  Was going to suggest

http://www.rubegoldberg.com/?page=gallery# (have to go to Life>Grooming>automatic back scratcher)...

 

[Willowy]

Oh--and be sure to wear gloves! That stuff gives splinters like crazy.

I've always intended to make my own scratchy posts, but I just never get around to it. . .

 

[fastnoc]

ooooh good point. Never even thought about the splinters...

THANK YOU

 

[aeevr]

Staples are a bad idea - cat could a claw stuck in the staple.

You want un oiled sisal and the only place to get that for a reasonable price is on-line. I got it on e-bay.

The standard sisal sold @ Lowe's, Walmart, etc. is treated with chemicals you don't want the cat ingesting.

 

[fastnoc]

and here's a close up of the wrap itself.

1-2.jpg

• fastnoc
• Aug 4, 2012

Pretty small amount of money saved, but it was kind of fun and I am glad I didn't just throw it in the garbage.

P.S. it's unoiled rope. so it ended up great

 

[fastnoc]

oh also, i threw a little pile of the old rope on the carpet while I worked, and of course the cats made a fort out of it and crawled underneath it....

 

[fastnoc]

Staples are a bad idea - cat could a claw stuck in the staple.

You want un oiled sisal and the only place to get that for a reasonable price is on-line. I got it on e-bay.

The standard sisal sold @ Lowe's, Walmart, etc. is treated with chemicals you don't want the cat ingesting.

By the way, thank you for those pointers. I made sure what I got was unoiled. I got it at a local hardware store here, and the owners actually knew what I was doing and had specific rope there just for it. It was more expensive than the regular stuff but was still cheaper than buying a new scratcher and it was kind of fun.

thanks for those pointers though, had you not mentioned the staple problem I wouldn't have wrapped over those, and had you not mentioned the oil stuff I wouldn't have known or done that either.

Big thanks!

Maybe I should start making these dang things. I could get the wood pre-cut cheap and buying rope in bulk would be cheap too. I could sell a scratcher for 12 bucks that are 20 at walmart. And use better materials. Probably not worth the hassle but it might be fun. only part I'm not sure about is the cost of cheap carpet.

 

[emilymaywilcha]

Pronuciation: It sounds exactly like sizzle.

Problem: Using a rope. What your cats need is something that stands or lies on the floor, not a door-hanging scatcher.

 

[Willowy]

Pronuciation: It sounds exactly like sizzle.

Problem: Using a rope. What your cats need is something that stands or lies on the floor, not a door-hanging scatcher.

Sy-zle, not sizzle

Um, it doesn't look like a door hanging scratcher to me. Where did you get that idea?

 

[fastnoc]

I think she thought that because I mentioned the rope.

But yea, i don't like those hanging ones. In fact, I don't care much for the stands either. but what I do is take it and put one leg of the chair, couch, or bed i'm putting it next to, on the baseboard of the scratcher itself. I don't like it when the cats have to watch out or tip them over.

 

[aeevr]

According to my dictionary both pronunciations are acceptable.

 

[GoldyCat]

Nice job. I have one I just noticed is totally shredded, the first one I got 5 years ago. Maybe I can recover it myself.

Still trying to figure out the pronunciation. I've always heard it pronounced siss-el. Where are people getting the z's?

 

[emilymaywilcha]

Nice job. I have one I just noticed is totally shredded, the first one I got 5 years ago. Maybe I can recover it myself.
Still trying to figure out the pronunciation. I've always heard it pronounced siss-el. Where are people getting the z's?

There is no z is Missouri either, but nobody says Miss-ouri.

 

[catsallaround]

I just dumped a tree.  sisal was undone and carpet too.  Had to put it out right before pickup as was to embarrassed! Thinking next tree I get that I will cover it ALL with sisal before they get a chance to destroy the thing.  Trees barely last 6 months.
 

 

[emilymaywilcha]

Sisal definitely is more durable than the carpet used on most trees. While volunteering at a shelter I saw lots of carpet shreds around the bottom of a cat tree that was less than a year old. Someone shaved off all remaining carpet on the posts so cats could not destroy it any worse.

 

[catsallaround]

At my house the sisal goes first as they use that the most.  The wood post was also used alot.  Next one that rips I am going to pull off all the scratching areas carpet/sisal and leave just the carpet for the perches.  Gets expensive at times keeping them happy.  Ended up with kitchen table in one area for them! For summer it works but for winter I would like some type of fleece cover.

 

[GoldyCat]

Nice job. I have one I just noticed is totally shredded, the first one I got 5 years ago. Maybe I can recover it myself.

Still trying to figure out the pronunciation. I've always heard it pronounced siss-el. Where are people getting the z's?

There is no z is Missouri either, but nobody says Miss-ouri.

My point was that I've always heard the word pronounced with an ess sound, not a z in the middle. If I were working in a home supply store and someone asked me where to find some sizzle, I'd be more likely to direct them to the barbecue grills than to the rope.