Does anyone know where I can buy some sisal material?!!!!!

[sophiec]

I am in search on some sisal material (not rope). Does anyone know where I can find it? I've searched on the net, but couldn't come up with anything. Here is what it looks like......

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produc...&N=2002+113632

 

[pami]

Try to search for Sisal carpet ..... I believe the one on the top is similar to Dr. Fosters and Smith.


Sisal

A plant fiber derived from the leaves of agave sisalana cactus plant. Sisal fibers are harvested by hand from the leaves of the cactus plant. Sisal is a strong and durable fiber and is one of the strongest amongst the natural fibers. Sisal originates in Central and South America with northeast Brazil being one of the largest producers.

 

[starryeyedtiger]

Your best bet is to buy a strand of sisil at your local wal-mart or garden ridge, or hobby lobby- then use a staple gun to wrap it around the post of wood. Colin and I make scratching posts a lot- that always works for us

And it's much cheaper than buying one in a store

/ Also though- if you're deadset on a sisil mat- Go to Pier 1!!!

They have tons of them for about $10. They are medium sized matts- so you'll probably need to trim it to the size you need.

 

[sophiec]

Thanks for the replies Pam & Nikki. If Foster & Smith sell this scratching post with the sisal material, then SOMEONE has to sell it for that purpose....not in the form of a rug. I don't need it anytime soon, so I have a little time to do some more digging.

Nikki....as for the sisal rope you can buy at Home Depot, or Wal-Mart, or a local hardware store.....here's what I know. That rope is oiled and sprayed with pesticides. When I was trying to buy some rope for the cat tree that I am ALMOST

finished building, I couldn't find any lengths longer than 50'. So I wrote down the rope manufacturer and contacted them. I emailed them and spoke with them on the phone. When the company representative found out what I was planning to use it for, that's when she informed me that they spray pesticides on their rope and that it is oiled. She said if this was for cats, she wouldn't use it. I managed to find a company in New Orleans that sells unoiled sisal rope. It cost me about $32 for 732 feet of it. You might want to keep that information in mind.

 

[crittermom]

When Shawn and I built our car tree, we told the Manager at a Building Supply company what we wanted and what it was used for...sisal rope.He showed us some and NOT one time did he say it was dangerous. If it was, why would they sell it?
I even called our Vet about it and was told not to worry about it, as there is no harm in using it.

 

[sophiec]

Originally Posted by crittermom

When Shawn and I built our car tree, we told the Manager at a Building Supply company what we wanted and what it was used for...sisal rope.He showed us some and NOT one time did he say it was dangerous. If it was, why would they sell it?
I even called our Vet about it and was told not to worry about it, as there is no harm in using it.

Well Tammy.....I can only comment on what this rope manufacturer rep. told me. With that being said, I would assume all ropes sold in hardware/building supply stores are the same way and didn't want to take any chances. I can tell you this.....I noticed a difference in the appearance of the rope when my order arrived in comparison with what I saw in Home Depot.....and they were both sisal rope. As for why they would sell it......a building supply store is not stocking rope with its main purpose being a material to be used in building cat furniture. Just my opinion.

 

[abymummy]

Instead of buying the material, buy the rope and weave it! It's just simple weaving, no need to get too creative! I think that would look awesome and give you and your babies something more to play with!

 

[pat locani]

With a quick search, first looked like you'd have to go to China.

Got 411 hits on ebay, some for remnants on first page. You really do want the rug backing on it. Up to you now. Good luck!

 

[crittermom]

Originally Posted by SophieC

Well Tammy.....I can only comment on what this rope manufacturer rep. told me. With that being said, I would assume all ropes sold in hardware/building supply stores are the same way and didn't want to take any chances. I can tell you this.....I noticed a difference in the appearance of the rope when my order arrived in comparison with what I saw in Home Depot.....and they were both sisal rope. As for why they would sell it......a building supply store is not stocking rope with its main purpose being a material to be used in building cat furniture. Just my opinion.

SORRY!! That came out wrong.

What I meant is maybe there are different forms of it that they sell.

I know at Lowes, the sisal was kind of oily feeling.But, the rope that we got, is rough and I didn't notice anything on it.
Sorry!!

 

[sophiec]

That's OK Tammy

 

[2dogmom]

Originally Posted by SophieC

Nikki....as for the sisal rope you can buy at Home Depot, or Wal-Mart, or a local hardware store.....here's what I know. That rope is oiled and sprayed with pesticides. When I was trying to buy some rope for the cat tree that I am ALMOST

finished building, I couldn't find any lengths longer than 50'. So I wrote down the rope manufacturer and contacted them. I emailed them and spoke with them on the phone. When the company representative found out what I was planning to use it for, that's when she informed me that they spray pesticides on their rope and that it is oiled. She said if this was for cats, she wouldn't use it. I managed to find a company in New Orleans that sells unoiled sisal rope. It cost me about $32 for 732 feet of it. You might want to keep that information in mind.

Why is this bad? If it only gets on their claws? Pressure-treated wood (like we all have on our porches and decks) is treated with small amounts of arsenic. Not trying to start an argument, just not clear on why a small amount of bad stuff on the claws (which are dead tissue) is bad.

 

[lonsman]

Quite true. Sisal rope is treated with oil and pesticides. Not healthy products.

Woven sisal is better as it is treated with borax (NOT boric acid) as a fire retardant. It is mildly

toxic but shouldn't make your cat ill as he/she would have to eat quite a bit of borax to get sick and that

would probably be a tummy ache. Borax is NOT carcinogenic while pesticides almost always are when the cumulate in the body. Borax does NOT accumulate in the body. Pesticide residues definitely do.

From what I've been able to gather there is only one worldwide supplier of woven sisal these days. It comes from China and everyone who makes cat scratching posts with it use the same source.

 

[kimkats000]

I got some of the rope from Walmart.  It was NOT oiled or treated in any kind of way.  I had seen the oiled/treated rope at Lowes so knew what it would smell and feel like.  The rope from Walmart was even lighter in color due to it being "natural".

Good luck with your search.

Kim