Cat Scratch Fever - Making a Scratching Pad

We have a cat. A big 22lb monster of a cat named Shaddy.

And like most cats, Shaddy loves to scratch. He also prefers to scratch while stretching out and not standing on his hind legs. Needless to say most products made for cats are not really made for large fuzzballs like Shaddy. Jen has tried several scratching posts but he just ignores them in favor of stretching out and scratching. We never bought one he can stretch out on because we knew he just wouldn't fit.

While making the house our own, we removed most of the carpet from the 2nd floor. The only carpet we left was on the steps to the second floor and the landing at the top of the steps. That landing has become where Shaddy now likes to scratch. We tried to correct him, but it is the only place in the house with carpet so it's naturally the only place he will scratch.

We bought a new kitchen island for our place, and the granite was enclosed in a wooden frame to protect it. I told Jen I was going to use the frame and the carpet we pulled to make a lay down scratchpad for Shaddy. She thought it was a great idea.

So Sunday while she was out, I went into the garage/driveway and made a scratching pad for Shaddy.

First I removed the staples and any metal from the carpet. Using a boxcutter, I cut the carpet to the needed size.

I then used a drill to secure the carpet in place with several screws. I made sure to overlap the carpet around the box so it could reach beyond the bottom of the wood. The screw heads are deep in the plush of the carpet and should not be a problem for Shaddy when scratching. I made sure to use as few screws as possible on the surface.



With the carpet secure, I flipped it over and trimmed the excess carpet around the bottom. I glued the edges of the carpet to the wooden frame to ensure Shaddy would not be able to pull up the carpet from under when scratching and playing. I also placed some felt circles on the edges so it would not scratch our hardwood floors if he is able to move the pad.

Here is the finished scratch pad.

To introduce Shaddy to the pad, I tossed him a couple treats and placed the rest on the pad. He sniffed around and climbed up, ate the treats and walked off. Within the hour he was scratching away at the pad and placing his toys on it.

At night, he only scratched at the top of the stairs once. When he did, I corrected him and he went right down to the new scratching pad.