Conference misery::feline_v1

    Don't be surprised if the Papa cat won't use the post.  I found
    that kittens who grow up with a post....love it even when they are
    older, but older cats who are not use to the post...won't go near
    it.  Just my experience....
    
    Good luck..
    
    Sandy

    I am also looking for a tall scratching post, new or used, for my new
    little persian kitten. I live in the Nashua area. 
    
    Is there a good discount pet supplier in the area? I went to the new
    pet store on amherst street in Nashua, and they were asking $40.00
    for one of them.
    
    June

    Re: .1
    
    I've had good luck getting adult cats to use a scratching post
    by sprinking catnip on top, luring them over, and then when they
    put their paws on the post to stretch up for the catnip, I scratch
    the post noisily with my fingernails, and they catch on.
    
    Be sure the post is tall enough so they can stretch out, and heavy and
    stable enough so that it doesn't frighten them by tipping or
    sliding when the scratch on it.  Also, you may need more than one
    to a house.
    

    $5 worth of fresh pine 2x6 nailed to a base piece of plywood works
    great. Every time I build something at home, if it's not painted
    in minutes they scratch away at it. So I use the leftover lumber
    in strategic points, also cheap remnants from the rug dealers
    have worked great for covering the orientals when I not around.

You might try some of the newer scratching surfaces available...the corrugated
cardboard scratching box I've seen advertised seems to be very popular with
cats - it's saturated with catnip or something, I think.  Many cats also
like a simple sissle door mat.  As your cats are digging at the carpet, I
would try something that lays on the floor first -- they already have shown
that preference.  I suggest you go buy a cheap sissle door mat and nail it to
a HEAVY chunk of wood that can lay on the rug.  Place it near where you've
seen your cat(s) digging/pulling at the carpet.  Take a cat over to it and
gently rub his/her front paws across the surface of it.  You might also
check with the pet store and see if they have any catnip spray to treat the
door mat.      

The cardboard boxes I've seen are destroyed by the cats, but they are also
very cheap to replace....

my experience: I've never had a cat that even LIKED the carpet covered
scratching posts, so I'm not too prone to advise folks to buy them....
There are options out there that cats seem to like much better....and they
are usually cheaper.

    My four go crazy over the carpeted scratching post "daddy"
    made for them.  BTW, two of them were already adults when 
    the post was made.  We used the extra carpet remnants from
    our W-W, put on a heavy wood base, a "stem", and a platform
    with a hole so they could go directly from the base right
    up thru the hole to pop out on the top platform.  It's about
    3-1/2 ft tall.  Visitors laugh at the antics of my four showoffs,
    who love to perform on the scratching post.
    
    L-
    

    You also might want to get them used to getting their nails
    trimmed.  It cuts down on the damage they can do.
    
    We have four "Arubacats" cat trees - Made by Artie Mitchell of
    Arubacats cattery.  They're NOT cheap - however they are a much
    better deal than the other ones I've seen available, they look
    great, the cats LOVE them, and they are excellent quality.  Also,
    Artie will stand behind them and usually gives Deccies a 10%
    discount.  
    
    He'll probably be at the Marlboro show on Nov 10th so save your
    pennies if you're interested.
      Nancy DC
    

    ArubaCat Trees 
    
    Phone Number:  603.382.8418   Arty Mitchell
    
    Excellent Quality!
    
    E.T.

    Agway has scatching posts on sale for the next couple weeks (?) for
    $8.99.  That was where we bought ours & my kitties love it - all 3 of
    them!  It has catnip in it w/ a square flat base & a tubular section
    sticking straight up:     |
                            _ |_ _
                           /  |  /
                          -------
    Poor picture - but you can see for the most part what I'm trying to
    describe.
    
    Good luck,
    Sonia
    
    P.S.  Don't buy them all - I need another one.  Great Deal though!

    I have an Arubacat tree for sale!
    
    I can't draw, so picture a square platform on the bottom with a tunnel
    running the length of the platform, open on both ends.  On either side
    of the tunnel is a tall piece of tree bark, one of them my husband
    covered with sisal rope.  Resting on top of the tree bark (so the top
    of each end of tree bark supports it) is a long "perch", half-moon
    shaped.  The entire tree is maybe about 3 or 4 feet tall.  It is tan in
    color, and very sturdy.
    
    It is approx. one year old, in excellent condition.  I paid $75.  Will
    take $50.
    
    I'm selling it cause I recently purchased a tree made by a vendor
    called "Cat House Originals" which the cats love.  Between that, the
    tree my husband made, and the kitty condo there is no room in the house
    for the Arubacat tree!
    
    --Roberta
                               
                           

    
    Maybe if you want a "pre-scratched post", you could "attack" a piece of
    pine lumber with a very course wire brush - perhaps as a power drill
    attachment ?
    
    I've just notice my leather settee has sustained some damage, despite
    the fact that my cats use the fence outside.  
    
    Must have been raining that day ........ AAAAAAAARRRRGHHHHH!
    
    Graham Warnes
    Warrington, UK
    

	Re Roberta - we have a Cat House Original, too!  The cats love it,
	and even after six months, it's holding up really well.  

	I think some cats will scratch wherever they please, though :^}
	Besides the above, we have an Arubacat table, a nondescript kitty
	condo (which is really beat-up!), plus Andy has encircled one of
	the cellar uprights with sisal rope.  While they use them all to
	scratch, they still enjoy abusing the living room carpet <sigh!>

	Sandy and the fearsome fivesome . . .

    Sandy, the only thing I dislike about the C.H.O. trees is the tree
    bark.  The cats shred it faster than I can vacuum it up!  They enjoy
    the house on top as well as the higher perches.  None of the lower
    perches ever get used.
    
    In regards to the condos, I cannot understand why the manufacturers
    don't make them wider -- they are much too narrow for my fat cats to
    climb inside of!  Actually, now that I think of it, I should be selling
    the condo and keeping the Arubacat tree :^) !!
    

    Re: wider
    
    Yess, I think manufacturers think all cats are itty bitty.
    

    Not to discourage you but I tried both the scratching post covered with
    carpeting and also a home-made one (my husband's invention out of
    cedar) and neither one worked.  
    
    Then one day at my vet's, I mentioned that cat (kitten at the time) kept
    scratching my furniture, wood work and rugs and he suggested a squirt
    bottle.  The kind you use for plants.  Well sure enough everytime I
    would catch her I would squirt her with this.  It took about 2 weeks
    and my cat has never scratched anything again (she is now 11 months
    old).  The good thing is it doesn't hurt them and the bad thing is she
    loves water and is in the sink, toilet and tub all the time.
    
    Hope this suggestion helps.
    
    
    

    A scratching post can be made from a piece of 2 X 4 lumber and sisal rope
    (better than carpet for hooking claws into).  I have seen the posts in fancy
    catalogs for a fortune but made one for a couple of dollars from a
    piece of scrap lumber and sisal rope--it's the first post any of them
    have even looked at let alone used.
    
    
    Best of luck.
    

    Since you are into making your own, and you say that your cat scratches
    the furniture, why not cover the post with the same type of fabric
    that the furniuture is covered in?
    
    Deb

    re .15 - you mentioned a squirt bottle used as an instrument of
    discipline?
    
    In FELINE - we refer to the felines as cats, but there's also the CAT,
    short for Catitude Adjustment Tool, aka the squirt bottle... 
    (I think it's also a Cunniff Adjustment Tool, seeing as how I periodically 
    get zapped with it when Nancy sees me having too much fun...)
    
    jack

    Gee Nancy...I didn't know it worked on Hubbies too!!!  Wow...I'll
    have to try it.  You learn so much in this file!!!
    
    Sandy

    That's great!  Anytime I want to clean house, all I have to do is
    squirt Jimmie and he'll go hide under the couch!
    K
     

    Some husbands have entirely too much fun using the CAT and need
    to be disciplined!

    When I was in the States this summer I was amazed by the range
    of scratching posts, carpet covered houses etc & would dearly have
    loved to bring one home to the UK but couldn't have transported
    it.
    
    All I've ever seen over here are basic posts covered in rope.
    I keeping meaning to try making something more exotic myself
    by never seem to have time.
    
    Does anyone know anywhere in the UK that sells this kind of thing?
    
    I know Pip & Domino would love one
    
    Rosemary

    Look at the ads in the back of Cat World magazine - I have a couple of
    brochures if you are interested. I am in DEC Park.
    
    Lisa plus Pookie, Rolf and Florence.
    

    Lisa,  do I see a new name?!!!  Is this your new addition, and what are
    all the details (did I miss the introduction note?).  When you where at
    the Feliners Party I thought you had mentioned another abby.  Please
    fill us in.
    Karen, Ruby, Stinky, Wing + Arthur
    

    Rosemary,
    
    I work in Ayr and we have an excellent pet shop where I bought what
    has been the best investment I ever made, a carpet covered pyramid.
    It has a smaller triangle cut out the middle for them to jump in
    and out of and a ball on the end of a string looped through.
    
    It's the first place both cats go for a stretch first thing in the
    morning.
    
    It is easy enough to make as my father-inlaw copied the design and
    made one for their new kitten.
            
    I'll send you a note on how he did it.
    
    Regards
    Tracy, Spookie and Murphy (I'm getting so big now)
    

    Yes Karen, Florence is my new kitten! I introduced her in 2.499 (I
    think!). She is a chocolate ticked torty tabby oriental!
    
    Lisa plus PR&F
    

    My guys have gone thru the carpet on the bottom pole of a cat platform,
    so I want to get some carpet remnent to cover it with.  I'm not sure
    what to use to fasten it that will be safe -- i.e., I don't want
    pawpads catching on nails, staples, etc.  Any info?  I'm sure this
    has been covered somewhere, but this is the only note keyed to
    scratching_posts..
    

    We've recovered our post several times and used carpet nails (that's
    what I asked for at the hardware store) they're long enough to
    penetrate the wood so they don't come up very easy.  We tried these
    tack - staple looking nails  ------ (don't use these)
                                 |    | that you hammer in but had a
    problem with those - they got loose too easy.  The carpet nails have a
    fairly large head which hold the fabric down nicely.  Maybe there's
    some kind of glue substance that can be used - you might ask at a pet
    supply place that sells posts - sometimes these places make their own.
    
    Giudi