10 DIY Cat Scratching Posts You Can Build Today (With Pictures)

Cats have a natural need to scratch. It maintains their claws, spreads scent, and exercises the natural desire to hunt. It even helps reduce stress and anxiety in some cats. Outdoor cats enjoy scratching trees and fences, but they can also benefit from having surfaces they can scratch in the house. If you have an indoor cat, they’ll need at least one scratching post.

While several scratching posts are available to buy in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and designs, they are relatively simple to construct and affordable. Below, we have included plans and guides for 10 free DIY cat-scratching posts you can build today.

The 10 DIY Cat Scratching Posts

1. DIY Cat Scratching Post by Brie Passano / Daily Paws

A scratching post doesn’t have to be complicated or especially large to be effective and enjoyable. This DIY cat scratching post consists of a short post with a seating platform on top, which provides an ideal platform for your cat to sit and watch the world go by.

The scratcher is covered in sisal rope, the most popular scratching surface material. It also uses carpet as a protective cover for the base and the top platform. Thanks to the use of wood as the primary building material, it is stable and secure.

2. DIY Cat Scratching Post That Lasts for Years by Dream a Little Bigger

This DIY cat scratching post that lasts for years is similar to the post above, except it lacks the top platform and has a few more decorative embellishments that take it up a level. The cap on top of the post gives it a nice finish, while the decorative trim around the base prevents the rug edge from fraying.

You can customize the look of the post by using your choice of rug, stain, and sisal rope.

3. DIY Cat Scratching Post Pad by The Spruce Crafts

Cat scratching posts can take many forms, from massive scratching trees with multiple branches and layers to simple scratch pads. A scratch pad provides the same functionality to your cat. However, the pad attaches vertically to some surfaces and allows a good stretch position, which many cats enjoy when scratching.

This DIY cat scratching post pad features a scratchable rug in a picture frame, which attaches to the wall at a suitable feline height. It looks like an attractive piece of wall art, although you must choose a durable rug to prevent fraying.

4. DIY Scratch Post from Purina

You don’t have to run out and buy new lumber and other materials to make a scratching post. You can use suitable materials that you have lying around the house. However, with this DIY scratch post, the scrap materials are in your backyard.

The plan uses a fallen walnut limb. Cats will scratch trees and other pieces of natural wood when they are out of the house, so there is no reason you can’t use a tree limb to make an indoor scratching post that they’ll love. The plan says that the sisal rope is optional, but you will find that most cats love the texture of the sisal.

5. DIY Cat Scratcher by Brittany Goldwyn

While many plans use thick pieces of timber as the main post, you can create a scratcher from pieces of scrap wood. This DIY cat scratcher uses a thick dowel as well as scrap plywood. It might not be sturdy enough for a Maine Coon, but it should be more than stable enough for most cats. And, thanks to the painted base, it has a design that will look great in most homes.

6. Cheap & Easy DIY Large Cat Scratching Post by Crafting Happiness

The cheap and easy DIY customer large cat scratching post in this guide uses a birdhouse post, which is a specific piece of recycled timber that most people don’t have lying around. However, the plan mentions that you can use virtually any piece of recycled wood with a base and a suitable post.

This plan also shows you how to attach a cat toy to the scratching post, which adds an extra element of fun. Just as they inherently need to scratch, cats naturally enjoy chasing small toys.

7. DIY Cat Scratcher by Cat Lessons

Cats love to scratch in different positions. Some love to stretch out and upwards as they scratch their post, while others prefer to scratch in a more horizontal position. A horizontal scratch pad is excellent for cats who prefer a more laid-back approach to claw maintenance.

This cat scratcher is made using a pizza box and scrap cardboard. While it requires some cutting with a utility knife and gluing, it is really easy to make. If your cat is a vigorous scratcher, you must replace the cardboard frequently, but that’s just a good excuse for more take-out pizza.

8. Traditional DIY Cat Scratching Post by Cats and Pats

This cat-scratching post is another traditional-looking design. The plan’s author suggests using either carpet or sisal rope for the scratching material. While cats happily scratch carpets and rugs, the materials don’t last as long as sisal rope. Jute rope is another material that you can use, and it should last longer than carpet.

Luckily, sisal rope isn’t expensive, and it will last the longest compared to other materials as long as it is firmly fixed to the post.

9. DIY Cat Scratcher by ManoMano

This DIY cat scratcher is another scratching pad rather than a post. Rather than framing a piece of carpet, this design uses carpet squares glued to pieces of wood, which are then attached to the wall. You can pick up carpet squares from most textile and carpet stores, and they are inexpensive.

You might even be able to get a free sample square, but some stores only provide them if you’re interested in buying a carpet.

10. DIY Modern Cat Scratcher IKEA Hack by We Are Scout

IKEA hacks are ideal for cat equipment, especially if you have experience assembling the furniture. You’ll assemble the flat-pack design the Swedish manufacturer is renowned for and then add a few modifications. IKEA products are cheap and reasonably well-made.

All the designs are simple to assemble, especially with plans like this one for a DIY modern cat scratcher IKEA hack. It uses an IKEA bedside table that is easy to put together, and it not only provides a scratching post for your cat but also a bed area and a hanging cat toy.

As another option, if you're looking to give your cat something exciting, we know of an awesome scratcher that both encourages play and doubles as a stylish modern furniture piece. The Hepper Hi-Lo Cat Scratcher is designed with a curved shape for dynamic movement, is built to last with safe and sturdy birch plywood and thick cardboard, and offers three height options to ensure your cat enjoys the exercise, elevation, and excitement they crave ... and, it's affordable! 

Hepper Hi-Lo Cardboard Cat Scratcher with Real...

• Premium Materials - Hepper's cardboard scratcher is made with dense, B-flute cardboard, and a metal...
• High, Low and Lower - A single cat scratch pad won't keep your cat engaged. 3 unique positions keeps...
• Activates Muscles - The Hi Lo isn't just a cat nail file to stop the chief cat couch scratcher. The...

At PangoVet, we've admired Hepper for many years, and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!

Conclusion

Cats need to scratch, and if you don’t provide surfaces for them to scratch, they will find their own. These cat scratching post guides and plans enable you to make scratchers quickly and easily, often recycling materials you already have around the home. The designs can be modified to accommodate the materials you have, the space available, or your cat’s preferred scratching position.

Featured Image Credit: 5 Second Studio, Shutterstock