What Makes These Scratchers Different from the Scratchers
Sold in Big Box Pet Stores?
A picture is worth a thousand words, our scratcher is on the right.
Our scratchers are large enough, and heavy enough, to allow
cats to get a good workout while they scratch. Note that the scratchers on the left,
at 18 inches tall, are just big enough for a kitten, not an adult cat.
The differences run deeper than size....
You can see that the
two "big box pet store" scratchers have bases made from Flake board
and Pressed Cardboard. Also look at the hardware used to fasten each scratcher
together, three wood screws on one and a small bolt on the other. Our scratcher
is assembled with a heavy machine bolt that threads into a a large steel bar.
We make scratchers from solid wood. We use top quality hard
and softwoods, not plywood, particleboard or flake board (inexpensive manufactured
woods made with toxic glues and chemicals.)
Our scratchers are finished with hand rubbed, nontoxic oils that let the natural beauty of the wood shine through. You can keep your scratcher looking new indefinitely with Old English furniture polish or any wood oil. Note that distress finishes are acrylics and they are meant to look a bit used : )
Our scratchers are Craftsman grade. Many cat furniture items labeled as "furniture grade" are assembled from plywood and fastened together entirely with air nailers (a tool similar to a large staple gun.) Our scratchers are solid woods, glued and screwed together securely. All of our fasteners are hidden (except the artfully rusted bolts on the distress finish scratcher!) Our scratchers are Craftsman grade.
We use certified pet safe sisal rope that has no oils or glues in it. We do not use carpet because cat's claws occasionally get trapped in the fiber and the cat may damage its paw trying to get free. In addition, you do not want to "train" your cat to scratch carpet or fabric. Many scratchers are covered with a sisal type fabric, we tested this extensively and found that it did not hold up as well as sisal rope. The fabric was also very difficult to replace, rendering the scratcher useless when the covering wore out - one more thing in a landfill.....Our scratchers have cork feet that don't slide or scratch your floor. Again, a natural material instead of rubber or plastic. We sell replacements should you need one, but a wine cork will work too : )
All of these features add to the time and cost of assembly: we believe they are well worth the effort. At Art Motion and Sound we understand how you feel about your cats: we feel the same way. Our designs reflect extensive research and testing so that they give cats what they need in a scratcher. Our scratchers are a handmade, planet friendly product carefully designed for cats.
Makena, our male Bengal and constant companion in the shop,
sits with the components of scratcher awaiting final assembly
