What Did That Scratching Post Teach Me? Real-Life Lessons from a Cat Tower
What Did That Scratching Post Teach Me?
— Real experiences with a cat tower and scratching post
To be honest, before actually getting a cat, my understanding of a cat tower was very superficial.
In my mind, it was just:
A bunch of fluffy boards + a few pillars + something for the cat to climb and play with.
Sounds harmless, right?
Until my sofa lost its first corner.
That day, after work, I came home and saw a row of neatly arranged “masterpieces” on the armrest of the sofa. My cat was sitting nearby, with an expression that said, “I’m busy, don’t bother me.”
At that moment, I finally realized a harsh truth:
It wasn’t the cat that was targeting me; it was me who hadn’t provided it with a proper place to scratch.
This is also the reason why I later began to seriously study cat towers with scratching posts.
Scratching the post is not “optional,” but rather a fundamental need of the cat.
When many people purchase cat towers, their main concerns are “how attractive they are,” “how tall they are,” and “whether they take up too much space.”
I was like that before as well.
But later I came to understand that cats don’t care at all whether your home has a Nordic style or not.
All they care about is one thing:
Can I scratch here with all my strength, and does it feel good?
The act of scratching is not a hobby for cats; it is an instinct.
They scratch things because:
- Stretch the entire body (really, from the paws to the back)
- Relieve stress
- Leave a signal that says, “This is my territory”
- Polish their claws in the process
If there is no reliable cat scratching post in the house, the cat will “come up with its own solutions.”
And these alternatives are usually quite expensive.
The most unsuccessful cat tower I ever bought was one that had columns so thin they looked like decorations.
This is my first cat tower, and I bought it with great confidence.
The pictures looked great, and the comments were also good. I even felt that I was quite good at choosing.
On the day the cat tower was assembled, my cat walked over and tried to scratch it —
The pillar shook.
It looked at me, then turned to scratch the sofa.
Later I learned that if the scratching post is too thin, too short, or unstable, the cat will immediately conclude:
“It’s not worth expending energy.”
A truly useful cat tower with a scratching post must be:
- Thick enough that the cat can hold it with its entire front paws
- High enough to allow the cat to stand up and stretch
- Stable and won’t shake even when force is applied
These details might not be visible to you in the product images, but the cat can figure them out in an instant.
A cat tower is not about “the taller the better,” but about “whether it is useful or not.”
There was another pit I used to fall into very easily:
I used to think that the taller the cat tower was, the happier the cats would be.
Later it was discovered that it was completely different from what was expected.
Cats do prefer high places, but what they care more about is whether the route is smooth.
A well-designed cat tower will enable cats to naturally pass through the climbing posts, platforms, and resting areas during their up-and-down movements.
That is to say,
the cat did not “have to scratch” it;
instead, it simply scratched it while performing its daily activities.
This design truly takes the cat’s perspective into account.
When it comes to materials, cats are much more picky than humans.
I used to think that all the ropes wrapped around the columns were pretty much the same.
But after buying several, I realized that they were actually quite different.
Some ropes are poorly attached, with loose fibers and random winding. After a few weeks, the ropes start to fray.
The cat is annoyed by this, and even the people watching find it annoying as well.
Later, I gradually understood why some brands (such as the one I later noticed called mewzoom) were so meticulous in their design of the pillar structure and winding method.
It wasn’t for the sake of selling points, but because —
Cats really use it, and they use it every day.
Whether your cat always goes to the same spot to scratch actually says a lot.
Multi-cat households? The number of scratching posts should always be generous.
When my family went from having one cat to two, my opinion of cat towers changed once again.
In a multi-cat household, scratching posts are not just tools for “nail grooming,” but also a form of social buffer.
Each cat has its own preferred height and scratching spot.
When these are properly allocated, the house really does become much quieter.
So if you have more than one cat at home, a cat tower with multiple scratching posts and a clear structure is far more important than a “luxurious-looking” decoration.
A good cat tower will make the cat look more relaxed.
Once a friend came to my house and said something that I still remember to this day:
“The cats in your house seem to feel very safe.”
After thinking about it, I guess it’s because they are at home —
a place where they can climb, crawl, hide, and observe.
The purpose of cat towers and scratching posts is never to “make the cat obedient.”
Rather, they provide the cat with a space where it doesn’t have to endure.
The final, honest word: Start with the cat, then move on to the product.
If you are planning to buy a cat tower, I sincerely suggest that you do one thing first:
Observe your cat for a week.
- Does it prefer to scratch vertically or horizontally?
- Does it prefer to stay in high places or tucked-away corners?
- When scratching the sofa, does it pull hard or just gently scrape?
When you understand all this, then take another look at a cat tower with a scratching post.
You will find that the choice is not that difficult.
And the cat will show you through its actions:
This time, you finally understand me.