Scratch Station
Overview
Cats have an instinctual need to scratch—it is necessary to maintain the health of their claws, plus scratching relieves anxiety and boredom.
A scratch station is a small, sheltered area dedicated to allowing cats to scratch, giving them a consistent, safe place they can rely on to take care of this need whenever the urge arises.
A scratch station includes an area to mount scratch pads, securely holding them with sufficient resistance and at an ideal height to provide optimal scratching. The ideal scratch station space also includes enough horizontal room to allow cats to comfortably approach the scratch pad as well as enough vertical room to stretch their legs completely upward to scratch.
Please note: It is hardly a new idea to mount a scratch pad on a wall. The only new part of this concept is recognizing a cat’s need to scratch as a fundamental necessity, to the point that a space dedicated to fulfilling that need should be planned on an architectural level.
Benefits of a Scratch Station
For cats
Cats thrive on routine, especially with hygiene. Having a scratch station allows cats to form regular scratching habits, which improves health and reduces anxiety. A scratch pad that is always available in a consistent location increases the chances that cats will use it instead of another surface, which could potentially harm them.
For people with cats
Most importantly, a scratch station in the right spot increases the likelihood your cats will use it instead of destroying your furniture or damaging your home when they need to scratch.
In addition, a scratch station can help keep your home clean. When placed inside a litter cabinet, it lets cats clean their claws immediately after using the litter box instead of walking around with dirty paws. This location hides ugly scratch pads out-of-sight, plus it contains the shredded cardboard and catnip flakes to help keep your home tidy.
For people without cats
No common secondary use for a scratch station has been identified yet. However, it is mostly just empty space that can be used for any other purpose.
For rental property owners
Cats don’t just like to scratch; they need to scratch. If nobody gives them something that’s designed to be scratched, they’ll destroy something else instead—like the corners of your cabinets, for instance. Furthermore, cats who are not able to regularly scratch have increased anxiety, which can lead to other destructive behaviors as well.
This can be prevented by proper care, but not all pet owners are particularly responsible or knowledgeable about animals. Many cat owners don’t know that scratching is necessary to cat health and think of scratch pads and posts as optional toys for entertainment only. (The fact that these are commonly referred to as “scratch toys” doesn’t help.)
To prevent damage, you want to make it as easy as possible for residents to take proper care of their pets, and a scratch station may be one of the cheapest and easiest ways to do just that by providing a space where scratch pads are expected to be mounted.
You can add a clause your lease’s pet addendum that states that, as a condition of being allowed cats, residents agree to provide them with scratching materials. Adding this clause and showing residents where the scratch station is can avoid a costly cabinet replacement down the road.
How to Build a Scratch Station
A scratch station is exceptionally easy and inexpensive to build, and consists of two elements: A scratch pad holder, and the space in front of it required to use it.
Finding the right space
A scratch station needs to be in a secure location, where a cat can reliably use it undisturbed. Furthermore, the station needs to have enough space in front of it for a cat to comfortably approach. Finally, the station must have enough vertical space to allow cats to stretch their legs fully upward before scratching down, which is around 32” for most housecats.
Fortunately, if you have a litter closet, you probably already have the perfect space for a scratch station.
Why scratch stations belong in litter closets
- Litter closets are already safe, secure spaces where cats know they will not be disturbed, which increases the chances they’ll use it when they have the urge to scratch.
- Cats are fastidious and will seek to clean their paws whenever they are dirty. Placing a scratch station inside the litter closet lets them scratch immediately after using the litter box, keeping any mess contained rather than tracking it through the home. This is also why it is ideal to use cardboard scratchers here, as they are inexpensive and disposable, leaving more expensive and durable sisal-style scratchers for elsewhere in the home.
- Any litter, shredded cardboard, and catnip flakes that come off during scratching will be contained in the litter closet for easy cleanup.
- Cardboard scratch pads are ugly, especially after they’ve been used. This keeps them out of sight.
- This placement makes use of the height of the litter cabinet, which, if built at the recommended standard cabinet height, has a roof that is the perfect height cats need to stretch to scratch.
- This placement makes another use of the space in front of the litter box rather than taking up space elsewhere.
Additional considerations
Most cats want to scratch immediately after using the litter box, but some just want to get away and won’t scratch anywhere near the litter box, in which case you may want to install a scratch pad holder elsewhere.
In all cases, it’s advisable to give your cats at least one other location to scratch, such as a scratching post covered with sisal rope, which does not need to be hidden since it looks better and doesn’t cause as much of a mess as cardboard scratch pads.
Choosing a scratch pad holder
If you are building this scratch station for your own use and you know the exact size of the scratch pads you want to use, then this step is easy. Because the height is fixed, you can make a simple holder using practically any method that holds the pad in place, such as:
- Fixed easel-style shelf with a clamp or clip
- Box frame with a slot on the side (like a tissue box holder)
- Tall ramp with a retaining strap
However, if you are building a scratch station for general use, or if you want the flexibility to use any size of pad in the future, consider installing a universal scratch pad holder.
Mounting the scratch pad holder
Attach your scratch pad holder to a vertical surface with the top of the pad at the height your cats can reach with their front paws when fully stretching—for most housecats, this is 30-32” from the floor.
Tips:
- It’s better to mount the holder a little too high than too low.
- If mounting inside a litter closet, there should be sufficient wall space alongside the area the cats use to enter and exit the litter box. Locate the holder away from the litter closet door if you can, but this is not imperative.
- If possible, mounting the holder at a slight angle will help catnip flakes remain in the scratch pad longer and may increase usage, as many cats prefer this position.