How tall should a scratching post be?

Why height is the whole point

Scratching is not only claw maintenance. Cats scratch to stretch the back and shoulders, to leave a visual mark, and to deposit scent from glands in the paws. A post too short to allow a full stretch fails at most of that, which is why cats abandon small posts in favour of the arm of a sofa, which is tall, stable, and conveniently in the middle of the room.

What to look for

• At least 30 inches of scratchable height for an adult cat, more for large breeds. Measure the cat stretched up a doorframe if you want the real number.
• A base heavy and wide enough that the post does not shift when the cat pulls against it. This is the most common failure and it is not recoverable, because a cat that has felt a post move does not trust it again.
• Sisal rope or sisal fabric. Carpet teaches the cat that carpet is for scratching, which is unhelpful.
• Vertical and horizontal options. Cats have individual preferences, and some will only use a flat cardboard scratcher.
• One per cat, plus one, in a multi-cat home, for the same territorial reason as litter boxes.

Placement decides whether it gets used

A post in a spare bedroom is decoration. Cats scratch where they wake up and where the household gathers, marking territory in the places that matter socially.

• Next to the sleeping spot, because the first thing a cat does on waking is stretch and scratch.
• In the main living room, near whatever furniture is currently being scratched, then moved gradually if you want it elsewhere.
• By entrances and thoroughfares, which are natural marking points.
• Never as a replacement placed where the damaged furniture was, without a covering on the furniture itself. Give the cat a better option and make the old one unappealing at the same time.