I tend to recommend the same cat products over and over again for good reason: they work and cats like them. One of my absolute favorite cat products is the SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post. A lot of my clients have reported great success with it and it seems to get even the most challenging cat to scratch it.
When I adopted our Chief Whisker Officer, I was in desperate need of more scratchers. Prior to me adopting him, Zoloft was declawed so I didn’t have much need for scratchers. Prozac has his claws and will absolutely not be declawed so I needed to make sure he had plenty of places to get the natural behavior of digging his claws into things taken care of.
Why I Chose The SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post
There are a lot of different scratching post options out there so how did I choose this one? As mentioned above, I have had a lot of clients with this post whose cats love it. It also meets the most important requirements for a good scratcher: it’s 32 inches tall so it’s high enough for a satisfying stretch for Prozac, it’s heavy, and it’s a good material for a scratching post.
More specifically to my own cat, I observed his behavior to see what he was trying to scratch. I have an armchair in my home that’s in a central location so it’s very inviting for a cat to dig their claws into it. Prozac pretty quickly decided that it was where he wanted to scratch so I knew I needed to act quickly if I wanted it to remain intact.
The SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post has a sisal carpet material on it so it was similar to the fabric Prozac was digging his claws into. It also is sturdy and heavy enough that I didn’t think he’d knock it over. It seemed to meet his requirements!
Assembly
The scratching post arrived in a box that seemed suspiciously small and thin for a fully assembled post. Turns out, there was a bit of assembly required which I didn’t realize. I’d only ever seen the post fully assembled up until this point. My bad for not reading the product description I suppose…
Thankfully, assembly was very easy. It took me less than five minutes and involved sticking some dowels in the base and screwing the post to the base. There are only two screws so it was fast work. You definitely want a screwdriver on hand, but even the least handy person can assemble it.
Me. It’s me. I am the least handy person. I assembled it. Very proud of myself for that.
Setting It Up
It fit the location perfectly and even matched my rug. I wasn’t doing that on purpose, but millennials and our millennial gray…
Clearly, I got it assembled pretty quickly. Next, we find a place for the scratcher. The location of the scratching post is very important so I put my SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post right in the center of my living room near the chair Prozac was scratching.
Did It Get Used?
Now the most important question of all: Did Prozac actually use the scratching post?
Yes, he definitely did! In fact, he continues to use it. He has occasionally pawed at the chair, but he almost universally goes for the post. He scratches at it a lot, too. It seems to be his favorite location to scratch so far. I’m very glad that’s not being directed at my chair.
I did try adding silver vine powder a few times and he went nuts scratching at it, but he really didn’t need that much enticing to get him to use the post. Genuinely, when you get a nice piece of cat furniture and place it in the right spot, your cat will use it. No need to squirt them.
Is The SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post Worth It?
At the time of writing, the SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post costs around $50 at most retailers. While that may seem like a lot for an object that is going to be destroyed by your cat, it is so worth it. First, it meets all the requirements of a good scratching post by being sturdy, tall, and and a material cats love to scratch. Second, cats actually use it. It won’t be like one of those cheap scratchers your cat ignores.
Most of my clients with the same post report it lasting for way longer than you’d think. Getting high-quality things for your cat is absolutely worthwhile as they will use the things. If they’re not using them, what’s the point? They’ll just scratch your furniture.
If you’re looking for an excellent scratching post your cat will happily scratch away at, the SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post is absolutely the way to go.
