In keeping with our scratching theme, I’d like to share with you these elegantly simple and unique scratching posts that offer some different materials for scratching. Natural Scratch is a line of handcrafted scratching posts made of solid natural cork or solid white cedar wood. As we saw in the photos last week, lots of cats like to scratch on wood, so this may be the perfect solution.
Both the cork and the cedar scratchers have incredibly sturdy bases made of red cedar. The cedar post measures 32″ tall and the cork post comes in both 24″ and 32″. These posts have some really great details, designed to entice your cat to scratch, including the antenna toy made of stretchy string, and a “mouse hole” at the top. You can poke the antenna toy through the hole or hide treats or other toys so kitty will reach up to investigate and then dig her claws into the post.
The wood post is made with Wisconsin-grow Northern white cedar. This wood has a nice rough texture that cats love, plus it is very soft, so they can really sink their claws in. The company says that in all the years they’ve been making these posts, no one has ever reported a cat getting a sliver in a paw.
They sent us one of the cork posts to test, and as you can see, it is a big hit. It took a while for them to get used to the new material, but the toy at the top really helped attract them to the post. It gets a lot of use now, and although some crumbs flake off each time it gets clawed, you can barely see any wear. A little vacuuming cleans-up the cork bits. I think we will get many, many years of use out of this scratcher. And the cats especially love how tall it is, they can really get in a good stretch, as Ando and Theo are both demonstrating above.
Natural Scratch just came out with a line of horizontal scratchers, too, in both cork and cedar. They also have the string toy attached, as well as some holes that you can fill with catnip.
All Natural Scratch products come with a booklet with lots of helpful tips for training your cat to use the scratching post.
BONUS GIVEAWAY!
Natural Scratch is offering a 32-inch cork post for one lucky winner! To enter, please leave a comment on this post with your thoughts about the Natural Scratch products. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing on May 16. One entry per person. This giveaway includes free shipping to the lower 48 states. Readers outside this region may enter if they are willing to pay the extra shipping charges.
May 11th, 2010 at 10:23 am
wow. discrete and good looking! my kitties would love this!
May 11th, 2010 at 10:31 am
This looks like something I would really like to give my bella. I would love to give it a try
May 11th, 2010 at 10:34 am
This would be a great change from the edge of my couch that’s currently used as a scratching post!
May 11th, 2010 at 11:12 am
I like these posts, the holes for treats and the dangly thingy on top…great idea! Love to win one!
May 11th, 2010 at 11:23 am
I love the height on these posts. Most posts available at retail are too short. O may have to try a cork post for my foster cats. They’re hard on their scratching posts.
May 11th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
So many great scratchers this week!
These two are very attractive, and I think the cork would especially keep my Charlie from routinely attacking the stairs. I would much rather be cleaning up cork that bits of my carpet.
The dangly string is a great idea, too
May 11th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Looks interesting. 32 inch height would be great.
May 11th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Lovely! Does the cedar have that fresh distinctive cedar smell? I’d imagine scratching would release it into the air on a daily basis – nice!
This also puts me in mind of alternatives to the sisal wrapped PVC pipe in converting my home to be a good place for my little Simon. A tall wood post meant for scratching built into the wall or the rise of a bookcase that he can climb to a high platform.
Thanks!
May 11th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Wow another sweepstakes a scratching post.We really need this,that way we would leave mommies furniture alone. Again meow!meow!
May 11th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
The materials and height seem perfect. My cat has late;y taken to scratching a closet door, this seems like a good alternative
May 11th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
NEED one of these ^_^
May 11th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
With 4 cats, one cannot have too many scratching posts. This looks great!
May 11th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
I find the thought of using cork a WONDERFUL idea!!! It’s a great alternative to the sisal and cardboard scratchers. It introduces a NEW & EXCITING texture into Coco’s world and the string toy on top… well, that’s the ICING on the CAKE!! TERRIFIC idea!!! =D
May 11th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
WOW!!! CORK!!! What a great idea!!!
May 11th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
This one even looks like it will stand up to my Siamese’s claws…
May 12th, 2010 at 7:24 am
Love it! My cats need this one
May 12th, 2010 at 8:07 am
Lovely, and would be super useful.
May 12th, 2010 at 8:22 am
Love this!
May 12th, 2010 at 11:01 am
love the natural look – much better than cardboard!
May 12th, 2010 at 11:47 am
These scratchers look awesome! My little darlings do a lot of scratching, and a new post may be just what the dr. ordered. I’d love to try one of these and see if we can redirect some of the inappropriate wall scratching!
May 12th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
I’m still trying to find something that will work for my kitty.
May 12th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
This is an excellent idea! I have two cats that would absolutely love this! One especially who is quite bored around the house.
May 12th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
My cat would be in heaven with either one of thess posts.
May 13th, 2010 at 12:36 am
I think the cork is ideal to scratch and it looks elegant.
May 13th, 2010 at 1:12 am
Just what my kitties would enjoy!!
May 13th, 2010 at 2:01 am
Wow these are very cool!
May 13th, 2010 at 7:46 am
My cats have always loved to scratch on wood. Glad somebody finally came up with a plain wood scratching post instead of that ridiculous carpet!
May 13th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Harriet would love to have one of these – she’s always scratching up the door jamb in my apartment! Fingers crossed for a winner.
May 13th, 2010 at 6:58 pm
those look really cool – my kitties do like to stretch when they scratch. Makes me wonder if I should worry about recarpeting my existing scratching posts – maybe I should just leave the wood bare for them.
May 14th, 2010 at 6:30 am
Now that is a marvelous idea! I have 5 cats dying to try this one out! They love their scratching posts. Never can have to many!
May 14th, 2010 at 11:26 am
They look great and seem more environmentally friendly than a carpet covered scratching post. Two thumbs up!
May 14th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
Before my oldest was an inside only kitty, he was indoor/outdoor and LOVED scratching on tree trunks. I bet he (and his 2 adopted siblings!) would love these alternatives to their carpet scratching post.
May 14th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
This are fantastic!
May 14th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
I need this for the 2 cats and I like the string hanging down. saltpepper1_2000@yahoo.com
May 14th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
These look awesome. My girls like scratching just about anything!
May 16th, 2010 at 10:49 am
I have 4 cats who would LOVE one of these!!
May 16th, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Hope I’m not too late! I was literally just thinking about how there need to be wooden scratching posts, as I have a horrible/adorable little damager of door frames.
May 17th, 2010 at 6:12 am
We’ve been looking for a scratcher that my cat would care about for a long time. He doesn’t like catnip, and although he loves to eat boxes he never touches the cardboard scratchers we get him. But we do have a wooden ladder that he just absolutely loves to rip to shreds, so maybe this wooden scratcher would be perfect for him!
May 17th, 2010 at 6:25 am
too late to enter?? I hope not!! This is a great scratcher and my kitteh would love it.
May 17th, 2010 at 9:23 am
that scratcher looks like kitteh heaven
May 18th, 2010 at 5:02 am
Luscious wood that won’t tip over when you cat uses the post — fantastic!
May 19th, 2010 at 7:25 am
This looks very enticing! I can see my cats wanting to play with this or stretch up and mark it.
May 26th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
LOVE IT!!!
June 6th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
My cat scratches up my couches and I recently read that it’s good to have alot of scratching posts around to prevent that, this would really help!
June 12th, 2010 at 9:22 am
This is awesome. Fatty is still a kitten so she doesn’t do as much damage as yet, but this would be pretty nice for her to scratch away at!
June 18th, 2010 at 7:33 pm
love it
December 13th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
I have 17 cats…strays and fosters and some of my own..they would love this scratching post…and the furniture it would save is worth it…lol. Great idea, I love it!
January 18th, 2011 at 9:50 am
I watch my outside ferals and they LOVE to use my trees, so this makes real sense to try out for my indoor cats. Love the idea (and the look).
April 5th, 2011 at 10:19 am
What a great idea! My two kitties would love to have this!
April 24th, 2011 at 10:15 am
I take care of several feral cats in the Atlanta community and I have seen them using tree’s for scratching,some however are living in urban areas and I would love to donate one to those beautiful guys!