As a cat owner, you know that your cat is the best way to enjoy a feel-good Friday night as you cuddle up before a movie and enjoy petting a pile of purring fur. Although you might get your cat the best bed or the best food, one of the things it needs more than any other item is a quality scratch pole. A scratch pole, otherwise known as a scratch post, might seem like nothing more than a stretching area, but it is much more than that as it helps maintain the proper emotional and physical fitness levels in your cat.
1. Claws
When it comes to keeping your cat’s claws healthy, a quality scratching pole from an online retailer like Direct To Pet is the best option. For instance, a scratching pole can be made of different materials. Some are made of wood, while others are made of cardboard. Each material offers cats a unique scratching experience. Wood, for instance, resists shredding. Cardboard and cloth, however, will shred, allowing your cat to engage in primal behaviour. These different materials also help clean and sharpen your cat’s claws in different ways, so it is often best to have a couple stationed at different locations throughout the house.
2. Back
Scratching posts that resist shredding help your cat really dig into the scratching post. When this happens, your cat gets a better workout on his or her little back. The stretch helps warm up the muscles and enable better play.
3. Alpha kitty
Scratching behaviour helps leave a physical sign for other cats that particular territory is off-limits. Although you might have just one cat, it is crucial to allow your cat to engage in its instinctive behaviour. Additionally, when you see your cat get in a good claw mark, you help prevent your cat from becoming nervous or neurotic.
4. Drop-in stress
In the same way, physical exercise helps reduce stress chemicals in people, and a scratching post helps your cat manage stress by getting in some good stretching and scratching. Because scratching posts are key to your cat’s emotional health, it is necessary to have at least one so-called shredder. A shredder is a scratching post made of cardboard or soft material that will shred. These types of posts allow for long scratches and can really help your cat get in touch with its wild nature. Without a scratch post, your cat will rip into your couch and other furniture, which leads to scolding and stress.
5. Chemical communication
Scratching poles are obviously a good way to help your cat wake up in the morning. In fact, they can serve as the central area for them to leave scented communications. If you have multiple cats in the house, cats actually leave scents to claim territory. Even if you only have one cat, the scratching pole allows your cat to claim its territory and engage in natural wild behaviour.
6. Body toning
One of the most apparent benefits of a quality scratch post is that it helps provide your cat with the chance to engage in strenuous physical activity, which helps keep your cat remain lean and supple. Whereas humans might lift weights to stay fit, a scratch post allows your cat’s muscles to receive a sort of isometric exercise as the claws dig into the material and provide the key resistance to repeated stretches.
7. Makes you feel good
A purely selfish reason for getting your cat a scratching post is that it is fun to watch your cat engage in all its natural behaviour. In fact, you will understand your cat a little more as you watch it brush against the scratching post, claw at it, and leap upon it as it stalks make-believe prey.
If you have multiple cats or a host of kittens, a scratching post provides a natural area where all the cats can scratch and play. As any cat owner will attest, watching cats hunt one another is one of the best reasons for having a cat.
8. Kitty playtime
The best scratching poles are more than just vertical posts for scratching. In fact, many are central play areas that have beams for climbing, hanging, and watching. A multi-tier scratching post, for instance, allows your cat to escape its urban reality and be transported back into the jungle, so to speak, where it can leap from pole to pole and claw its way up and down.
Author’s Bio
Matt McGrath is an avid traveler and a prominent writer in the blogging community. He has been to more than 50 countries. While he loves discovering new cultures and adventures, he is also passionate about sharing practical tips to his followers. If you love to travel and adventure, we recommend that you read and follow all his articles! More about him on his website –
