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Scratching the Surface

Sandy Robins//April 30, 2015//

Scratching the Surface

Sandy Robins //April 30, 2015//

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Scratching is an innate feline behavior. And cats do it everywhere around the home—especially on their owner’s favorite chair, couch and rug. That’s why it’s so important to redirect scratching behavior to appropriate objects, such as designated horizontal and vertical scratching zones.

Cat scratchers provide just the tool to address this feline need. To safeguard belongings—and please their felines—owners should place several of them in various locations. In fact, the more scratchers placed in the home, the better. And this is good news for retailers, who can capitalize on and ensure that this category is a lucrative one for them. And further, because so many households are bi-petual (with both dogs and cats), this is a category that could also have great potential even in retail stores with a primary focus on canines.

Pleasing Cats and Owners

The scratcher category is filled with innovative shapes and designs that focus on being aesthetically pleasing so that cat owners are comfortable about displaying them.

Describing the company as “purrveyors of natural feline fun,” Joe DelRocco and his his wife Shelley are the masterminds behind Pet Tree Houses. Their hand-crafted products are made from real trees and embellished with silk foliage to provide a life-like audible and visual feline experience.

“Our real cat trees with leaves are designed to focus on a cat’s true nature, bringing out primal instincts and, in fact, encouraging cats to stretch and scratch on the gnarled branches and the natural sisal posts,” explained DelRocco.

Taking her cues from yoga stretches that emulate cat stretching positions, Paige Hodges, owner of Los Angele-based Feline Yogi, launched her line of cat scratching mats called The Yoga Cat Mat using the same material found in human yoga mats.

“Cats love the cushy feeling of the mat to really get their claws into and give a good scratch. They are easy to clean and, of course, can be rolled up and moved around the home. They have become very popular with people who foster cats, who in turn deliver the cat or kitten in their care to its permanent home together with the mat as its something they are familiar with and thus settle down more easily in their new environment,” said Hodges.

The Yoga Cat Mat is 17 inches by 24 inches and is available in green, purple, red, blue and black. Hodges has also turned it into a play mat by attaching a sisal twine ball or a small toy with a bell. She recently introduced a smaller kitten mat that is 17 inches by 11 inches in size.

PetFusion, LLC, first introduced their signature figure-eight cat scratcher four years ago and the product has more than 3,500 five-star reviews on Amazon to date.

The scratcher, along with other newly launched products in their line, are made from a superior quality fluted cardboard. Their proprietary construction process produces a very durable scratcher suitable for both single and multi-cat households.

“One of the new products is a jumbo-sized cat lounger,” said Kevin Krueger, one of four partners involved in the New Jersey-based company that makes a variety of other products as well.

“We’ve designed it to be a scratcher, a lounger and also a playscape so that the shape works well in any stylish home interior.”

Imperial Cat’s new collection of scratchers has a country theme with a variety of prints and patterns that depict farm country life. The Animals Scratch ‘n Shape lounger has a picturesque collection of farm animals on it, which blends nicely with rustic home décor, while the Barn Scene Scratch ‘n Shape displays a lively barn scene.

Multipurpose Scratchers

Worldwise, Inc., the manufacturing muscle behind Kathy Ireland’s Loved Ones line, has debuted some new furniture designs that incorporate their signature triangular bases so that all the products can be fitted together to create the ultimate feline playground.

Additionally, they all use the same dark stain and muted fabrics, so they coordinate with each other and with all types of interior styles. One of the styles that showcased at Global Pet Expo in Orlando, Fla., last March was their covered Groom & Hide Scratch Perch, which is designed for cats that like their privacy. The built-in grooming brush provides the perfect place to groom and remove excess cat hair. After grooming, cats can stretch and scratch the carpeted scratch post or hide away for a nap on the covered perch.

Their Scratch & Seek Tower features an angled scratch ramp, along with a hammock and a tunnel. Each of the three support posts is covered with a different scratching surface, namely, seagrass, sisal and carpet, so that cats can enjoy scratching on different textures with both vertical and angled areas.

The variety of scratchers available is sure to please every customer and their cats.