Will cats use anti-fatigue kitchen mats as scratching posts?
Soft squishy kitchen mats often attract cats who love claw-sharpening textures. Buying one without knowing if your cats will ruin it can result in a complete waste of money.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Start with a cheaper mat so it is less of a financial waste if the cats ruin it.
- 2Provide pet stairs or a climbing ramp
- 3Offer an alternate climbing post
- 4Give snacks and attention when alternative methods are used
- 5Get a cheap bed
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I have six cats, you see, and my hunch is they would LOVE the new claw-sharpening mat that Mom got them! Anyone have one of these? Has your cat gone after it? Would it just be a waste of $?”source ↗
“However why must he insist on CLIMBING my multiple thousand dollar bed with his claws all the way out, gripping and tearing as he goes?”source ↗