Custom Cat Scratcher W/ Removable Covers

One of a kind

This is an instructable for anyone who's struggled to find a cat scratcher that fits the aesthetics of his or her home. My solution? Picking out a carpet you love and covering your own custom, truly unique, cat scratcher!

Removable covers

In making this cat scratcher myself, I used velcro to secure the carpets. This will allow them to be easily removed when they are in need of a cleaning.

For this project, you'll need:

• cat scratcher structure (I built mine from scraps of wood I found and some reject pieces from IKEA)
• carpet (I purchased mine from Target)
• rope (I needed ~50 ft, purchased from Home Depot)
• velcro (~ 5 ft, sticky back is ideal)
• scissors (not pictured)
• hammer & nails (not pictured)

For this project, I purchased two carpets that caught my eye at Target. The designs of both complement each other as well as the aesthetics of my living room where the cat scratcher will live.

When beginning this project, I first covered the top shelf in my favorite of the two carpets as this will be the most eye catching point. Then, fold over the end and mark where the velcro should be placed.

Flip the cat scratcher over and draw a line indicating the placement of the velcro. Push both sides of the velcro strips together. Remove the sticky back of the side you want adhered to the shelf and lay it over the line, smoothing it out as you do so. Cut it off at the end.

Note: You can use less velcro that I did in this step by cutting it into smaller pieces rather than using the whole strip.

Remove the top layer of the sticky back and fold over the carpet. Press down firmly.

Unfold the carpet and measure the length of the carpet that is folded over.

On the other side, mark the measured distance and cut the carpet to size so that the carpet overhand is even on both sides of the shelf.

Secure another strip of velcro as you did with the first side. Press down firmly.

Flip it right side up. Now the top shelf is covered!

Arrange the remaining carpet and determine the layout for the other shelves. For the second, smaller shelf and the base, I chose to use material from a second carpet I had purchased.

I found at this point that I didn't have much of the 5 ft of velcro that I had purchased left. So I opted to cut what I had into smaller pieces which seemed to work just fine.

I covered the next shelf in a similar way as the top shelf. I did, however, need to cut a hole on one side so that it fit snuggly against the wood support.

Once it was cut to the right size, I added smaller pieces of velcro to each corner and folded them over the edge.

For the second, smaller shelf, I ended up using a hammer and nails to secure the carpet material. I found that the sticky back velcro didn't adhere well to the carpet backing.

Again, I cut a notch in one side of the carpet so that it fit snugly with the wooden support.

For the bottom, I chose to cover it in the darker carpet material. I lined it up and cut out a hole in the center so that it securely fit around the base of the wooden support.

After sliding the carpet over the base, there was a small section of the base board in the back that was uncovered with carpet. I used some remaining scraps to cover it and secured the section with nails.

For the edges, I treated them as if I was wrapping a Christmas present. I folded in the sides and then folded the top down. I then used a small strip of velcro on the bottom of the shelf to secure the fold in place.

To add the rope, place one end at the top of the wooden support, just touching the top shelf. Secure it with a nail.

Pull the rope tightly and wide it around the wooden support. Slide the loops together so that there aren't any gaps between them. Use more nails to secure the rope as needed.

For the finishing touches, add feathers and other toys that your cat loves!