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Paisal Chuenprasaeng

The Nation

Publication Date : 11-03-2013

A small Thai firm comes up with some animal-shaped scratching posts for cats of all sizes

If your pet cat likes to scratch your expensive leather or shred your lovely curtains as they instinctively control the length of their claws, you may want to find some toys they can dig into.

A small packaging firm has designed products made of recyclable corrugated kraft-paper for your cat to have fun using as a scratching post and is now selling them as a sideline on a new Facebook page.

These "cat scratchers" are made of good quality corrugated kraft, a by-product of packaging boxes, meaning that the posts are thick and durable enough to last a few months.

The products are available in five shapes and sizes - one for kittens and four for adult cats. They comes in the shapes of a rabbit, a fish, an elephant, a cat and a dog.

The rabbit is aimed at the kitten, who will have a great deal of fun climbing on it and scratching its ears.

Each of other models is 15 centimetres-wide, an ideal size for a cat to comfortably perch.

The company says kittens will automatically jump on the scratching post, no matter the model, though adult cats may need a little coaxing. To that end, each model comes with a small package of dried catnip to spread. The theory is that as soon as the cat smells the catnip, which is a kind of harmless plant, he or she will leap up and scratch, pausing occasionally to sniff the catnip. I checked it out with my cat-shaped scratching post and sure enough, the felines in the family quickly cottoned on.

Prices vary according to size. Buyers are eligible for a 10-per cent discount if they order three pieces at the same time.

Delivery expenses are also down to the buyer and start at 20 baht (less than a dollar) for the registered parcel containing the rabbit.

Order at Facebook.com/CatScratcher.Kraftpaper, where you can also check out the comments and photos posted by satisfied customers.