The kitten in the house is always a source of joy and positive, but it is important not to forget that the pet has its own needs. For example, a timely-acquired claw-brush will not only save furniture and wall coverings from sharp cat claws, but it will certainly delight a kitten. In addition, do not forget that the device made of wood and strong rope can be easily made independently.
Scratching Point Making
In specialized stores for animals, you can find a wide variety of designs for sharpening claws - overhead, corner, in the form of labyrinths or simple columns. But a self-made scratching post has several advantages:
- Cost savings, since a hand-made design will cost several times cheaper than bought in a store.
- For the manufacture and decoration, you can take any materials, taking into account what will fit into your interior.
- If you try, you can design a whole game complex with a variety of columns, shelves and transitions. Such labyrinths are quite difficult to find in the store.
- Details of the design can be adjusted to the dimensions of the pet. What is presented in specialized stores is produced in standard sizes and does not always fit the size and age of the animal.
In order to make a regular claw-claw, you need only two things - a column and a rope. We will talk about which rope to use for the claw point a little later.
Types of Claw Points
Which claw-point will result, depends only on your desire, skills and the amount of time spent on its manufacture. To make the simplest standard design in the form of a column, covered with a rope, it will take a maximum of an hour. If you decide to assemble an interesting game complex for one or several pets, then you will have to work hard and allocate much more time for this.
The simplest version of the game complex consists of several columns and a shelf fixed on top where the pet can relax. Other details depend only on your imagination.
How many ropes will it take?
Any modern claw-point rope has a high degree of strength and is tear-resistant, which makes it an ideal material in this case. Before proceeding with the manufacture or replacement of this element, it is necessary to calculate the length that will be required.
There are two ways to measure footage:
- Using an old rope for a claw point. In this case, you need to remove the rope from the old column, measure its length or take the rope with you to the store, so that the consultant helps with the choice of material and footage.
- Calculation by a special formula:
Rope Length = (Bar Height / Rope Diameter) * 3.14 * Bar Diameter.
For example, there is the following data:
- The height of the column is 100 cm, its diameter is 10 cm;
- The diameter of the rope is 0.8 cm.
From here we get: rope length = (100 / 0.8) * 3.14 * 10 = 3925 cm, i.e. 39.25 m.
The optimum diameter of the rope is considered to be 8 mm, but 6 mm is quite suitable for the manufacture of a claw point.
Which rope is better to choose?
The choice of ropes is very large, but the main thing that you need to pay attention to when choosing is natural fibers. Environmentally friendly materials of natural origin - these are the best ropes for claws, they are completely safe for both animals and people, they are not electrified and will not harm the pet. A cat with a natural fiber coating will definitely appeal to a cat, which cannot be said about a purchase made of artificial rope. Some pets may be discouraged by the synthetic smell, as well as the presence of paint and impregnation.
Polypropylene and nylon ropes are several times stronger than natural ones, but they tend to stretch, and cat claws can get tangled and get stuck in the fibers of the material.
The winding from hemp rope for a claw point will not last long, the material will quickly fluff due to fragments of fibers.
Types of Ropes
The question of what the claws for cats are made of is of concern to many owners who have decided to please their pet. There are some of the most common types of claw rope that you can wrap around a post:
- Cotton Rope. This material looks great, fits perfectly into any interior, but costs much more than other types.
- Sisal rope. Its cost is much lower, the structure is fleecy, the material is quite strong, durable with a grayish or pale yellow hue.
- Jute rope. This material is most often used in scratching posts, which are sold in stores. A claw-point jute rope is the cheapest, but has less strength than previous materials.
All these materials are fundamentally different from each other in a number of basic parameters, which first of all depends on how long the claw-tip will last. Therefore, we will further analyze the name of the rope for scratching points, and compare their types with each other, so that it is easier to systematize information for the right choice.
What to choose - jute or sisal fiber?
So, both types are popular because of their affordable cost. This factor is quite significant, because several tens of meters of rope are required for winding the column. But you should immediately pay special attention to the fact that no matter what material you choose, the claw-brush will not last forever! Any thing wears out over time, and this product is no exception. The operating time of the claw point depends on the following parameters:
- How often does the pet use it.
- The breed of the animal (large representatives of the nail plate are much larger).
- Scratching Post Quality.
Jute is made from the same name plant of the family malvaceae. Its fibers are mainly used in the textile industry, as well as for the manufacture of ropes and burlap. Features of jute:
- Gray-brown color of the fibers.
- Softness.
- Smoothness (fibers do not stick out).
- Low cost in comparison with similar materials.
Sisal rope is much coarser than jute, since it is made from unprocessed fibers obtained from agave leaves. This plant has unique qualities, which allows it to be used in a variety of industries, from food to construction. What features does sisal have?
- Pretty tough structure.
- Light sand tint.
- High wear resistance.
Hemp for Scratching Point
If you can’t choose or for some reason do not want to buy sisal and jute rope, then you can consider another option for wrapping a claw-tip - hemp threads. This material is made from hemp sowing plants, which contain no narcotic substances. Fibers are used in the manufacture of fabrics and ropes. Despite the fact that manufacturers of pet products prefer jute and sisal ropes, hemp is not inferior to them in quality, the proof is that hemp remains an important resource in industry. New fibers are also mistakenly called hemp fibers - sisal, jute and others. So, consider the benefits of hemp threads:
- A variety of colors (the shade can be absolutely any, depending on the processing method).
- It has an average cost.
- By properties ahead of jute rope.
- High strength.
- Resistance to environmental influences.
- High hygroscopic and anti-electrostatic properties.
Conclusion
From the above, we can draw the following conclusions:
- If you decide to purchase or make a claw-claw for a young cat yourself, then you should opt for a jute rope for a claw-cat for a cat, as it has soft fibers (this will avoid damage to the claws) and low cost.
- If you have an adult cat of a large breed or several pets live in the house, then the sisal rope will be the best choice, which will last much longer and be safe for the claws of a pet.