SmartyKat Super Scratcher

I don't believe in declawing. I think it's cruel and I think if you provide alternatives for your cat's to scratch, you CAN save your furniture. I've tried several products available for this purpose and was very happy when I came across the SmartyKat Super Scratcher. Even my problem kitty uses it.

I have two cats, one of each sex. My younger male never scratches my furniture, but the female is a different story and has a preference for my area rugs. Many people have suggested declawing as a means of protecting our belongings, but some part of me couldn't bring myself to do it, especially after doing some research. In fact, the United States is one of the few countries where it is even legal. My fear of the procedure has led to the purchase of many cat scratching products.

I started with soft paws. While I think they are a great product and they definitely work, I ran into the problem of them not coming off and causing my cat not to shed her nails. After time, she had a few claws that were extremely thick and difficult to trim. Discontinuing use corrected the problem, but left me needing to find something she'd like to scratch. I bought a kitty condo and while the male loved it, the female used it a couple times and then returned to the rugs. Then, I began purchasing the rope scratchers. Again, the male loved them. I bought the ones that hang on the door as well as the one that sits on the floor with a feather toy on top.

By this time I've purchased five different cat scatching products and my female is still clawing my rugs. I was in Walmart with my husband and daughter and happened across the SmartyKat Super Scratcher. It's five inches wide and nineteen inches long. It's basically a box with a condensed cardboard pad with a honeycomb design in it. The pad had a layer of catnip in it and upon opening, my cats went nuts. They clawed it, rubbed against it, and made weird noises. I assumed it was the catnip, but here we are about five months later, the catnip is gone, and my problem kitty is still using it.

The Smartykat Super Scratcher turned out to be wonderful. Not only that, but the cost was very minimal. And, the good news is, once they wear out the pad, you can flip it over and let them use the other side before you have to buy a new one. I currently have one on each floor of my home and that seems to be enough. The cats share them and my rugs are intact. I'm happy and I would definitely recommend the SmartyKat Super Scratcher.