Having cats doesn’t mean that your house has to turn into a disaster area of toys, treats, and eye-sore cat trees and scratchers.

I have two energetic indoor cats who love to scratch, so they need to a designated area to play and sharpen their claws. But unfortunately most store-bought cat trees and scratchers are either unattractive or very expensive. Luckily making your own cat scratcher is super easy and can be done using two pieces of wood and rope.

I love this scratcher because in addition to being really easy to make, it’s very sleek looking! You can customize it by painting it any color you’d like, and it’s small enough to be tucked away if need be. If you’d like to learn how to make a sleek and modern cat scratcher for your home, read on!

Supplies:

Two pieces of woodMiter saw, protective glassesJute or sisal ropeHand-held staple gunGlueSandpaperPaintNail gun

Instructions:

1. Decide how high, long, and wide you’d like your cat scratcher to be. Then, cut two pieces of wood using those measurements. One piece of wood will be the long slanted piece, while the other will be the piece that props the long piece up.

2. Prop the pieces up against one another and decide how much of an angle you’d like to create. Then, use your miter saw to cut the two pieces accordingly. Once the pieces are cut and fit nicely together, use your sandpaper to smooth out any jagged spots.

3. Paint both pieces. I went with a deep purple.

4. When they are dry, grab your rope, hand-held staple gun, and glue. To start creating the scratching area, staple the end of the rope to the back of the longer piece wherever you’d like the scratching portion to start. Then wind it tightly around a few times, securing with staples.

(Note: Make sure to always staple on the back of the piece; you don’t want your kitty’s claws getting stuck in staples on the top!)

Add some glue down the front of the scratcher for extra security. As you continue winding, staple every few rows (on the back of the scratcher) to secure the rope in place. When you’re finished winding, secure the end of the rope in place with multiple staples.

While you’re winding, you might run in to some looser spots or gaps. Just scrunch those up by pushing the sides up. This will close the gaps for a nice, clean look.

5. Secure the two pieces together using glue and a nail gun. If you have something to use to clamp the two pieces together, you can use a very strong glue and no nails. I did not have anything to clamp the pieces together with, so I just did a line of glue and nailed the pieces in place.

After you’ve shot the nails in, you can fill the holes with putty and paint over them for a smooth finish, or you can just paint over them to camouflage them.

And that’s it–a simple little sleek, modern cat scratcher that will make your kitty happy and look good in your room!