DIY: Craft Your Own Homemade Cardboard Cat Scratch Pad

Your kitty deserves a place to stretch and scratch that’s as exciting as she is. Thankfully you don’t have to empty your pockets to protect your couch from her claws!

Follow these easy steps to upcycle cardboard boxes (now’s the time that online shopping addiction will come in handy!) into a homemade scratch pad and you’ll provide the perfect place for Kitty to unleash the feline inside of her.

Taryn Mohrman

Materials:

• Cardboard boxes
• Scissors or box cutter
• Clear packaging tape
• Acrylic paints
• Paintbrush

Taryn Mohrman

Step 1: Disassemble and cut cardboard boxes into 4-inch high strips.

Taryn Mohrman

Step 2: Create a 12x16 rectangle frame from cardboard strips, trim as necessary, and secure together with packing tape.

Taryn Mohrman

Step 3a: Fill inside frame with additional cardboard strips, following rectangular pattern until it’s about halfway full.

Taryn Mohrman

Step 3b: Then continue filling inside frame, switching to parallel strips the rest of the way.

Taryn Mohrman

Step 4: Paint the outermost layer of cardboard with acrylic paint. Then, use other color of paint to add a pattern – like ikat (shown), stripes, chevron, or polka dots – to match your décor.

Step 5: Position scratch pad in your cat’s favorite corner.