Beds and scratching posts for cats on the larger side!

chocdonuty

Anyone got any recomendations for either cat beds or scratching posts for big cats? It's a cat I rescued but looks likely that he has been dumped as as yet no-one has come forward to claim him despite calling all the vets and rescues in the area and online.
All the posts i've seen online seem to be pictured with kittens! making them look bigger than they are or cats that are difficult to age.
i also need a bed although he does seem happy on the floor :pUnfortunatly as well as being a bit big, he tends to lie stretched out and with his paws in the air so i'm not sure a normal sized cat bed would do:o.
Off to the pet shop in the morning but any advice is welcome

Fire_Fox

Have you had the cat scanned for a microchip?

The MSE solution to a scratching post! I've just put my first pole up and it is very sturdy, tiny footprint too so great for a small space. If time is on your side the kit comes up regularly on eBay for half the IKEA price. :money: MSE solution for a large bed is a memory foam pillow from Home Bargains, B&M, eBay .... Or an IKEA fleece blanket folded.

rising_from_the_ashes

Awww, hope he's settling in well - he's certainly landed on his paws!:D

My boy's huge - very long when stretched out fully.

I've got one of these scratching posts from PAH http://www.petsathome.com/shop/suzie-paw-cat-scratcher-by-pets-at-home-57754 which is considerably higher than most posts and he can stretch up it much better than the "normal" ones.

However, I'd say go with one with a square or circle base - this one tipped over due to the shape but I fortunately still had the old one (square) so swapped them over and it's fine now.

Re beds - mine both have "proper" beds (which they do sleep in) as demonstrated by Mia:



but also have other beds dotted around the place which are basically an old pillow in a pillowcase with a fleecy blanket on top. Cheap and seems to be just as comfy as Archie is proving below:

Fire_Fox

Gratuitous photographs of cats, RFTA, love it!

Mama_Cat

When you say 'big' - how 'big' is 'big'? Would this suffice?

http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-545480/stock-photo-bengal-tiger-on-a-scratching-post-soft-focus.html

From what you've said that he seems to be happy on the floor, I'm not sure you need a cat bed as they do tend to find their own favourite places and pointedly ignore the very soft, lovely and expensive blanket you may have bought!

It's very sad when cats are dumped like that but thank goodness for kind hearts like yours to offer a home.

jolou

How about this one http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/scratching_posts/medium/174680
We've got this one http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/scratching_posts/small/33681

chocdonuty

No microchip unfortunatly
I had a look at the ikea post, it looks great but wonder if he'll actually play with it, there are some amazing ones on zooplus which i could get for a playful kitten but may not get used by an older cat.
I'm hoping if i buy him a nice bed he might stick to the one place, at the moment he sleeps anywhere and everywhere, at this rate I'll need to buy a new hoover:rotfl:

Fire_Fox

chocdonuty wrote: »

No microchip unfortunatly
I had a look at the ikea post, it looks great but wonder if he'll actually play with it, there are some amazing ones on zooplus which i could get for a playful kitten but may not get used by an older cat.
I'm hoping if i buy him a nice bed he might stick to the one place, at the moment he sleeps anywhere and everywhere, at this rate I'll need to buy a new hoover:rotfl:

You probably need a solid wood tree or Fat Boy type post for a large cat as cardboard tubes wrapped in sisal string may wobble, snap or can topple over with the weight of a cat at the top. :eek: Most commercial scratching posts are not tall enough for a large cat to stretch full height. Once you are looking at trees the post parts tend to be in short segments which you assemble with platforms between, again a larger cat may not be able to stretch to full height. A cheap-ish short term solution could be a corrugated cardboard scratch box, tho they do make a mess.

For me the draw of the Stolmen system is that it is effectively modular and cheaper than any tall sturdy cat tree. One Stolmen pole plus sisal rope = a basic scratching post or climber; if that get used you can add a second pole, shelf, homemade version of this staircase or dangling toys as finances allow. You can also choose the thickness of the rope to suit your budget - I have gone for fairly thick stuff that I can unwind and rewrap to get many years use out of it. :money: Whatever tree you choose cats can be encouraged to climb with a laser pointer and by ensuring there is an interesting view from the top.

lou--b

I got this for my wee man. About £50 on ebay (NEW) Smudge loves it.

edit: heres a link http://goo.gl/vTMHy

Hth Lou

VoucherMan

I got one of these. He now prefers it to the scratching post, and some mornings I come down to find him sleeping on it. The 'official bed' is no longer used.

*onlyme*

We have 3 cats, one being on the larger size too (8kgs)...we have glued/screwed (in 4 corners) one of those carpet floor tiles to the side of a the kitchen cabinet, which they walk past coming through the catflap. They all use it on a daily basis....we had an all singing and dancing scratchpost in the past but they didn't really use it much.

As for a bed, he sleeps on our bed, our daughters or shares the bed with the dog. The other 2 cats have their own bed but Big Cat not keen on catbeds.