The District 70 Spy Cardboard Cat Scratcher is a square, low-profile scratcher with a corrugated pad in the middle and cut-out slots and holes around it, with a ball running in the track underneath.

Key Features

• The flattest thing in the play range, so it slides under a sofa or sits against a skirting board without dominating the room.
• Slots as well as round holes, which give a paw more ways to reach the ball.
• Square pad in the centre for the scratching itself.
• Low enough that an older or arthritic cat can use it without climbing.
• District 70 states this is made from 100% recycled corrugated cardboard, handmade, odourless and put together without toxic glues.

Available in: District 70's photography shows this piece in white and in black. Only one option is currently set up on this listing - ask us which colour is in stock before you order.

Good To Know

• The ball runs in a closed track and cannot be taken out, which removes the usual swallowing risk of a loose ball. Keep the track clear of shredded card so it keeps rolling.
• Cats do not scratch to sharpen their claws. They scratch to shed the worn outer claw sheath, to stretch the whole back and shoulder, and to leave scent from glands in the paw - which is why a scratcher put in a spare room gets ignored.
• Put it where the cat already scratches, not where it suits the room. Beside the sofa arm, across a doorway or next to the bed all work. Once the cat has committed to it you can move it a few centimetres at a time.
• One scratcher per cat plus one spare, and mix horizontal with vertical. Most cats want both, and a cat given only one orientation finds the other on your furniture.
• A new scratcher usually needs selling. Rub catnip or silvervine into the corrugation, finish a wand game on it, and reward the first use. Never carry the cat over and push its paws at it - that puts a cat off for good.
• Corrugated cardboard sheds. Expect a ring of shredded card around it and plan to vacuum. That debris is the product working, not failing.
• District 70's own line is worth repeating: no scratching furniture is indestructible. It is meant to be scratched, so its condition changes as it is used, and normal wear is not a fault. District 70 covers manufacturing defects for 30 days.
• Cardboard furniture is light. A cat landing on it hard will shift it on a tiled or wooden floor, so a rug or a non-slip mat underneath is worth having.
• Fine for kittens, and worth starting early. A cat that learns to scratch cardboard at twelve weeks is far easier to live with at two years.
• If the scratching itself is the problem rather than the furniture, the answer is more scratchers, a nail trim every two to three weeks and soft nail caps - never declawing, which amputates the last bone of every toe and is banned across most of Europe.
• A sudden change is worth noticing. A cat that scratches far more than usual, or stops using a scratcher it liked, may be stressed, arthritic or sore in a claw. Check the paws and see a vet if anything looks tender.
• We do not have manufacturer dimensions confirmed for this model - ask us before you order if the footprint matters.