Georplast Bill Cardboard Cat Scratcher - 43x26cm - Beige

The Georplast Bill Cardboard Cat Scratcher is a flat corrugated cardboard scratch pad set into a moulded plastic rim - the simplest and cheapest way to give a cat somewhere legitimate to scratch.

Key Features

• 43 x 26 x 3cm
• Corrugated cardboard scratching surface
• Moulded plastic rim holds the cardboard flat and stops it splaying apart
• Horizontal - lies on the floor
• Six colours: Blue, Navy Blue, Red, Beige, Green and Light Blue
• Beige, Green and Light Blue are in stock; Blue, Navy Blue and Red are out of stock

Why Cats Scratch, And Why It Matters Where

• Scratching is not sharpening claws. It sheds the dead outer layer, stretches the whole body from shoulder to toe, and leaves both a visual mark and a scent mark from glands in the paws
• It is not optional behaviour and it cannot be trained out. The only working approach is to give them somewhere better than your sofa
• Placement decides everything. Put the scratcher where the cat already scratches, and next to where they sleep - the first thing most cats do on waking is stretch and scratch
• A scratcher in the spare room will be ignored. One in front of the sofa they have been shredding will not

Horizontal Or Vertical

• Cats have individual preferences and most have both. A horizontal pad like this suits a cat you have seen scratching the carpet or a rug
• A cat shredding the arm of the sofa or a door frame is telling you they want a vertical surface - a post or a wall-mounted board
• If you are not sure, start horizontal. It is cheaper and more cats use it
• Sprinkle a little catnip on a new scratcher to get the first session going, then stop. It only needs to work once

Who Makes It

• Georplast s.r.l. is an Italian manufacturer founded in 1970, based at Mezzago just outside Milan
• They injection-mould their own plastic rather than buying it in, and the whole pet range is made in Italy
• Design is done with an Italian studio, which is why the trays and carriers look less utilitarian than most of the category

Good To Know

• Cardboard sheds. Expect flakes around it - a mat or a corner of hard floor underneath saves vacuuming the rug
• Replace it when the surface is worn flat. A shredded scratcher stops being satisfying and the cat goes back to the furniture
• Supervise a cat that chews rather than scratches. Cardboard is not meant to be eaten
• Colours vary by batch and the photograph is a guide. Pick on size first - the colour is the part that matters least to the cat