One TikToker Shared How They Made a Cat Scratcher For Basically $0

Cat scratching posts come in all different shapes and sizes. From aesthetically pleasing flower-shaped cat trees to cute scratching houses, there’s sure to be something that will suit both your home design and your pet.

However, if you’d like to keep things as low cost as possible, you can DIY your own cat scratcher with just a few simple items that cost virtually nothing. One TikToker shared a genius trick on how they made their own cat scratching post from carpet samples and a few nails. The clip, which was posted in Sept. 2022, has gone viral with over 63,000 likes.

“I don’t know why I’ve never shared this, but I’m going to show you guys the cheapest cat enrichment activity that I have,” creator @perpetuallyd1sappointed said. “It was practically free for me, and it would only be a couple of bucks for you,”

They went to The Home Depot and got the “cheapest carpet that was on clearance,” but actually received the carpet for free. If they had paid, it only would have cost around $2. To make the scratcher, they simply tacked the carpet to their doorframe with some flat head nails. Explaining that their cats love the creation, they then shared a sweet clip of one of their kitties running up the frame.

Impressed viewers shared their thoughts on the cat enrichment, adding that some carpet and flooring stores may give out samples for free — as long as you ask really nicely.

“We had carpeted poles in my basement and my cats used to go NUTS over them” wrote one viewer.

“This is so smart because my cat LOVES to jump onto door frames 🙃” said another.

A third commented: “Yess!! [sic] I’ve done this with a beam in my basement and my cats love it and don’t feel the need to claw the furniture at all!”

For those who want to make this hack renter-friendly, the video creator suggested using heavy duty adhesive hooks and then cutting holes in the carpet to hook it on to, rather than tacking it directly to the wall.