Cats | Enrichment

Best Cat Scratchers to Save Your Furniture in Australia

Scratching is a hardwired need — the way a cat keeps its claws in shape, stretches the muscles down its back, and stakes a claim on the lounge room. The trouble is that a cat with no proper outlet defaults to the nearest sofa arm. The fix is a scratcher your cat prefers to the furniture — tall enough for a full stretch, stable enough to lean into, and parked where the damage is already happening. We've compared four cat scratchers you can buy in Australia right now, from a weighted sisal post to a flat sisal lounger, and worked out which style suits which cat.

Best Overall

4.7

Feandrea 85cm Cat Scratching Post

85cm — a proper full stretch
Weighted, wide anti-tip base

Heavier to move once placed

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Best for Multiple Cats

4.3

PAWZ Road 143cm Cat Tree

Multi-level, fits two cats
Sisal posts, condo, hammock

Takes up real floor space

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Best Budget Pick

4.4

ANWA 81cm Cat Scratching Post

Full 81cm height for the price
Natural sisal, three toys

Lighter base, place by a wall

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Best for Small Spaces

4.0

Avont Sisal Cat Scratcher Lounger

Tucks into a small flat
Sisal top, solid pine frame

Horizontal use only

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By Alex • Updated July 2026 • 🕒 11 min read

How we review →

We judged these four on the things that decide whether a cat uses a scratcher or walks past it — height and stability for a real stretch, how well the scratching surface holds up, the footprint in a typical Aussie home, and the scratching style each one suits. If your cat's more interested in play than furniture, our guide to getting a bored cat moving again pairs neatly with this one.

What to look for in a cat scratcher

The five things that decide whether a scratcher gets used or ignored. Scroll across to read all five.

Tall enough to stretch

Height and stability together decide whether a post gets used. Research points to an ideal post — sisal-wrapped, vertical, around 0.9 m tall on a wide base; in practice a firmly anchored 80–90 cm post suits most cats better than a taller one that wobbles.

Vertical or horizontal

Some cats rake downward on a standing post; others pull across a flat surface on the floor. Watch which your cat already does to the furniture and match the shape, since many homes end up wanting one of each.

A base that won't tip

A post that rocks under a hard pull teaches a cat to give up and go back to the couch. Look for a wide, weighted base or a wall fixing, especially for a big or enthusiastic scratcher.

A surface that lasts

Natural sisal rope and tightly woven sisal fabric take months of clawing; loose cardboard and thin carpet shred fast. A denser, tightly wound surface is cheaper over time even when it costs a little more upfront.

The right spot

Placement decides whether a scratcher works at all. A post set in front of the furniture your cat's already scratching wins far more often than one hidden away, and a multi-cat home needs more than one.

At a glance

Our top four scratchers compared — style, price, and our one-line take on each.

Rank	Product	Best for	Key feature	Approx. price	Check price
Best Overall	Feandrea 85cm Cat Scratching Post	Cats that want a full-height stretch	85cm sisal post, 13cm barrel, weighted 50×40cm base	~$44–$64 AUD	Check price
Best for Multiple Cats	PAWZ Road 143cm Cat Tree	Multi-cat homes needing shared territory	143cm tower, several sisal posts, condo, hammock	~$80–$100 AUD	Check price
Best Budget Pick	ANWA 81cm Cat Scratching Post	A first post without overspending	81cm sisal post, three toys, compact 40cm base	~$30–$40 AUD	Check price
Best for Small Spaces	Avont Sisal Cat Scratcher Lounger	Small flats and floor-scratching cats	58×33cm sisal lounger, solid pine frame, 2-in-1 nap	~$38–$48 AUD	Check price

Our picks in detail

What we rate, what to watch for, and the cat each scratcher really suits.

Best Overall: Feandrea 85cm Cat Scratching Post

Bottom line — the post most cats will actually use: tall, thickly wrapped in sisal, and heavy enough to lean into without tipping.

The Feandrea gets the fundamentals right, which is most of the battle with a scratching post. At 85 centimetres it sits just shy of the 0.9-metre research ideal, but it's still tall enough for a grown cat to reach up and stretch out its full spine — not the cramped half-scratch a short post forces — and it makes up the difference on stability, with a barrel a generous 13 centimetres across, wrapped in tough sisal that stands up to hard raking instead of fraying within a fortnight.

That height only pays off because the base does its job. A wide 50-by-40-centimetre platform, reinforced with extra battens underneath, gives the post enough ballast that a cat can throw its weight into a downward pull without the whole thing rocking — and it's that wobble that teaches cats to give up and wander back to the couch. A spring pompom with a bell sits up top for the cats that like a target, though that's a nice-to-have on the side. The trade-offs are modest: it's a plain single post with no perch or hideaway, and the mass that keeps it steady makes moving it between rooms a two-handed job. For most cats and most homes, it's the one to beat.

What we love	Areas for improvement
Tall enough for a full-body stretch Thick 13cm sisal barrel resists shredding Wide 50×40cm base stays put	Plain beige, no perch or hideaway On the heavier side to reposition Single post, one scratching surface

Best for Multiple Cats: PAWZ Road 143cm Cat Tree

Bottom line — the pick for more than one cat: several scratching posts and enough vertical territory to keep the peace.

A single post works for a single cat, but multi-cat households hit a quieter problem — cats guard their scratching spots, and one post becomes contested ground. The PAWZ Road answers that by stacking several sisal-wrapped posts into a 143-centimetre tower, so there's more than one legitimate place to scratch, climb and perch without anyone having to negotiate for it.

Beyond the posts, it's a piece of cat furniture doing three jobs at once. A roomy condo and a slung hammock give timid or bonded cats their own height to retreat to, and vertical space is one of the cheapest ways to make a small flat feel bigger to a cat. The heavy base is dense, low-formaldehyde board with an anti-topple strap for the wall, which earns its keep once a determined cat is launching at the top perch. The compromises come with the size: it claims a real patch of floor, the plush covering frays sooner than bare sisal when a cat claws it hard, and flat-pack assembly is a fiddly half-hour with the instructions to hand. A single cat won't need all that, but in a multi-cat home it's the thing that keeps the peace.

What we love	Areas for improvement
Several sisal posts for more than one cat Vertical territory suits nervous or bonded cats Hammock and condo add nap spots	Large footprint needs real floor space Plush covering wears faster than sisal Assembly takes patience and the manual

Best Budget Pick: ANWA 81cm Cat Scratching Post

Bottom line — the budget pick that doesn't skimp on height: a genuine full-length sisal post at the low end of the range.

Plenty of cheap scratchers cut the one corner that matters — height — leaving a stubby post a grown cat can't properly stretch against. The ANWA doesn't. At 81 centimetres it gives a full-sized cat close to the reach of posts costing far more, wrapped in natural sisal that stands up to real clawing, where budget models often use loose rope that unravels.

You're giving up the heavy base and the extras here; the scratching surface is the same honest sisal. The base is a compact 40-centimetre square that keeps the footprint apartment-friendly but carries less ballast than the wide platforms on the pricier posts, so it's happiest steadied against a wall where a big cat can't rock it over. Three dangling toys — a couple of pompoms and a spring ball — come attached for the cats that treat a post as a climbing frame, and the whole thing screws together in a few minutes with the included key. As a first scratcher, a second station in another room, or a step up for a kitten graduating to a proper post, it's a lot of height for very little outlay.

What we love	Areas for improvement
Full-height 81cm post at a low price Natural sisal wrap for real claw wear Three toys built in for play	Lighter base than the tall picks Simpler build, no perch or extras Best placed against a nearby wall

Best for Small Spaces: Avont Sisal Cat Scratcher Lounger

Bottom line — the small-space pick: a flat sisal lounger for the floor-scratchers and the flats with no room for a tower.

Not every cat scratches standing up, and not every home has a corner to spare for a full-height post. The Avont is built for both cases — a low sisal-topped lounger a cat rakes across horizontally, on a footprint small enough to slide beside a couch or under a console. For a cat that already claws the rug, it matches the surface they're telling you they want.

The sisal here is the durable, tightly woven kind on a solid pine frame that resists the wobble and gnawing that finishes off flimsier loungers — closer to a small piece of furniture than a throwaway pad. The curved top doubles as a place to sprawl once the scratching's done, which is part of why cats take to it. The limits are baked into the format: it's horizontal only, so a cat that likes a vertical stretch still needs a post; the surface is sized for one cat rather than a crowd; and the sisal pad will eventually wear through and want replacing. In a studio or a small flat, though, that compact shape is exactly the appeal.

What we love	Areas for improvement
Compact flat shape suits tiny apartments Solid pine frame resists wobble and chewing Doubles as a scratch pad and nap spot	Horizontal only, no standing stretch Small surface, best for one cat Sisal pad wears and needs replacing

FAQ

Why does my cat scratch the furniture?

Scratching is a normal, necessary behaviour, not misbehaviour — cats do it to keep their claws healthy, stretch the muscles down their back and legs, and mark territory with the scent glands in their paws. Furniture gets targeted because it's sturdy, well-placed and always there. The answer isn't to stop the scratching, which you can't, but to give your cat a better surface than the sofa and to put it where they already want to scratch. Provide the right outlet in the right spot and most cats will switch to it on their own, which is what every scratcher in this guide is built to do.

How tall should a cat scratching post be?

Tall enough for your cat to reach up and stretch to full length with their back feet still on the ground — an average adult cat stretches to around 60 to 70 centimetres, so a post of roughly 80 centimetres and up covers most cats, with research pointing to about 0.9 metres as the ideal if you have the room. A post shorter than the cat's stretched body forces a cramped half-scratch, which is one of the most common reasons a cat abandons a post and heads back to the arm of the couch. Height only works alongside a stable base, though; a tall post that wobbles is worse than a short one that holds firm. Kittens and less mobile senior cats are the exception, and often prefer something low or horizontal.

Vertical post or horizontal scratcher — which does my cat need?

It comes down to how your cat already scratches. A cat that reaches up walls, door frames and chair backs wants a tall vertical post; one that shreds rugs and carpet wants a flat or angled scratcher down at floor level. Plenty of cats happily do both, which is why mixing the two styles is a safe bet when you're not sure. The cheapest way to get it right is to watch your cat for a few days before you buy — they'll show you their preference clearly enough, usually on something you'd rather they left alone.

How do I get my cat to actually use a new scratcher?

Placement and patience do most of the work. Put the scratcher right next to the spot your cat's already targeting rather than tucked out of sight, make sure it's stable so it doesn't wobble on the first pull, and a sprinkle of catnip or a wand toy worked near the surface can draw a hesitant cat in. Reward them when they use it, and never drag their paws down it by force — that just builds a bad association with the thing you want them to like. Most cats convert within a week or two once the scratcher is somewhere they were already scratching anyway.

Can I stop my cat scratching altogether?

No, and you shouldn't try — scratching is an essential behaviour, and declawing is considered unacceptable by the RSPCA and the AVA and isn't done in Australia. The better approach is to redirect it. The RSPCA recommends providing scratching surfaces, placing a post in front of the furniture being targeted, and giving at least one post per cat in a multi-cat home so no cat ends up guarding the only option. Punishment doesn't remove the drive to scratch; it just teaches your cat to do it when you're not in the room. Give them somewhere better to scratch and the furniture stops being the obvious target.

Final thoughts

Pixel is a committed vertical scratcher — give her a post and she'll rake downward with her whole body behind it — which is exactly why the shape you pick matters more than the number on the price tag. Cats don't all scratch the same way. Some stand and pull downward, some stretch flat across the floor, and the quickest way to save your furniture is to watch which one your cat already does and buy that shape first. Placement counts just as much: a scratcher hidden in a spare room gets ignored, while the same one parked right beside the spot your cat's already targeting tends to win within a week.

If I were starting from scratch today, I'd match the scratcher to the cat before worrying about price. A confident stretcher wants height and a base that won't tip; a kitten or an older cat often does better with something low and horizontal; a multi-cat home needs more than one, because cats guard their territory and won't happily share a single post. Get the style right and even an inexpensive scratcher earns its keep. Get it wrong and the priciest tower in the house becomes an elaborate place to drape a blanket while your sofa keeps taking the hits. If a full climbing tower is what your cat's really after, our best cat trees for large cats covers the sturdy options.