Exotic Shorthair scratching rabbit hutch

Ah, so your Exotic Shorthair has decided the rabbit hutch is the best scratching spot in the house — that's actually really common when cats live alongside small animals, because the hutch wood is right there, it smells interesting, and it gives satisfying resistance. Scratching is completely normal cat behaviour — they're maintaining their claws, stretching their muscles, and leaving scent marks — so the goal isn't to stop it, it's to redirect it to something better. The key is matching the alternative to how and where your cat is already scratching. Since it's the hutch panels, I'm guessing this is horizontal or low vertical scratching on a firm wooden surface? And is your Exotic doing a full stretch-and-drag motion, or more of a quick side-scrape?

That tells me a lot — she wants a vertical surface but a shorter one, which makes sense for an Exotic Shorthair since they're a stockier, lower-slung breed and don't tend to do the big dramatic tall-post stretch that longer cats go for. The firm wooden surface of the hutch is key too — she's not after carpet or soft fabric, she wants something with real resistance. What's the hutch made of, do you know? Like raw pine, painted wood, that kind of thing?

Perfect, that confirms it — she loves natural wood texture and the feedback it gives. So here's what I'd get: the Feandrea Scratching Post, specifically the shorter 50cm sisal rope version. Sisal rope wrapped tightly around a solid post gives almost identical resistance and feedback to raw pine, and cats that scratch wood almost always take to sisal immediately because the fibre tears in a similarly satisfying way. Position it right next to the hutch corner she's been targeting — actually touching the hutch if you can — so she has an obvious alternative in exactly the spot she already wants to scratch. Once she's using it consistently for a couple of weeks, you can gradually inch it a few centimetres away from the hutch each day. The 50cm height is spot on for an Exotic Shorthair doing that low-reach stretch you described. It's widely available on Amazon UK and costs around £15–20.

Yes — double-sided sticky tape is your best friend here. Cats hate the tacky feeling on their paws, so a few strips over the corners she's been scratching will make the hutch panels unappealing without stressing her out or harming her. Just make sure the tape is on the outside panels only and nowhere near where the rabbit might contact it. You don't need sprays or anything stronger — the combination of an unappealing hutch surface plus a satisfying sisal post right next to it is usually enough to redirect within a week or two. Exotic Shorthairs are pretty food-motivated too, so dropping a treat near the scratching post the first few times she uses it will speed things along nicely.

It really doesn't need to be. You've actually got an easy case here — she has a clear preference for wood-like texture and a specific spot, so you're not guessing. Give her the Feandrea sisal post at that same corner, tape off the hutch panels temporarily, and reward her when she uses it. Most cats redirect reliably within two weeks when the alternative is that well matched to what they were already doing.