Best scratcher for Peterbald cats

A Peterbald is a brilliant edge case when it comes to scratchers — because most of what's on the market is rough sisal or chunky carpet, and for a hairless cat with sensitive skin, rubbing against those textures while scratching can cause real irritation. Scratching itself is completely normal: your cat is maintaining their claws and leaving scent markers, and you absolutely want to encourage it — just onto the right surface. The solution is finding something smooth enough not to catch or graze bare skin. Before I suggest anything, can you tell me whether your Peterbald tends to scratch horizontally (floor level, flat surfaces) or vertically (reaching up a wall or post), and is there a particular spot in the house they keep going back to?

That makes complete sense — and the sisal is almost certainly the problem. Those fibres are coarse enough to graze hairless skin, especially when she's really digging in. The good news is she's already shown you exactly what she wants: a flat, horizontal scratcher at floor level. What you need is the same form factor but with a much smoother surface. I'd point you towards the Trixie Cardboard Flat Scratcher Lounge — it's a long, low corrugated cardboard pad that sits flat on the floor. The cardboard surface is firm enough to really satisfy a scratch but smooth enough that it won't catch bare skin the way sisal does. It's also replaceable when it wears down, which cardboard does faster than sisal but is cheap to swap out. Place it right where the doormat is and she should transfer over fairly quickly.

It's a fair concern, but corrugated cardboard scratchers are actually quite dense — the Trixie one in particular holds up well under daily use. Most cats get a good few months out of one before it's visibly worn through. And because they're inexpensive (usually under £10), replacing them isn't a burden. The bigger advantage for you is that cardboard dust, which some cats kick up while scratching, is completely harmless to bare skin — unlike sisal fibres, which can be abrasive. If you want to make it even more appealing, a small pinch of dried catnip rubbed into the surface on day one tends to get cats investigating immediately.

The main thing is just to check the scratcher edges occasionally — cardboard can develop sharp corners as it breaks down, so give the sides a quick feel every few weeks and trim or replace if anything feels rough. Beyond that, the bigger wins for a Peterbald are keeping her claws trimmed slightly more regularly than you would for a coated cat — shorter claws mean less force needed to scratch, which reduces friction against the skin. And keep her away from any sisal or looped-carpet surfaces entirely. Smooth cardboard, smooth wood, or tight-woven fabric are all fine; anything with proud fibres she can catch on is best avoided.