This is a specific conversation about Cat scratching furniture — redirect it properly — ask about yours and get one honest answer for your exact situation.
inparticular.ai
A new baby and a cat redecorating the nursery — that's a lot to deal with at once. The good news is your British Blue isn't being naughty; scratching is completely normal behaviour. Cats scratch to maintain their claws, stretch their muscles, and leave scent marks — it's hardwired in. The fix isn't to stop her scratching, it's to give her something better to scratch than the furniture. To point you to the right thing quickly: is she going for the legs or sides of the furniture (vertical scratching), or is she low down on the floor-level parts (horizontal)? And what's the material she keeps going back to — fabric, wood, or something else?
She's going for the side of the cot and the changing table legs — so vertical I think. The cot frame is wood but the changing table has a soft fabric cover on the corners. She seems to love both honestly.
inparticular.ai
That's really helpful. Vertical scratching on wood and fabric tells me she wants something tall enough to get a proper full-body stretch — a lot of cheap posts are too short and cats ignore them for exactly that reason. She's 3, so she's a medium-sized cat and needs something sturdy. What's your budget roughly? And is the nursery a room she's in all the time, or does she sneak in when the door's open?
She sneaks in whenever she can — she's obsessed with the room. Budget wise I'd like to keep it under £20 if possible, I'm on maternity leave so money is tight.
inparticular.ai
Under £20 is totally doable. My recommendation is the Trixie Sisal Scratching Post — the 60cm or 70cm version. It's around £12–£16 on Amazon UK depending on which size you go for, it's wrapped in natural sisal rope which mimics the texture of wood really well, and crucially it's tall enough for a proper stretch. British Blues are solid, chunky cats so the weighted base matters — this one doesn't wobble. Place it right next to the cot or changing table, as close as possible to where she's been scratching. Don't move it to a corner and hope she'll find it — put it on her exact spot. Once she's using it reliably for a few weeks, you can gradually shift it a few inches at a time if you want it out of the way. That's genuinely all you need here.
That makes sense. Should I put anything on the furniture itself to stop her going back to it in the meantime?
inparticular.ai
Yes — double-sided sticky tape is your friend. Cats hate the feel of it on their paws. Put a strip or two on the corners of the cot frame and the changing table legs while she's learning to use the new post. It's cheap, it doesn't damage the furniture, and it removes cleanly. You don't need a specialist cat deterrent spray or anything fancy. Once she's reliably using the post, peel the tape off. Most cats switch over within a week or two if the post is placed right.
Perfect, that's really straightforward. Thank you so much.
inparticular.ai
You're very welcome — good luck with the new arrival, and hopefully the cat will be more interested in her post than the cot very soon.
Your situation is probably different. Get a specific answer for yours.
