Best budget scratching post for Exotic Shorthair

Sounds like you've just inherited a cat with nothing to go with them — so you're building from zero, which means every pound needs to count. Before we get to scratching posts specifically: the most common reason cats ignore them is they're too short for a full body stretch, too wobbly to trust, or the wrong material. Get those three things right and you're sorted. To point you at the best option for your budget — how big is your Exotic Shorthair, do you know if she scratches vertically or horizontally, and what's she currently going after in the house?

Good timing — getting a post in front of her before habits form is genuinely the easiest win in cat ownership. Exotic Shorthairs are compact cats, so they don't need a tall tower-style post, but they do tend to prefer a low, flat or angled surface for scratching rather than a vertical pole. That actually works in your favour budget-wise. One thing to check though: has she shown any interest in carpet, rugs, or hard surfaces like the sofa legs? That'll help me narrow the material.

That's fair — a week in, you're still reading each other. For an Exotic who's a blank slate, I'd go with corrugated cardboard. It's the material most cats take to fastest with no introduction needed, it handles both horizontal and angled scratching, and it sits right in your budget. The specific product I'd get is the Catit Cardboard Cat Scratcher with Catnip — it's a flat corrugated pad that comes with a sprinkle of catnip to get her interested straight away, costs around £8-12, and it's consistently well-reviewed for cats who are new to scratching posts. It's not the most durable thing you'll ever buy, but for a first-time cat owner building a setup cheaply, it's the right call. You get to see if she scratches flat or angled, and if she loves it, you can upgrade later without having wasted £40 on the wrong thing upfront.

The included catnip is enough to get her attention initially — just rub it into the surface rather than piling it on top. One thing worth knowing: not all cats respond to catnip, and Exotic Shorthairs can be a bit laid-back about it. If she ignores it after a day or two, try moving it to wherever she already spends time, or gently drag a toy across the surface to get her to swipe at it. The texture usually does the selling once she's made contact with it once.

Ha — the £60 cat tree has its place, but not as the first purchase when you don't yet know what your cat likes. Get the scratcher, see how she uses it over a few weeks, and that'll tell you everything about what to buy next. Enjoy building the setup — it's actually quite fun once you know what she's into.