Quick answer: A kid-safe horizontal DIY cat scratcher can be built with almost no glue: cardboard strips packed tightly into a wooden tray and held by pressure. Where you need adhesive, use a water-based wood glue, let it cure fully, and keep children to gluing tasks only with adults nearby. For multi-cat homes, build one pad per cat plus one.
Horizontal scratchers are easy for children to help with because there is no tall post to lift or fix. In a home with two or more cats, they also solve a common problem: one cat claiming the only scratching spot. Several low pads in different places give every cat a choice.
This build keeps adhesive to a minimum. The cardboard is held in its tray by being packed tight, which means fewer fumes indoors, less mess for small hands, and refills that take minutes.
Why a Horizontal DIY Cat Scratcher Suits Multi-Cat Homes
Cats Protection notes that a horizontal scratcher can suit cats who like to scratch carpets and stairs. In multi-cat homes, it has another advantage: low pads are easy to copy, so you can build several and spread them around without filling the room.
International Cat Care explains that when key resources are limited, cats may avoid each other. Scratching surfaces are one of those resources. A cat that has to cross another cat's favourite spot to scratch may choose the sofa instead.
The Glue Checklist
- Choose water-based wood glue (PVA) over solvent-based contact adhesives or spray glues.
- Avoid hot glue for any part a cat can reach; strings and blobs can be pulled off and chewed.
- Read the label and the safety data sheet for any glue you are unsure of.
- Glue in a ventilated room or outdoors, and keep cats out until it has cured.
- Let glued parts cure for the full time on the label, often 24 hours, before a cat uses them.
- Keep glue bottles and spreaders out of reach of children and cats between sessions.
The US EPA lists glues and adhesives among products that can release volatile organic compounds indoors, and recommends increasing ventilation when using them. A design that avoids glue in the scratching surface itself cuts that down further.
Materials for Three Pads
| Item | Amount | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pine boards, 18 mm x 70 mm | About 4.5 m | Three tray frames |
| Thin ply, 6 mm | Three pieces, 50 x 25 cm | Tray bases |
| Corrugated cardboard, plain, unprinted | Several large boxes | Scratching strips |
| Water-based wood glue | Small bottle | Frame corners only |
| Wood screws, 30 mm | 24 | Corners and base |
| Felt or rubber pads | 12 | Stop sliding |
Each finished tray is about 50 x 25 cm inside, enough for a full stretch for most adult cats. Our guide to choosing corrugated cardboard for horizontal scratchers explains which board lasts longest.
Jobs for Children
| Age | Job |
|---|---|
| 3–5 | Sorting cardboard pieces, pressing strips into the tray |
| 6–9 | Measuring strips against a template, sanding frame edges with adult help |
| 10+ | Marking cut lines on cardboard, driving screws with a hand screwdriver |
| Adults only | Cutting wood, using a craft knife, gluing corners |
Keep the craft knife and the glue with an adult. Children can help apply glue with a spreader if an adult is beside them and the room is ventilated, but the frame corners are a small job and easy for an adult to finish quickly.
Building the Tray
- Cut two long sides at 53.6 cm and two short sides at 25 cm from the pine board.
- Glue and screw the corners, with the short sides between the long sides.
- Screw the ply base to the bottom of the frame.
- Sand all edges and corners until smooth.
- Let the glue cure for the time on the label before adding cardboard.
The 53.6 cm long sides allow for two 18 mm thick short sides inside them, giving a 50 cm internal length. Measure your own board thickness and adjust.
Packing the Cardboard Without Glue
Cut the cardboard into strips 7 cm wide, the same height as the frame, with the corrugation running across the strip. Stand the strips on edge and pack them into the tray until the last strip has to be pushed in firmly. Tight packing holds everything in place.
Children enjoy this part. Give them a stack of strips and let them fill the tray, with an adult adding the final few. If the strips feel loose after a week, add one more. Our cardboard safety checklist lists the inks and tapes to remove before packing.
Sizing and Placement for Two or Three Cats
Build one pad per cat plus one. For two cats, that means three pads; for three cats, four. Put them in different rooms or at opposite ends of a room, near places cats already scratch: the end of the sofa, a doorway, the foot of the bed, or the bottom of the stairs.
Cats scratch to leave scent as well as to keep their claws in shape, so scratchers near entrances and resting areas get used most. Avoid putting all pads in a single line, where one cat can block access to every pad at once.
Introducing the Pads to Each Cat
Put a new pad down where the cat already scratches and drag a wand toy slowly across the cardboard so its claws catch the surface. A pinch of dried catnip rubbed into the strips helps some cats. Praise or reward any scratch, even a short one.
In a multi-cat home, introduce pads one at a time and watch who claims each one. If one cat guards a pad, move another pad out of its line of sight so the quieter cat has a spot of its own. Our guide on getting a cat to use a scratcher has more steps for reluctant cats.
Give children a role here too. They can keep a simple chart of which cat used which pad each day. After a week the pattern is usually clear, and it is a good way to show them that each cat has its own habits.
Refilling and Cleaning
Lift out the worn middle strips when the surface becomes shredded and push new ones in. Most families refill every few weeks, depending on how many cats use the pad. Vacuum the tray when you refill.
Turn the remaining strips over to use the fresh side before replacing them. The wooden tray can last for years if the corners stay tight. Our DIY scratcher hub lists other builds once the family wants a new project.
Pairing With a Vertical Option
Some cats scratch flat; others stretch upwards. In a home with several cats, you may need both. A horizontal pad at a doorway and a vertical surface beside the sofa covers both preferences.
The CozeCat Side Table gives a vertical sisal face next to the sofa while working as a side table. Our guide to reading vertical and horizontal scratching helps you work out what each of your cats prefers, and the large scratcher glue checklist covers a bigger family build.
Adding a vertical station If one of your cats prefers to stretch upwards at the sofa, the CozeCat Side Table adds a vertical sisal face there. Next-day shipping is available. If it does not suit your cats, returns are accepted for 30 days and the buyer pays return postage.
Kid-Safe Horizontal Scratcher Questions
Can I make a cat scratcher without glue?
Yes. Pack corrugated cardboard strips on edge into a wooden tray until the last strip has to be pushed in firmly. Pressure holds them in place. You only need glue, ideally a water-based wood glue, for the frame corners, and screws can do most of that work.
What glue is safe for a DIY cat scratcher?
A water-based wood glue is the usual choice. Avoid hot glue and solvent-based contact or spray adhesives where cats can reach. Glue in a ventilated room, keep cats away, and let it cure for the full time on the label, often 24 hours, before a cat uses it.
How many scratchers do I need for multiple cats?
Plan on one per cat plus one, so three for two cats and four for three cats. Spread them across rooms near doorways, resting spots and furniture the cats already scratch, rather than lining them up where one cat can block access to every pad at once.
What can children do when building a cat scratcher?
Young children can sort and press cardboard strips into the tray. Older children can measure strips, sand edges with help, and drive screws by hand. Adults should handle all wood cutting, craft knife work and glue, and keep tools out of reach between sessions.
