DIY toy guide
Hanging Sisal Scratch Column
A sisal-wrapped tube hung from a door or beam for stretch-up scratching
A cardboard tube or short length of pipe wrapped in sisal and hung from a door frame or sturdy hook gives a cat a swinging column to reach up, grab and scratch — great where floor space is tight.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 45 min
- Cost
- £5–£15
🧺 You will need
- A strong cardboard postal tube or short pipe (around 30–40 cm)
- 6–8 m of natural sisal rope
- Non-toxic glue
- Strong cord or rope for hanging
- A secure over-door hook or a screw-in ceiling/beam hook
🔧 How to make it
- Thread the hanging cord through the tube and knot it firmly at the bottom so the column hangs level, or fix a loop to the top end.
- Glue one end of the sisal near the top of the tube and wrap it tightly downward in touching coils, adding glue as you go.
- Cover the whole tube, cut the rope and glue the end down so it cannot unravel.
- Let the glue cure fully before hanging it.
- Hang the column from a secure over-door hook or beam hook at a height where your cat can reach up and grab it.
- Rub a little catnip into the sisal and dangle it slightly to spark that first reach-and-scratch.
💡 Tips
Hang it so the bottom sits at about your cat's standing-stretch height to encourage a full-body reach. Because it swings, it doubles as a batting toy — some cats will wrestle it as much as scratch it.
Safety: Use only natural sisal and make sure the hook and cord are rated well above your cat's weight, since a cat may briefly hang their weight on it. Fix the hook into something solid, keep the swing well clear of anything the column could knock, and check the knots and glued ends regularly so no loose strands can be chewed off and swallowed.
📝 Notes
Vertical scratching lets a cat stretch its whole spine and shoulders, and a hanging column delivers that in almost no floor space — ideal for a small flat. Turning a postal tube and some rope into a swinging scratcher is about as cheap as enrichment gets.