DIY toy guide

Table-Leg Self-Groomer Brush Corner

A new scrubbing brush fixed to a table leg so your cat can rub and groom itself

Cats love to rub their cheeks and flanks against anything with a bit of bristle. Zip-tie a clean new dish brush or two to a table or chair leg at cat height and you have made a self-groomer they can lean into whenever an itch strikes — the shop-bought version costs ten times as much.

Difficulty
Easy
Time
10 minutes
Cost
£1–£4

🧺 You will need

  • One or two brand-new, unused scrubbing or dish brushes with firm-but-not-sharp bristles
  • A few cable ties, or strong garden wire
  • A sturdy table leg, chair leg or the corner of a solid piece of furniture
  • Optional: a little catnip rubbed into the bristles to introduce it

🔧 How to make it

  1. Choose brushes with bristles that feel pleasant dragged across the back of your hand — firm enough to scratch, not stiff enough to hurt.
  2. Hold a brush against the leg at your cat's shoulder height, bristles facing outward.
  3. Fasten it firmly with two cable ties, top and bottom, and snip the tail ends flush.
  4. Add a second brush lower down, or around the corner, so the cat can rub both flanks and its cheeks.
  5. Rub a little catnip into the bristles and let the cat investigate — most work out the idea within minutes.
  6. Check the ties are tight every week or so and wash the brushes occasionally.

💡 Tips

Cheeks, chin and the base of the tail are a cat's favourite rubbing spots, so a brush at head height and one lower down covers the lot. Placing it near a doorway or their favourite route means they will bunt it in passing all day. A pair set at a right angle around a corner lets a cat scritch both sides at once.

Safety: Use only new, clean brushes with no metal spikes or split bristles, and make sure the cable-tie ends are trimmed flush so there is nothing sharp to catch an eye or mouth. Fix everything firmly enough that a hard lean cannot pull it loose, and skip this project for a cat with sore skin, wounds or a heavy flea burden until a vet has sorted the underlying problem.

📝 Notes

A self-groomer gives a cat a way to scratch the itches it cannot easily reach and to spread its scent around its territory, which is quietly reassuring. It is especially handy for cats that dislike being brushed by hand — they get some of the same coat-raking and massage on their own terms, whenever they fancy it.

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