For those of you who don't know us, Cat Claws is a small mail-order and manufacturing company. We make, as you might guess, things for cats. Our number one product, the one that started the company, is a corrugated cat scratching pad, corrugate being what most people call cardboard. Cardboard though, is actually the stuff that cereal boxes are made from; for corrugate, think more like brown moving boxes. We glue together many flat sheets of corrugate and then slice and dice the blocks down to the size we want, which is called a build-up, or in our case, a scratching pad.
We put the scratching pad into a form-fitting box and then add the "secret" ingredient - certified organic catnip. Most people know what organic means - it means that virtually no artificial chemicals are used to grow or make the catnip. The "certified" part of that description means that we go through a rigorous inspection process and maintain scrupulous records that show how we make sure the catnip remains organic all through the production process. The farm we buy the catnip from goes through the same process. Here is an important lesson - just because the catnip is organic on the farm, if the place that is packing it into nice little bags and toys and scratching pads is adulterating it with non-organic catnip or using industrial cleaning solutions and solvents, your catnip is no longer organic. So that's why it's important to make sure you are buying certified organic catnip - and that's all we sell here at Cat Claws.
We don't just dump some catnip on top of the scratching pad and call it good, though. Nope, over the years we have developed special "scrubbing" tools (they're not high tech, but they work great!) so we actually rub the catnip down into the flutes of the corrugate. So when your cat scratches the scratching pad, the aroma of catnip is constantly released and your cat continues to be attracted to the scratching pad. That's called positive reinforcement - your kitty gets a whiff of something he loves every time he uses the scratching pad.
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| Most of the catnip is rubbed into the flutes, so very little remains on top of the scratching pad. |
I know what you're thinking - why corrugate? Won't my cat tear that up? We think (and millions of cats back us up on this) that corrugate is the best scratching material for cats. Your cat really doesn't know the difference between the carpet or sisal rope on a traditional cat scratching post and the carpet on your floor. Wood scratching posts feel a lot like the wood trim around your door frames. Corrugate feels rough, sort of like tree bark, so your cat will instinctively appreciate the feel of corrugate. Plus, cats don't just scratch for the heck of it. Their scratch marks tell other animals that this territory is already claimed. Corrugate is strong enough for cats to really sink their claws in and scratch, but it also allows cats to mark their "territory" with visual scratch marks. Eventually, your cat will tear the scratching pad into little bits and pieces, but that's the whole point - satisfy your cat's instinctual need to scratch with something he CAN tear apart instead of your couch, your chair, your rug, your woodwork, your drapes, or anything else in your home. The Cat Claws Scratching Pad with Certified Organic Catnip is starting to sound like a pretty good investment, isn't it?
Although we've developed many other scratching pads since we started in 1986, the original Cat Claws Scratching Pad is still our best seller. It's a great, high-quality product that really works. Cats really do love it, and better yet, they really do use it.
That's all for this time. Check back next time when I will go into detail about catnip - just what is it, and why does it get cats so darn excited?
Thanks for reading,
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