> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.catstandard.co.uk/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Where to put a cat scratching post - URL: https://www.catstandard.co.uk/where-to-put-cat-scratching-post/ - Published: 2026-09-13T13:19:37.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-02T11:10:50.000Z - Description: Find a useful place for your cat’s scratching post, with room-layout examples, access checks and ways to rethink a spot your cat keeps ignoring. - Author: Kieran Simpson - Tags: Scratchers & play, #research-guide Put a scratching post where it has a job to do: near the spot your cat already scratches, or close to a resting place they use. The empty corner is only a good location if the cat has some reason to visit it. ## The short answer **Start with an existing scratching spot, keep the approach clear and make sure the post does not move.** Work through the [location choices](#locations), use the [two room examples](#layouts), then do the [access check](#checklist). If the post is too short or the wrong shape, moving it will not solve that: see our [scratching-post buying guide](https://www.catstandard.co.uk/how-to-choose-cat-scratching-post/). On this page [Start with the places your cat uses](#locations)[Two practical room layouts](#layouts)[Check access before leaving it there](#checklist)[Observe before moving it again](#observe)[When the post itself is the problem](#product-fit)[Sources and layout notes](#sources-and-layout-notes) ## Start with the places your cat uses [Cats Protection suggests positioning a post beside existing scratching](https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/cat-behaviour/scratching?ref=catstandard.co.uk) and trying a spot near the cat’s bed, because cats often stretch and scratch after waking. It also recommends separate scratching posts in different places for cats sharing a home. Make a short list of actual locations: the sofa arm, a patch of carpet, the side of the bed. Note the scratching direction too. A floor-level pad may better match carpet scratching than an upright post. For a new cat, ask what they use in their current home. Choose a sensible starting place, then watch what happens. You are arranging the room for someone who has not yet seen the floor plan. ## Two practical room layouts ![Two illustrative top-down rooms. In the first, a post sits beside the scratched end of a sofa with clear space in front. In the second, a post is near a bed and outside the doorway route.](https://www.catstandard.co.uk/assets/images/scratcher-placement-layouts.svg) Illustrative layouts, not measured rooms or fixed clearance rules. Check your furniture, door swing and the product’s instructions.Diagram: [The Cat Standard](https://www.catstandard.co.uk/where-to-put-cat-scratching-post/). If sharing, please credit us and link to this guide. ### Example 1: the sofa arm Place the alternative beside the end being scratched, with the usable face accessible. Check it is not trapped between the sofa and a side table. Leave room for the cat’s body while scratching, and for people to walk past without repeatedly shifting the base. The diagram’s position is a starting option, not a rule that a post must sit on a particular side of every sofa. Use the side your cat visits. The sofa has at least supplied a fairly specific brief. ### Example 2: a bed near a doorway Try the post near the resting spot, outside the door swing and the walking route. Open the door fully before deciding it fits. Check whether laundry, shoes or a bedside drawer will occupy the same space in daily use. [Cats Protection also identifies entry and exit points as possible scratching locations](https://www.cats.org.uk/cats-blog/how-to-create-ideal-home-for-your-cat?ref=catstandard.co.uk). “Near the doorway” does not mean in the doorway: the approach and exit still need to work. ## Check access before leaving it there - **Approach:** can the cat reach the scratching surface without squeezing around furniture? - **Stretch:** is there room for their body, not just the post’s base? - **Movement:** does the assembled post rock or slide on this floor? - **Doors and drawers:** do they open without hitting it? - **Household traffic:** will somebody need to move it every time they pass? - **Other cats:** are the alternatives spread out, rather than all collected at one shared access point? Use the maker’s assembly and fixing instructions. A wall-mounted panel needs a suitable wall and fixings; a floor-standing post is not automatically safe to lean against furniture. There is no universal distance from a wall that makes every design suitable. ## Observe before moving it again Leave yourself a simple note: location, whether it gets used, and whether the cat still scratches elsewhere. Note any movement of the base. This keeps “she doesn’t like it” from quietly meaning “I haven’t seen her use it”. Change one practical thing at a time where possible. If a post starts getting used but is awkwardly positioned, Cats Protection advises moving it gradually to a more suitable location. Keep checking use as you move it; avoid turning that into a fixed number of centimetres or days that the guidance does not specify. For multiple cats, a second location can provide a separate option. Placing two posts side by side may look like twice the provision on a shopping list, but it still gives them the same place to access. If the setup still gets ignored, work through [why your cat is not using the scratching post](https://www.catstandard.co.uk/cat-not-using-scratching-post/) for the next checks. ## When the post itself is the problem Location cannot add usable height, stop a loose joint or turn a vertical post into a flat board. Resolve an insecure structure before use and match any replacement to the actual problem. If orientation seems to be the issue, read [cardboard vs sisal scratchers](https://www.catstandard.co.uk/cardboard-vs-sisal-cat-scratchers/). If the post is too short or its footprint will not fit, use [the height and sizing checks](https://www.catstandard.co.uk/how-to-choose-cat-scratching-post/#height) before choosing another one. Both guides include product examples where buying is useful. A new position is a practical adjustment, not a diagnosis of why a cat scratches. If the behaviour is concerning or persists despite appropriate provision, the [full Cats Protection guidance](https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/cat-behaviour/scratching?ref=catstandard.co.uk) explains when qualified behavioural help may be needed. ## Sources and layout notes Based on the Cats Protection guidance linked above, checked 13 September 2026\. The drawings and household access checklist translate those placement principles into illustrative room-planning examples; they are not prescribed dimensions. Browse [Scratchers & play](https://www.catstandard.co.uk/topics/scratchers-and-play/) or read [our editorial standards](https://www.catstandard.co.uk/our-standards/).