As an amputee I find the traditional scratching post difficult, writes Arthur ‘arty-puss’ Newton. But the need to maintain one’s remaining claws remains. Attacking the carpet leads to arguments, so I agreed to test out a couple of innovative scratching solutions from Pet Planet, one of the internet’s leading pet stores.

For the able bodied, you can’t beat a Sisal Cat Scratcher. They fit in a discreet corner and you can relax back on your hind legs and really go for it, but I need something that can lie on the floor. We tried the Omega Paw Scratch Box. You get what you pay for; it’s cheap cardboard rubbish. I’ve attacked it time and time again, but it moves all over the place as is far too light.

We moved quickly on to the Chase & Scratch (pictured, says Scratch-‘n’-Play on the box, but whatever), which is a hybrid of a scratching post and cat activity centre. You can pay well over £100 for a good cat activity centre, but you’ll be relieved to know this was under a tenner. It’s solid, so you can attack the sisal middle without it slipping about. Generally, I’m into ball games and you’ll find a kind of running track, with a ball, round the edge of the Scratch-‘n’-Play. I like to wake everyone up in the middle of the night by seeing how fast I can make that ball run. Unlike other cat toys, this stays where it is; no chance of losing the ball under furniture or knocking stuff over. There’s also a thing on a spring, which is interesting in its own way.

My predecessor, Critter, liked to get high. I can see where he was coming from; the pampered life is all very well, but sometimes you need something to give it an edge. Pet Planet have a good range of catnip in spray, concentrate and natural form, as well as catnip toys.

Pet Planet offer a lot more than scratching posts, cat activity centres and catnip. You can buy cat beds and bedding, buy cat books, buy cat bowls and feeders, buy cat carriers, buy collars, buy flea treatments, buy cat food, buy cat grooming solutions, buy cat litter and litter trays, buy catnip and catnip toys. That’s the end of Arthur’s commercial break.

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