Cat Scratching Post Inspired by the Mystery Challenge

I created a cat scratching post for my 17 rescues. My inspiration was the scratching post I purchased from PetSmart. My cats like the height of it and use it often. It is time consuming to make the cardboard cat scratchers, but so worth it! They last much longer than any of the ones that I have purchased. I cut the cardboard boxes on the table saw to the width I want and then hot glue them together. I use the glue on the inside edges of the cardboard all the way down both sides so they stay snug together. I cut 20 boxes 6" wide the full length of the box and then glued all 40 pieces to make the 6" wide by 31" tall cardboard scratcher for this post. The bottom wood piece is 16" square and made from cabinet grade plywood. You want some weight and width to keep the post from tipping. The large base and the weight of the cat make it very sturdy. The top wood piece is 9" square and also cabinet grade plywood. I cut 8 pieces of 1" X 2" lumber that was 8" long and put 45 degree angles to create a square on the top and bottom to keep the cardboard in place. I cut two side panels 6" wide by about 28 7/16" long out of the cabinet grade plywood. I secured the sides to the cardboard with screws, but plan to put long bolts thru to firmly secure the side panels. I stained the cabinet grade plywood with Varathane Classic Black stain. I added some Jenga style blocks for decoration and painted them with the Accent Paint in White Pearl. I added some paw prints using the chrome metallic painting pen. I hope you like it and are inspired to make one for your cats too!