Thrifty Designer's DIY Strawberry Cat Scratcher Is the Definition of 'Purr-fection'

I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of cat parents haven't ever considered trying to build a scratching post "from scratch" before. As a DIY aficionado and cat parent myself, I'd never really considered the humble scratching post to have a ton of potential for a fun DIY crafting project - that is, until I saw Annika Hinds' colorful cat creation!

Annika Hinds is a maximalist DIY decorator known for transforming thrifty finds into eye-catching statement pieces with a few simple upgrades. Her DIY strawberry cat scratcher comes together is the very definition of "purr-fection," emulating the look of $50+ name-brand cat scratchers on the cheap!

Annika's (aka @blondesigns ) primary sources of inspiration were the viral VETRESKA fruit-shaped cat scratchers, like this VETRESKA Orange Cat Scratching Post available from Amazon. They are super-cute, but they also go for $50-60 or more online, and besides, they didn't have one for Annika's favorite fruit: the strawberry. Luckily, she had the DIY skills to amend that little oversight while showing us folks at home how to do it ourselves!

Related: Woman's Summery IKEA Furniture Flip Is 'Berry' Cute

How To Recreate the Strawberry Cat Scratcher

The initial challenge Annika faced was mimicking the unique shape of a strawberry without using a pre-made mold. To do this, she bought a cheap plastic garden planter from Walmart (most likely this $2 6-inch Mainstays planter ) and drilled it into a round wooden base for the "body." She then fitted and hot-glued a cheap plastic Dollar Tree bowl upside-down over the top of the planter. Lastly, she glued a small wooden dowel on the top for her stem, and voila - Annika had her base shape.

Next came the "scratcher" part of her cat scratcher. Annika used two strawberry-red spools of jute rope, methodically wrapping and gluing the rope around the entire shape, making sure there were no gaps as she went up. It was a laborious process that took her hours, but the end result was flawless. Annika also used some green jute twine to coat the wooden base and the stem at the top and glued coils of white jute rope onto her strawberry to make the "seeds." Lastly, she cut out a few green felt leaves, strung them together with a little more green jute, then attached it to the base of the stem. "Berry" impressive work!

Creative Kitty Decor on the Cheap

While Annika didn't give an exact cost breakdown, I can't imagine that this was a very expensive project. Annika linked to her Amazon list of Strawberry Scratcher materials on her Instagram page, and nothing on there cost over $16 at most. Throw in a few dollar store buys and some hot glue I'm sure she already had on hand, and it all adds up to... well, not a whole lot!

As someone who isn't thrilled with most of the cat scratching post designs my local pet stores have, I'm now tempted to give this one a go myself. The biggest investment needed for this project is time, but if you've got a long weekend coming up and a demanding cat to please, why not try this one out for yourself?

Follow us on Google News , subscribe to get Home & Garden news to your inbox and share your latest project for a chance to be featured!