In the world of cat toys, creators and builders know no bounds. CNet is reporting on a new cat toy, which they believe might help replace your laptop as your cat’s favorite spot. Called the Cat Scratch Laptop, this toy is made of recycled paper or cardboard, and features corrugated cardboard in place of a keyboard, so your cat has a nice place to scratch. It even has a fuzzy mouse, as the “computer’s” mouse, attached.
CNet writer Bonnie Burton says, at the end of her piece:
But think of all the furniture and real laptops you’ll be saving from getting clawed up by bored cats wondering when you’re going to get off of Twitter and give them treats.
There’s a reason cats like computers, which the Cat Scratch Laptop won’t address
This might help, but then again, there’s a reason that cats like our computers. It seems like it’s a cry for attention – you know, like they’re saying, “Hey! It’s time to pay attention to meeeee!” But that’s not what they’re doing. Our cats like laptop computers because they’re warm spots. Warmth is comforting to a cat. The Cat Scratch Laptop is not going to help that.
What the Cat Scratch Laptop can address
It may, however, give your cat a new scratching surface in a new place. Cats need to engage in scratching behavior, and some cats need a larger number of acceptable scratching surfaces than others. Scratching posts and cat trees help meet this need, but you can only put so many of those in your house.
Cats need to scratch. That’s the bottom line. They love to scratch a variety of surfaces, in a variety of positions. According to CatHealth.com, in the wild, cats scratch tree trunks, roots, branches, and other surfaces. Vertical structures allow cats to stretch out their shoulders and backs, and work their hindquarters as well. Think of it as feline stretching exercises; the vertical surfaces work a lot of muscles cats don’t otherwise work.
Cat trees, scratching posts and condos are usually vertical, and cats do seem to prefer these. But they like horizontal surfaces, too, because those surfaces work muscles in different ways. What the Cat Scratch Laptop provides is a small, horizontal scratching surface that you might be able to put on your desk, or on the coffee table, right next to your real laptop. It’s a new scratching surface in a new place.
The Cat Scratch Laptop goes for about $35, which is, as CNet notes, considerably cheaper than another, real, laptop. You can buy them here, at Suck UK. Just don’t expect this scratching toy to replace your cat’s love for your own laptop!
