I am sure by now you have seen the Emery Cat board commercial on television at some point, if you haven’t you can see the video right here:
(**Update: The original Emery Cat Board has been discontinued, but there are many similar alternatives, so be on the lookout for those.)
Does it Actually Work?
The Emery Cat board has been around for years now and in that time it has become quite well known as a way of offering your cat not just a good place to use their natural scratching instinct without ruining your expensive furniture or curtains.
The patented dome shape of the Emery Cat board actually encourages the cat to stretch themselves out on it as well. Or, that is what is supposed to happen, and for many people, that is what does happen.
There is a caveat to this product which makes this seemingly great life-changing (for your cat, anyway) purchase perhaps a bit iffy, and that is that not all cats seem to “take” to this board, even though it is designed to attract your cat to it for the purpose of nail filing (using cat nip and a fun design).
This problem of being “take it or leave it” to some cats is not really the fault of the board, or of the cat, but it has more to do with the fact that cats don’t necessarily enjoy the gifts we get them, whether it’s a toy, or even the food we buy for them they sometimes turn their nose up to. I once purchased my cat 10 different types of cat food and she didn’t like any of them.
But all speculations as to your cat passing this lovely board by, pray tell, why do we even need this type of board to begin with?
What The Emery Cat Board Is For
Well, as you probably know, it can be really frustrating trying to get your cat to stop scratching your furniture or trying to climb curtains because this is something cats are naturally wanting to do and it can be very hard to train it out of them.
One way to minimize the damage of your cats ruining your furniture is to keep their nails short by clipping them but this cat prove difficult because many cats are very uncomfortable with having to sit still while you attempt to cut their nails without accidentally cutting in to the quick and causing them real pain and distress.
By using a natural nail filing product like the Emery Cat board you can let you cat file down their own nails and also save your furniture from harm and possible been ruined.
You could also take your cat to the vet to have their nails clipped properly but I am sure if you have ever taken you pet to the vet for anything you know how those bills can quickly pile up especially when cats claws need to be clipped every two weeks or so.
Features of the Emery Cat Board
So, if you are looking for a cheap alternative to the large 100+ dollar cat trees you see at the pet store then you should consider the Cat Emery board. Here are a few reasons why you made find it works for you:
- It has a honeycomb surface that works just like an emery nail file that we humans use to naturally file down a cats claws.
- It comes with cat nip that can be added to the board to entice your cat to use it. Cats love the smell and taste of cat nip.
- The Cat Emery board has an arch design that you cats will love to stretch out on and claw at the same time
- The Cat Emery board also comes with free feathery toy that can be attached to the board to encourage your cat to play and keep them around the board.
Tips To Help Clip Your Cat’s Nails
There are a few tips you can try if you don’t want to purchase the Emery Cat board right now that will help you clip your cats nails:
As mentioned above you should aim to trim your cats claws every two weeks or so. You may also not be able to trim all your cats claws in one night, it will depend on how comfortable they are with allowing you to do it.
The sooner you start trimming a cats claws the better, if you start when they are kittens they will be much more comfortable with it.
Try clipping you cats nails when they are sleepy or in a mellow mood.
Emery Cat Board The Easier Option?
Personally I think the Emery Cat board is an easier option and allows your cat the chance to scratch to their little hearts content and also naturally file down their nails just like humans do with the emery material.
The Emery cat board also has catnip built in to the board so your cat will keep coming back to it…hopefully to claw it, as that is the whole point. There is also a fun little toy for them to play with that attaches to the Emery Cat board.
Over several weeks I really noticed how much the board was keeping my cats nails trimmed down and they also stopped scratching at my furniture apart from a few accidents.
Now my cats have their own fun place to scratch away and I no longer have to get stressed about trying to clip their nails without causing them harm so to me its a win, win.
Bottom line – will your cat like this product? It’s hard for me to say, but because it’s reasonably priced, it might be worth a try. Since the board is infused with cat nip, there’s a chance your cats might forgo the board and just get high off the ‘nip, like these cats here:
All in all, there are people online who have said this product is a scam, often based on the fact that their cats don’t use it or seem to like it. Well, they also seem to hate get having their nails trimmed, so it’s a bit of a toss up.
I’ve bought toys for my pets before that they just ignore and never use, which doesn’t make those toys “scams”, but you could see it that way I guess.
Once I bought my cat a cat tunnel that they’re supposed to play with, and the cat didn’t start using it for 11 months! Now she likes it just fine. In the world of cats, one thing is certain and that is that NOTHING is certain.
