Cat scratching post and exercise center

A flat board forms a base member for supporting at longitudinally spaced, in line positions, a pair of posts which extend vertically upwardly therefrom and parallel to each other. A cylindrical cross bar is fixedly mounted at opposite ends to respective posts and spans horizontally between the posts at some distance above the base. Preferably the top surface of the base member and the side surface of the vertical posts are covered with carpeting. A small diameter object may be suspended by a string from the center of the cross bar at some height above the base so as to be freely swung by a cat in pendulum fashion.

This invention relates to a cat scratching post covered with pile carpeting 
or the like, and more particularly to a combined cat scratching post and 
exercise center. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Cats have an innate desire to sharpen their claws on most household 
articles of furniture, much to the dismay of the cat owner. Cats also have 
an affinity for scratching woven pile carpet to the extent of literally 
destroying selected areas of carpeting whether wall-to-wall or freely 
laid. 
Cat scratching posts and exercise devices have been the subject of U.S. 
patents, see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,993.027; 3,604,397; 3,479,990; 
3,097,626; 3,085,551 and 2,997,019. 
In current vogue is a cat scratching post in the form of an upright 
cylindrical wood member mounted to an underlying base and covered on its 
exterior with a piece of standard pile carpeting. Under such 
circumstances, the cat stands on its hind legs, with its body arched 
towards the carpet covered post and the cat rapidly scratches the surface 
of the pile carpet material. While such cat scratching post appears to be 
adequate and solves the cat's need for scratching to sharpen its claws, it 
provides little in the way of a device furthering exercise by the cat. 
It is therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide an 
improved cat scratching post which acts additionally as an exercise or 
fitness center permitting a variety of exercises to take the place limited 
only by the dexterity and imagination of the cat. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention is directed to a combined cat scratching post and 
exercise center and comprises a horizontal base member and, a pair of 
posts fixedly mounted on the base member and standing vertically upwardly 
therefrom at laterally spaced, parallel positions with the posts generally 
parallel to each other. A wooden or other material rod is fixedly mounted 
at respective ends to respective posts, at some distance above the base 
and spans between the posts. The posts are preferably covered over a 
substantial length thereof with a woven pile-like material permitting the 
cat to scratch the pile-like material or, the cat may freely climb one 
post, cross over and descend the opposite post or hang on the cross bar. 
Preferably, the pile-like material constitutes a piece of woven pile 
carpet material. The base may comprise a flat board with the top of the 
base covered with the same pile-like material covering respective posts. 
The cross bar may constitute a relatively mall diameter wooden rod. 
Preferably, a string is fixed to the cross post at its center, being of a 
length less than the distance between the cross bar and the underlying 
base member and having an object fixed to the opposite end of the string 
such that the string and object function as a pendulum to be swung by the 
cat.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Referring to the drawings, the combined cat scratching post and exercise 
center is indicated generally at 10 and is shown as rested within the 
building on floor 12 by a base 14 which is of elongated plan rectangular 
form. Fixedly mounted to the base 14 are a pair of cylindrical, wooden 
posts indicated generally at 16 which are longitudinally spaced, and 
laterally centered on the base 14 so that they project upwardly from the 
base parallel to each other, in side by side position. Spanning the gap 
between the posts 16 and at the top 16a of the posts is a cross bar 18 
whose opposite ends are fixed to respective posts 16. The cross bar 18 
preferably takes the form of a wooden rod of circular cross section of 
relatively small diameter typically on the order of the size of a 
conventional broom handle. The posts may have a diameter of 4-5 inches. 
Preferably, the base 14 is formed of a wood board which may be several 
feet in length and a foot or so in width. The post 16 may be fixed to the 
base 14 by screws, nails or the like. 
Since the unit 10 functions partially as a scratching post, both posts 16 
are preferably covered over their complete vertical extent with a piece of 
woven pile-like material such as standard floor carpeting as at 20 which 
is of a length equal to the height of the vertical post 16. Further, a 
circular cap piece 22 of carpeting material is attached to the upper end 
of each wooden post so as to cover the top of each wooden post. The 
carpeting pieces may be affixed by carpet tacks, adhesive, nails or the 
like to the posts. Further, preferably, the base 14 comprises a wooden 
board 24 which is also covered at least on its top surface 24a with a 
rectangular piece of pile carpeting 26 having dimensions sized to that of 
the board or slightly in excess thereto both in terms of length and width 
so as to wrap over the edges of the board 24, at both sides and at 
opposite ends. Again the piece of carpeting 26 may be attached by adhesive 
or via carpet tacks, nails etc. 
Preferably, a light weight object 28 is suspended from the cross bar 18 via 
a piece of string or cord 30, one end of which is tied to the cross bar at 
its center and the other end is tied to the light weight object 28. That 
object may be a piece of crumpled paper, a small cardboard box, a rubber 
ball or a similar element. The string and the lightweight object piece 28 
form a pendulum which may be attacked, swung, etc, by the cat. As seen in 
FIG. 1, the cat may hang on the cross bar via its front legs and with its 
rear legs gripped to the carpet piece 20 covering the post to the right. 
As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the cat can readily climb the post, straddle the 
cross bar 18, attack the pendulum from that position or swing on the cross 
bar. Likewise, the cat can stand on the base 24 and scratch the side of 
either post 16 in the manner of conventional cat scratching post. 
By placing the cross bar 18 adjacent to the upper ends 16a of the two 
vertical posts 16, the cat, after climbing one post 16, can readily cross 
over to the opposite post via the cross bar 18. Further, by having the 
cross bar 18 formed of wood, whether of rectangular cross section or 
circular cross section, the cat can readily grip the surface of the cross 
bar when hanging on the same as indicated in FIG. 1 or when walking across 
the bar from post to post. 
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with 
reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by 
those skilled in the art that various changes in the form and detail may 
be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the 
invention.