What Is Sisal Rope?

Cat owners may be most familiar with sisal as the rough rope used to cover some scratching posts and cat trees. Sisal's texture is favored by many cats over carpeting--which is used for some scratching posts. Sisal also is more durable than corrugated cardboard (another common material for scratching boards).

  1. Features

    • Sisal rope is made out of natural fibers, which come from the Sisalana plant, according to Ruicheng, a distributor of sisal rope.

    Benefits

    • According to the Lehigh Group's comparison of rope, sisal is resistant to sunlight and has very little stretch, which makes it good for tying some kinds of packages. It is also biodegradable,

    Types

    • Sisal rope is sold in a variety of lengths and diameters. Usually sold in the natural pale tan color, sisal rope is also available dyed other colors.

    Durability

    • With frequent clawing from a cat or abrasion from other sources, sisal fibers gradually break apart. However, this wearing-down takes much longer than some other common materials used for cat scratching boards.

    Considerations

    • If you are making or buying a sisal scratching post or board, look for thicker sisal rope. The thicker the rope, the longer it will last.