EmeryCat board for cats to keep their nails clipped
 

Last week I was watching TLC and there was an advertisement for a scratching board that looked really interesting. It is called EmeryCat. I went to their website [URL="https://www.emerycat.ca/flare/next"]Emerycat.ca[/URL] and ordered one. The ad said that if you ordered one for $29.95 + $7.95 shipping you would get a second one for free as long as I paid a $7.95 shipping charge.

With 4 cats who love to tear up the furniture I decided to order one. The two boards arrived today along with 3 replacement boards I ordered during the ordering process for $14.95 + shipping.

They each came with a bag of catnip, what looks like a good quality cat slicker and a fluffy toy on a post to put into a hole on the board.

The plastic frame is raised like a bridge and the insert is stiff cardboard that has one side coated with a substance like an emery board.

I set both of them up and the cats headed straight for it and started to scratch immediately. I had shaken the catnip into the holes in the board, as directed. They have been back to it a couple of times to scratch. The board appears to be holding together and hasn't shown any sign of wear...yet.

I expect it will take a few uses before I see whether it keeps their nails shorter and not as sharp.

I will keep everyone posted on how it works and whether it falls apart in a short time but I thought it was worth spending the money to see if it works. None of my cats are very impressed with having their nails clipped so if it works, it will be great. :thumbs up

dbg10, I have seen the ad for this product and was thinking I would like to try it, but like so many products on sale on the TV these days was a bit concerned about whether it would be used and about the quality of the product itself.
My 4 older guys all use the scratching post made for them and are a snap to trim their claws, but the little rescue that arrived a couple of weeks is still not too crazy about being picked up so I have not been able to trim her's yet. It was for her that I thought this product might work. I was doubtful the Maine Coons would even be accomodated on the board even though they say it does handle bigger cats, Maines are not likely what they were referring to! :D
I would really like to hear how your use of the product goes. Thanks for the info. :cat::cat::cat::cat::cat:

Today so far they are ignoring the "Emerycat" board but the toy feathery thing on a stick seems to be a hit. I keep putting it back in the hole and they keep taking it out to play with it. I think I may have to add some more catnip to get them using it.

I have two [URL="http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753802&lmdn=Cat"][B]"Bergen Turbo Scratchers"[/B][/URL] from Petsmart that I bought a year or two ago. The cardboard inserts each last less than a week with my cats and at $7.99 for two of them, are too expensive for me to replace them very often.

The fact they love the "Turbo Scratcher" was the reason I thought the Emerycat board might work. I find I have to wrap them in a towel and wrestle with them to get their nails clipped, so if this works, it will be great. :wall:

I forgot to mention that I ordered two sets of Emerycat boards, so I will receive 4 boards when they all arrive (one is a gift). During the ordering process I was asked if I wanted Emerycat boards with a 5 year warranty for $39.95 instead of $29.95. I agreed to the warranty for one set of Emerycat boards, but not the other. The two that arrived yesterday has the 5 year warranty on them but I am still waiting for the set without the warranty. The boards I received yesterday are very sturdy and hold my 25 lb cat without showing any signs of weakness. I will post about the second set when it arrives, it may be the same board, or one that is much flimsier. :(

Time wiil tell if it was a good buy or not :)

You have a 25Ib cat. I hope you are trying to lower it's weight.

I have seen these commerials and this products looks good.

ACO22

Surprisingly Sam the 25lb cat isn't overweight. He is a very large cat who is larger than my neighbours lhasa apso x border collie.

ACO,Hi there!!
I believe Sam the 25lb kitty is a Maine Coon,25lb's is not unusual for that breed.
I had a male Maine Coon a looong time ago and he was about that weight too.

Oh, please keep us updated. I've been curious about this product.

[QUOTE=chico2;867687]ACO,Hi there!!
I believe Sam the 25lb kitty is a Maine Coon,25lb's is not unusual for that breed.
I had a male Maine Coon a looong time ago and he was about that weight too.[/QUOTE]

Sam is a cross between an English Shorthair and a Main Coon. He looks like an English Shorthair but has some features of the Main Coon. Both of which are large breed animals. The male English Shorthair can be 10 kg / 22 lbs.

I plan to keep you updated in a week or so.

[QUOTE=dbg10;868401]Sam is a cross between an English Shorthair and a Main Coon. He looks like an English Shorthair but has some features of the Main Coon. Both of which are large breed animals. The male English Shorthair can be 10 kg / 22 lbs.

I plan to keep you updated in a week or so.[/QUOTE]

I don't know, I think I need to see a photo of Sam to see for myself. :D

Agreed Ancientgirl. Clearly we need to see photos of Sam!

Sam has an album in my profile. The newest picture of [URL="http://www.pets.ca/forum/album.php?albumid=382"]Sam[/URL]
is the one where he is sitting looking at the camera. :)

Handsome boy!:lovestruck:

Oh I am so glad someone is trying these out....it's a lot of money for us, but if it works, I will so invest in a couple! My dad told me about them, he had seen a commercial for them on tv....sounds genius to me!!! :thumbs up

I haven't even seen the commercial but after reading this thread it interested me so I decided to google ....

[url]http://www.complaintsboard.com/bycompany/emery-cat-a150167.html[/url]

[url]http://www.asseenontvonsale.com/pets/emery-cat/[/url]

[url]http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=200753[/url]


It seems like if you order you should use the 1-800 number as online ordering is confusing. :shrug:

Also, someone mentioned that it ripped out cats nails. :eek:

Thanks Rainbow for the links, I should have been smart and placed the order by phone but I wasn't. So far so good, I've had to add catnip every day to get them to use it and no problems with their nails being pulled out. They still went for the cardboard box I had on the floor before the emerycat board. Time will tell if it was worth it or not. It was too expensive by the time I added S & H, though I don't remember how much the total was. I got the two boards but I have put one away because they are not using it enough to have two boards around. The cat who has used it most definitely has shorter claws.

I promised that I would post an update on this product and after a week of being in the house, it looks the same as it did the day I unpacked it. One of the reasons is I don't think the 4 of them have touched it since the first day. However, it may be as durable as they advertise, no way to tell.
[quote]
They each used it once the first day I set it up and as far as I know despite the addition of more catnip, the only thing they have done is sit on the board and play with the toy feather on a post that is in one of the holes on the board. The toy ends up on the floor somewhere after they have played with it and dragged it around the house then I put it back in one of the holes. I checked all of their nails and there has been no damage to them, so I think they just don't like the feel of it on their nails.

I put the second board away because I didn't think it worthwhile to have them both out when they weren't even using one. Fortunately, I did not receive the second set that I ordered, but it hasn't shown up on my credit card either, so that is a good thing.:thumbs up

So IMHO at the end of a week, the emerycat board is a total waste of money and something definitely not worth what I paid for it. Others may have different experiences with the board, but I wouldn't buy it again.

I should have googled it before purchasing but I believed the advertising and with the trouble I have cutting their nails, I thought it might be a really good thing. :headslap:

I will post back in a week or two if by any chance they start to use it :fingerscr [/quote]
:sorry:
The part above in quotes is wrong, I found them using it and posted the correct info below :sorry:

Thanks for the update dbg10.
I was one of the ones who was considering getting it for the kitten who is not yet too crazy about nail trims.
Now I have honest, real life feedback and I think I will stick to trimming manually. Thanks again!:highfive:

I feel like an idjit! Last night at 3.30 am I was wakened up by the loud sounds of scratching. I got up to investigate and there two of my cats were scratching crazily at the emerycat like they were trying to get at all the catnip I had thrown on it. I added some last night before bed, so that may be the trick to add catnip daily. ;)

My son is often up that late and I asked him if he had ever heard them using it and he said he had, every night in the middle of the night. :wall:
Why I woke up last night I haven't a clue, but it looks to me like they are using it, but only when the house is dark and they have crazy time. HURRAY!!! they are going to have shorter nails :thumbs up

So my post above is totally wrong, I will definitely update everyone again in a week or to let you know if they are still using it and if it works.

:sorry: for the misleading post :grouphug:

Gawd I can't believe what I received today. I finally received the second set of emerycat boards that I ordered at the same time as the ones I posted about initially.

I don't think I mentioned why I ordered them. The order showed only 1 board when I went through the ordering process. It did not indicate that I would receive the free second board. When I went through the ordering process I added 3 more extra inserts for the board thinking they wouldn't last and I also added a 5 year guarantee to the first order and when I received that order the boards and plastic frames were solid and held my 25 lb cat without any trouble. I paid $39.95 + shipping ++ for the boards with the guarantee.

I then went back and ordered another set without the 5 year guarantee and without the extra 3 boards for $29.95 + shipping ++ because I thought I was only getting the one board and I wanted 2.

The second set arrived today and the plastic frame is so flimsy it would bend under my 9 lb cat, let alone my 14 lb or 25 lb cats. It is essentially a piece of junk :mad: :yuck: :wall: :censored:

I am not surprised there are negative comments all over the place about this item, if you don't spend the extra for the guarantee, you get something that wouldn't last a week with a larger cat.

I am looking into sending this second set back to them for a refund. However, I expect they will charge me almost as much to return it as it cost in the first place. I'll post about that when I find out. I know it served me right for falling for their slick advertising :headslap:

On the other hand, my cats are using the original board at night and their nails are shorter and duller so I guess it has been a partial success because it is doing what I wanted it to do. But this is the board with the guarantee that is sturdy. The original insert is in the board and it seems to be lasting too with the liberal addition of catnip. :)

Please be wary of this ad, it deserves all the negative reviews it has received unless you pay a lot extra :frustrated:

You should phone your credit card company and get them to reverse the charge for the second order and tell them that you are returning the product. Pay the extra dollar to the post office to get it insured then you have a tracking number to check with the post office's website to see when the company got it back.