Very Quick
"I'm more than happy to buy another to replace it once this starts showing some wear & tear, but I really don't think that will be for a very long time."
"I worried about our chair scratcher not using it, but I followed the tips written on the back side of the base: I put double-sided carpet tape along all the areas of the chair she scratched and put the new post in front of that chair."
"Yeah, sure, they'll use them if there's nothing else around (like that yummy recliner they can stretch up and scratch), especially if you dowse those cardboard floor-scratchers with catnip."
"* Bottom Half Well Designed, Top Half Poorly Designed and potentially dangerous PROS: -It's 32" height allows for my large and long cat to do a full, tall and standing stretch while scratching which is most like what his wild ancestors like lions and leopards do against trees as they scratch and leave their mark -It's neutral and natural color palette works very well with our decor -High quality individual elements/parts are used to build the post -Very stable base; no tipping even as a large and long cat scratches and rubs against it."
"Just like food products that say organic on the label (not certified which is truly organic), but then when you take a closer look they are really only made WITH an organic ingredient."
"After 4 years of use, I'm beginning to consider getting a new one for appearances sake and moving this one to a less open area, but that's only because my cats have used it for so long and it's fairly shredded, that being said, it still does it's job and looks like it will for years to come."
"Not only has this post paid for itself in durability, my long and not so lean male cat looks noticeably more comfortable scratching and is able to scratch aggreissively without knocking it over (this thing does NOT move - it s heavy, with a wide base)."
SmartCat Ultimate Scratching Post (Click to Compare Deals)
Quick
"He visits it multiple times a day, and it is literally the only thing in the house he'll sharpen his claws on, even ignoring the wall-mounted sisal post we installed around the corner from his cat box. I'm floored that we were able to correct 15+ years of deeply ingrained bad behavior with this one smart purchase, but, there you have it!... I'm more than happy to buy another to replace it once this starts showing some wear & tear, but I really don't think that will be for a very long time."
"The sisal is woven which is much sturdier than our old cat furniture that had posts *wrapped* in sisal (that came off with all their scratching)... Most posts I've seen are too short to let them stand up completely and stretch up (especially our big one who is long!... I worried about our chair scratcher not using it, but I followed the tips written on the back side of the base: I put double-sided carpet tape along all the areas of the chair she scratched and put the new post in front of that chair."
"I've bought two of these in the past five years, and I can attest to their perfection (I'm still trying to figure out how to turn it upside down for another few years of use)... Yeah, sure, they'll use them if there's nothing else around (like that yummy recliner they can stretch up and scratch), especially if you dowse those cardboard floor-scratchers with catnip... It's tall enough that they can stretch, it's sisal rope that won't end up all over your floor (not that your inventor cat cares about that), and it's sturdy and won't wobble or tip over or otherwise stress your cat."
"* Bottom Half Well Designed, Top Half Poorly Designed and potentially dangerous PROS: -It's 32" height allows for my large and long cat to do a full, tall and standing stretch while scratching which is most like what his wild ancestors like lions and leopards do against trees as they scratch and leave their mark -It's neutral and natural color palette works very well with our decor -High quality individual elements/parts are used to build the post -Very stable base; no tipping even as a large and long cat scratches and rubs against it... CONS: Even though the individual post parts are made of high quality elements/parts, the overall design of the top of the post is poor and unnecessarily elaborate leading to the following: -The post seat only slides on to the top of the post instead of being screwed in like the base leading to an unstable top which definitely wobbles and can slide off as cats jump onto and off of the post -The post seat is very small meaning large and long cats like mine are unable to curl up for a true, good nap; only able to sit in cooked turkey/bread loaf position for light rest... A) Make the top of the post EXACTLY like the bottom; an equally sized Large square (that has two pre-drilled screw holes) that screws into the top."
"Second, when I assembled it one the cats came over to inspect it and must have been irritated from the fumes because he was squinting his eyes every time he got close to it... Just like food products that say organic on the label (not certified which is truly organic), but then when you take a closer look they are really only made WITH an organic ingredient... This results in them putting their claws in, then stopping and just giving up since they can't pull on it the way they do normal sisal rope posts."
"My oldest cat might try scratching/pulling at my rugs instead of the post once in a while, but I just redirect her to the post and she's all over it again... After 4 years of use, I'm beginning to consider getting a new one for appearances sake and moving this one to a less open area, but that's only because my cats have used it for so long and it's fairly shredded, that being said, it still does it's job and looks like it will for years to come. I've recommended this item to friends and family members and those who have bought them have found their cats love these posts too!"
"We tried a cardboard scratcher one time and one time only because that lasted only two weeks in a house with a scratching post in each room, plus a large cat tree... The only reason I am repurchasing now is because we are moving the old post to grandma and grandpas house for when momma and her fur babies crash for the holidays/visits home. Not only has this post paid for itself in durability, my long and not so lean male cat looks noticeably more comfortable scratching and is able to scratch aggreissively without knocking it over (this thing does NOT move - it s heavy, with a wide base)."
Less Quick
"We put it together, which took all of 2 minutes, gave it a couple of blasts of catnip mist, and introduced it to the woodworking-slayer. He cozied right up to it, nuzzling it to scent mark it, then immediately stretched to full height and started scratching away!... He visits it multiple times a day, and it is literally the only thing in the house he'll sharpen his claws on, even ignoring the wall-mounted sisal post we installed around the corner from his cat box. I'm floored that we were able to correct 15+ years of deeply ingrained bad behavior with this one smart purchase, but, there you have it! While every cat is different, and your mileage may vary, here are a few tips we've found for successfully introducing this scratching post: 1... Cats may act like rebels who play by their own rules, but they secretly want you to be pleased with them... I'm more than happy to buy another to replace it once this starts showing some wear & tear, but I really don't think that will be for a very long time."
"It seemed she wanted a vertical scratch - where she could stand on her back legs and stretch while scratching. We used to have one of those huge cat condo furniture things with platforms and sisal-wrapped posts for scratching. When we moved to our current house which is smaller we had no room for it on the main floor (and they wouldn't use it downstairs)... The wide base makes it completely solid even when they stand on back legs putting their weight on their front paws and scratch like crazy. The sisal is woven which is much sturdier than our old cat furniture that had posts *wrapped* in sisal (that came off with all their scratching)... Most posts I've seen are too short to let them stand up completely and stretch up (especially our big one who is long!... I worried about our chair scratcher not using it, but I followed the tips written on the back side of the base: I put double-sided carpet tape along all the areas of the chair she scratched and put the new post in front of that chair."
"those that you hang on a door handle, movement like banging against a door stresses them out), cats do not like scratchers that are short, low, or otherwise not this scratching post... If you watch them, you will note that they want two things from their chosen scratching place: they want resistance (all the better to sharpen those claws), and they want to STRETCH. This scratching post is therefore absolutely perfect (see, I didn't say "purrrfect," even though I really really wanted to). I've bought two of these in the past five years, and I can attest to their perfection (I'm still trying to figure out how to turn it upside down for another few years of use)... Yeah, sure, they'll use them if there's nothing else around (like that yummy recliner they can stretch up and scratch), especially if you dowse those cardboard floor-scratchers with catnip... It's tall enough that they can stretch, it's sisal rope that won't end up all over your floor (not that your inventor cat cares about that), and it's sturdy and won't wobble or tip over or otherwise stress your cat... Instead of forking out the extra $20 for a new one, I've decided to re-wrap my existing one with sisal rope (for a total of less than $5) Tons of videos on how to do this on you know what tube."
"* Bottom Half Well Designed, Top Half Poorly Designed and potentially dangerous PROS: -It's 32" height allows for my large and long cat to do a full, tall and standing stretch while scratching which is most like what his wild ancestors like lions and leopards do against trees as they scratch and leave their mark -It's neutral and natural color palette works very well with our decor -High quality individual elements/parts are used to build the post -Very stable base; no tipping even as a large and long cat scratches and rubs against it... CONS: Even though the individual post parts are made of high quality elements/parts, the overall design of the top of the post is poor and unnecessarily elaborate leading to the following: -The post seat only slides on to the top of the post instead of being screwed in like the base leading to an unstable top which definitely wobbles and can slide off as cats jump onto and off of the post -The post seat is very small meaning large and long cats like mine are unable to curl up for a true, good nap; only able to sit in cooked turkey/bread loaf position for light rest. -The red cushioned seat (sold separately) is attached only by four small Velcro strips which aren't enough to stabilize and secure the pad safely to the top of the post which leads to sliding and potential dangerous situations... The post seat and pad where the cat would likely spend most of his/her time is not well designed or entirely safe. We made some adjustments recommended by other reviewers of this product but ultimately wrote to the company... A) Make the top of the post EXACTLY like the bottom; an equally sized Large square (that has two pre-drilled screw holes) that screws into the top... He really can only get this long stretch and scratch with this post."
"* First, the manufacturer actually glued on a very large (around 7 inches long by 4 inches wide) sticker advertisement with color to the bottom of this post... I used goo gone and scrubbed with a screw driver for about 40 minutes to get it off. Second, when I assembled it one the cats came over to inspect it and must have been irritated from the fumes because he was squinting his eyes every time he got close to it. I don't like that because it must mean there are chemicals being emitted from it which are harmful to both the cats and us... Just like food products that say organic on the label (not certified which is truly organic), but then when you take a closer look they are really only made WITH an organic ingredient... They both tried to scratch it numerous times, but once they sink their claws in, there is no "give" for them to pull with their claws. This results in them putting their claws in, then stopping and just giving up since they can't pull on it the way they do normal sisal rope posts."
"* I've had this item for a little more than 4 years and my cats love it! I originally bought it when I only had one cat, who liked to sharpen her claws on my leather couch... I find it works best for my cats if I keep it near the item I'm trying to keep them from clawing, so I usually keep it next to or behind the furniture I'm protecting. My oldest cat might try scratching/pulling at my rugs instead of the post once in a while, but I just redirect her to the post and she's all over it again... I have had cats tip over the post once in a while, but only when they try and jump on top of it after a full-on sprint... After 4 years of use, I'm beginning to consider getting a new one for appearances sake and moving this one to a less open area, but that's only because my cats have used it for so long and it's fairly shredded, that being said, it still does it's job and looks like it will for years to come. I've recommended this item to friends and family members and those who have bought them have found their cats love these posts too!"
"* My two cats are the type of cats that scratching posts have nightmares about. I have witnessed my large male cat knock over a small cheap scratching post, bear hug it, and scratch it with his back paws. Scratching posts (yes, the wood and rope kind) were replaced every other month in our house. We tried a cardboard scratcher one time and one time only because that lasted only two weeks in a house with a scratching post in each room, plus a large cat tree... The only reason I am repurchasing now is because we are moving the old post to grandma and grandpas house for when momma and her fur babies crash for the holidays/visits home. Not only has this post paid for itself in durability, my long and not so lean male cat looks noticeably more comfortable scratching and is able to scratch aggreissively without knocking it over (this thing does NOT move - it s heavy, with a wide base). This post has a high initial investment, but has paid for itself many times over in the dozens of cheap scratching posts I didn t need to buy."
