Kitty City Sisal Post Scratcher, Perch Platform

Très bien fait

Loved by 3 cats. Highly recommend. I only wish the company offered replacement posts separately. I had to change mine after a while of course; but the platform and even the top circular platform are still fine. So the new ones are kind of wasted. It would be nice if they offered that. Both Price-wise & ecologically. My cats have always ignored the corrugated cardboard ones. I wasted so much money trying those. Also they love the height. To stretch out when scratching. And the batting toy too. Just perfect. It looks great too. Much nicer than carpet. And sturdier. My last one lasted a few years. It's Worth it.

I have now ordered three of these. I have been using them for three years now and am well pleased with the quality and durability. I bought the first nearly 3 years ago and another for myself about a year ago after getting another young cat who liked the first one. I got the perch accessory for the second one and the young cat absolutely fell in love with being able to sleep and judge everyone from it. After this duration of time and three cats (2yrs, 4yrs and 8yrs) using them constantly, the post covering is showing a lot of wear, but the actual units are in excellent shape. I wish they sold replacement coverings or just the covered post itself. The base and toppers are perfect and the structural integrity of the post is still great. I am currently looking into replacement materials for the scratching cover, otherwise I will buy another one to replace the oldest. I can't imagine not having at least one of these in the house.Another thing I dearly love about these posts is the size. They are much taller than the carpeted or roped posts that I used to use. Even my longest cat can reach up and get a good vertical stretch and scratch on these. On the shorteer posts, he had to reach out lengthwise to scratch on them. My Maine Coon wouldn't use the shorter posts at all, opting instead for my carpeted studio speakers. With the height of these, even she uses them and has since ignored the speakers.I will never go back to the shorter scratching posts with sisal rope or carpet again. The cats adore them and they hold up much better than the others. Carpeted/rope post = useless after about 3 months. These posts are still used daily after almost three years. Excellent bang for the buck.I liked this post so well that I bought a third one and gave to my mother for her "cat room". She also loved it, however it didn't fair so well in her environment. The cats managed to actually break the post away from the base and crash the whole thing. Mind you that this took a home with 11 indoor cats (most of them very young and high energy/rambunctious) to break it and they only had one to share amongst them. She has since bought two more of them and they are faring much better as the cats are getting a little older and aren't having to fight over only one of them.Plain and simple, if you have cats then you need this scratching post. You will not regret it and the fur babies will thank you.

Missing pieces and can't get replacements in Canada :(

Update: Almost a year and a half later, I'm buying a new one of these to replace the one our cats have used heavily every day. They finally managed to tear one section up enough to warrant replacement, though the unit itself is still solid, and most of the surface is still good (except that one spot). We did have an odd experience, though: When we first got the scratching post, we rewarded our cats with treats (actually, healthy dry food) for using it. They quickly started using it to get our attention, and it became the place we'd set any treats down for them to eat. Once the one section finally started fraying, the small strands from it drifted down, and the cats ate some. We saw those in their poop, thought they'd gotten worms, and took them to the vet unnecessarily. They're fine, and that's probably a risk if you feed cats by any scratching post, but I thought I'd mention it in case it helps anyone else diagnose a problem. :-) Overall, this has proven to be a very good scratching post. This time, we're buying the bed, too, to see if our younger cat will like it.Original Review:I bought this while training our cats to use a scratching post, because our old one was short and light, and the cats would sometimes get a claw stuck and end up carrying it with them in their attempts to get free. Eventually, the carpet started pulling away from the core, and I decided it was time to get a new one. I chose this one despite some warnings about its smell, and it's been working fine for months now.It had a very mild scent when I opened the box, which quickly dissipated and which I probably only noticed because other reviewers had me a little paranoid. I sit right next to it when working on the computer (I work from home), and I'm sensitive to chemical smells, so I would definitely notice if this one were a problem, but it's not.It's taller and heavier than the old one I was replacing, so the cats can stretch upwards when they scratch, and it stays in place nicely. In fact, it's strong enough for our younger cat to climb up the side of it onto the perch - something he frequently does when I'm absorbed in a meeting and not paying him enough attention. (He puts on a good show by climbing up, reaching down, and pulling at the toy to make it ring. My coworkers are very amused.) When I eventually need a replacement, I might get the bed option for him.BTW, for the many reviewers who've complained that their cats ignore scratching posts, it's definitely possible to teach them. With our current two cats, I started by putting treats on the base of it to get them interested. Then, I gave them treats whenever they scratched it. After they got used to that idea, I started alternating treats with petting and verbal praise (in which I repeatedly used the phrase "scratching post" so they'd associate those words with the actual item). Whenever they scratched anywhere else, I'd tell them "no" firmly and then more gently tell them to go use their scratching post. The older one has the concept completely at this point and now uses the other scratching posts in the house, too; I haven't seen him scratch the carpet or furniture in months. The younger cat still occasionally scratches something else, so I might try an approach that worked really well for a cat we had many years ago: I'd tell her "no," pick her up and take her to the scratching post, set her down there and hold her paws while mimicking the scratching motion and praising her enthusiastically, take her back to where she was scratching and tell her "no" while mimicking the motion there, and then return to the scratching post. I still remember the "lightbulb" look in her eyes when she abruptly understood. For the remainder of her lifetime after that, she'd go to the scratching post whenever we were in the room together, scratch it joyously while looking at me, and preen while I praised her. Scratching is natural cat behavior, and they get upset and confused if they're yelled at for it, but you can definitely turn scratching into a positive interaction for both of you.

This is my 2nd purchase with the first made a couple of months ago. I have tried other brands where the seams come apart after a few days of kitties' scratching. If the platform rest is an inch wider, it would be perfect for my big kitties and given a 5-star rating for the product.

Cats took to it really well for scratching. Only one cat will sit on it and usually to swipe her brother from it. Neither use the ball. 8 months of use and it still looks new. Excellent quality at a very reasonable price. Has saved the furniture from scratching!

Easy to assemble. The height allows a cat to stretch fully and scratch, with room to spare. My cat took to it instantly, scratching and climbing, and she enjoys just sitting at the top. I place toys on top for her to retrieve, which she enjoys, and I also sometimes put it on its side for a change of perspective. She has an assortment of diversions which are rotated so that she doesn't become bored. This scratching post is constantly available to her, obviously, and she doesn't tire of it but now takes little notice of the attached plastic ball. Highly recommended.