The item is as seen in the picture and was labelled for easy assembly as I was able to build it in less than 30 minutes. My 12 year old Persian LOVES it and began to use it the first day it was brought into the home. I highly recommend this cat tree to any cat owner. He is a little leery of the hammock but I know in time he will come to like it. Something that made the transition into the cat tree work well was putting several treats throughout the different levels so that the cat follows the smell and retrieves them to the top level, showing them a path of how they can use it. Again a great product with no issues so far. Given I have a long haired cat it is also very easy to clean with a vaccum to remove hair that clings to it (which is normal for carpeted products). Thank you again for an affordable tree that is good quality!