This item is very sturdy and well made. The landing portion is covered in a soft shag grey carpet and the poles have a rough rope combined with carpet that the cats use to scratch. There is an anchor plate located at the top that needs to be screwed into the wall in order to give the pole stability. You really need to use this because the top tension rod is only meant to keep the pole upright. Overall, the cats love it and I am very happy that they do