I could not believe the size & diameter of the scratching post.  Yes, I knew it was going to be tall, which is exactly what one needs with an adult tomcat.  However, this exceeded my expectations with the diameter of the scratching post.  It only took him a day & he was sleeping on the bed.  Cats love heights, at least mine does, & this fits the bill.  He was scratching my walls & furniture.  I got him to scratch the post by chasing his laser light up the post.  As soon as his claws dug into the post, you could almost see him smile.  It took him only a few hours to rip the dangling ball off but he loves to kick it around the house. He uses the post & bed daily now, saving my furniture & house.  I highly recommend this post.