My cats are 11 years old.  One of them manages to get to the top once and a while.  He likes to rub his face on the edges a lot.  The other cat likes it but isn't as daring as his brother.  The scratching post seems to be in an 
inconvenient place for them to use.  It does look nice in their room and I put several of their toys indifferent places for them to get.