My cats really dig this tree, they chase each other around and the little one uses the poles almost like a tree trunk to climb up. It's a nice little challenge for them to get to the second tier, but not too difficult. It's fairly sturdy, and they like the top shelves even though they wobble a little. They even like the little toys that hang down from the top shelf. They don't use the little hideaway on the bottom shelf, ever, but that could be because they just don't like tiny spaces. I only give it four and not five stars because it does wobble a bit when my smaller cat climbs up high, which give me a tiny heart attack every time, but I really think it is solid enough to not topple over. I lean it against two walls (in the corner) and that seems to help.