My cat loves to be brushed, so much so that my hand hurts long before she gets tired of the brushing. I saw this product and thought I had found the answer to my aching hands. My finicky cat walked around the post for a week, avoiding it like the plague. My heart sunk.  Then all of a sudden she went up to it, started scratching her claws, then rubbing her face and body all over the bristles.  From then on this has been her favorite toy/post. I've seen other scratching posts, but none were as well made as this one. It is made of hard wood covered with thick material which can take a lot of nail sharpening and abuse.  It also doesn't tip over with aggressive scratching and playing. This is a great cat post that will last a long time.