This was the best addition to my living room.  My oldest cat began clawing at my walls in order to sharpen his claws.  He has since turned his attention to the cat tree for such uses.  With a little cat nip spray, the cats will be all over it in no time.  They love to lounge around on the top 3 tiers, mostly to get away from the kids.  However, my kids also love playing on it.  That's proof of how sturdy and this structure really is.
Overall, it was the best decision for us.