Height is not the only thing that stops furniture damage. What matters more is whether your cat goes to the post at all, and a 50cm column sited well beats a 90cm tower stood in the wrong room. This one suits cats that scratch at chair legs, bed frames and the lower half of a sofa arm. Cats that reach right up the back of an armchair want more height, and the cat scratchers range has taller options for them.

Two natural fibres, not one. Sisal supplies the firm resistance cats pull against, jute is softer and slightly hairier, so the column carries two textures on one post. Cats are particular about surface, and having both raises the odds that one of them suits yours. Carpet is the surface to avoid, for reasons the FAQ below goes into.

The catnip sits inside the weave rather than dusted over the outside, so it is still there after the first week. That matters because a scratching post only stops furniture damage if the cat actually goes to it, and catnip is the fastest way to make that happen. Worth knowing that roughly one cat in three does not react to catnip at all, which is no reflection on the post.

The dangling feather gives your cat a second reason to visit, and that is how the habit forms. A post that is also somewhere to play gets used. One standing alone in a corner gets ignored. For a kitten or a young cat the toy usually does more work than the catnip does.

A 30cm square footprint, so it tucks beside a sofa or under a window without taking the room over. At 1.77kg it holds steady through an enthusiastic scratch but lifts with one hand when you want the floor back. If you are kitting out a whole flat, there is more in the cat accessories range to go around it.

Start by siting it against the furniture your cat already works on, not where you would rather the scratching went. Rub the catnip surface, drag your own nails down it so it smells lived in, and reward your cat the first few times they use it.

Why do cats like scratching posts? A good one lets them stretch out the back and shoulders, work off the old claw casing, and leave a scent mark from the glands in their paws. All three at once, which is why no single substitute works.

Why do cats use a scratching post instead of the sofa? Only when the post is the better option. Better means closer to where they already scratch, more stable underfoot, and a surface that gives way under the claw.

How many scratching posts does a cat need? One per cat plus one is the usual rule, and at minimum one per floor of the house. Most single-cat homes do best with two, one upright and one flat.

Why does my cat not use the scratching post? Nine times in ten it is sited wrong or it wobbles. Move it next to the furniture being scratched before you conclude your cat dislikes it.

How to train a cat to use a scratching post: you mostly cannot, and you do not need to. Make the post more attractive than the sofa and the cat trains itself. Never carry a cat to the post and push its paws down it, which teaches the opposite.

Do scratching posts trim cats nails? No. Scratching peels off the worn outer sheath and leaves the newer claw underneath. It is not filing, and it does not replace a nail clip.