Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

We share our household with 6 cats and as all cats like to do ... they love to scratch. We go through plenty of those corrugated cardboard scratchers like the Cosmic Alpine Scratcher which has a much looser cardboard grain than this PetFusion lounge. I was a little leery at first because of the price of this scratcher. I wondered just how good could a cardboard scratcher actually be for $45 that would differentiate it so much from the $10-$15 options that I have been going for over the past 8 years or so. They love the cardboard, but our multiple cats go through the looser cardboard options so quickly and sometimes they do not get the resistance they need from the looser cardboard and will resort to using the couch to scratch and get the "manicure" they need (really just shedding the nail sheath). This is a necessity for our feline friends. When the PetFusion arrived, I was first struck by it's SIZE. I've posted a picture with one of my biggest cats who weighs about 20 lbs and is just a big boy, with large bones and length. Scooter is a feral cat and he has claws and massive strength. He is one of 6 cats who loves the lounger for both scratching and lounging. The quality of the cardboard used in the almost "furniture-grade" scratcher provides a great amount of resistance for that nail sheath shedding so that the kitty's don't feel the same need to mark and groom via scratching on a stronger piece of material. Outdoors, cats usually have trees to do this for them. To lure my two biggest couch scratchers (new couch, new habits), I used SmartyKat CatnipMist to make the scratcher immediately appealing. The scratcher does come with a baggie of catnip twigs (but none of my cats were remotely interested in this version of catnip and my cats are usually not picky ... but not a one liked it). Between the catnip mist and a little coaxing, I have redirected scratching to the new lounger where some of the cats are creating territories. The lounger is big enough to accommodate two of our cats and some of them like playing in the openings. We all liked the lounger so much within 2 days I ordered another one for the top floor of the house. The cats took to that one too. Our house is decorated in a more contemporary decor and this scratcher sits nicely next to our Noguchi Table and doesn't miss a beat. The item is reversible and I expect to get a good lifespan out of it. At very least 4 times what I would have with the cheaper cardboard scratchers. At that point, they have more than paid for themselves. Easy on the eyes, a furniture-saver and the cats love it. We are all happy campers. Update: 11 September 2012: I have found a way to extend the use of these scratchers (since I bought two of them so far). I find that if I cut them in half lengthwise with a hacksaw and use the inside surfaces it creates two scratchers and two great, fresh surfaces for our 6 kitties. They still lounge on the half-shape and it's a great way to extend the life. That said, I just ordered a new one today and am going to be cutting the second one in half and deploying it downstairs (I just had to throw away the two halves today because they had been scratched up). These are not cheap scratchers but they can sure take a beating. They can also have their life extended by sawing them in half and exposing the undersides. It's like having two brand new scratchers! Moms and kitties are happy :)