A cat's claw grows in sheaths, and the outer layer has to be worn off or the tip keeps growing until it snags on carpet or presses back into the pad. That is the real reason cats scratch, and the reason a post only works if it stands somewhere the cat already spends time. This one is plain solid wood, so it reads as a piece of furniture rather than as pet equipment.

The construction is solid timber rather than chipboard wrapped in carpet, and the platforms are 20cm circles of wood; one option in the range is a 12cm ball instead of a platform. Weight and rigidity matter more here than they sound. A post that rocks under load teaches a cat not to trust it, and a cat who cannot trust a post goes back to the arm of the sofa within a week and stays there.

• 100% solid wood construction
• Platform diameter 20cm
• Ball option measures 12cm
• Options coded A, B, C and D in small, middle and big
• Supplied as one climbing frame
• Made for cats of any age

On sizing: the maker publishes exactly one measurement, the 20cm diameter, and codes everything else as small, middle or big, which is not enough to choose from. Worth saying plainly too: with a footprint this size it is a perch and a claw-stop, not a full cat tree, and a cat who likes to stretch out to full length up a trunk will want something taller alongside it.

Who it's for: flats and small rooms where a full cat tower will not fit, and owners who would rather the scratching happened on a piece of wood in the living room than on the sofa arm.