Cats do not scratch to sharpen claws so much as to stretch, mark and shed the outer claw sheath, and they do it where they wake up and where they come into a room. Give them nothing suitable in those spots and the sofa arm becomes the obvious candidate. A tall post answers the stretching part properly, because a cat wants to reach up with front paws well above the shoulder and pull down through the whole body.

At 90cm this post is tall enough for an adult cat to do exactly that, and it is wrapped in natural sisal, which is the material most cats will choose over carpet or cardboard when given a fair test. The base is weighted for stability so the post stays put mid-scratch rather than rocking, since a wobble is usually enough to put a cat off it permanently. A pom-pom dangles from the top for batting and pouncing.

• 90cm post for a proper full-height stretch
• Natural sisal wrap that cats dig into readily
• Stable base that stays steady under a firm scratch
• Dangling pom-pom for play as well as scratching
• Single upright design, small footprint

Two things worth knowing. The pom-pom hangs on a cord, so if your cat is one of the string-eaters, take it off and keep the post as a post. And one scratcher rarely covers a whole house: cats want one near where they sleep and one near the door they use most, so a single post often works best as the first of two rather than the only one.

Who it's for: Indoor cats who need a tall, steady place to scratch and stretch, and owners trying to move claws away from the furniture.