Cats scratch to strip the dead outer sheath from their claws and to leave scent, and they do it where they already spend time: by the bed they wake up in, the door they wait at, the sofa they jump down from. A small board you can put in that exact spot usually saves more furniture than a tall tower parked in the corner of a room the cat rarely bothers with.

What you are getting is a compact claw-grinding platform, 27cm long by 10cm wide and 8cm high, built on a straw matting base with plastic and metal fittings and a rope scratching surface. Coarse rope works because it catches a claw and then gives under it, which is the sensation cats are chasing when they ruin a chair arm. At 500g it is light, so it is best pushed against a skirting board, a wall or a cage panel where it cannot skate away mid-scratch.

• 27cm long x 10cm wide x 8cm high
• Straw matting base with plastic and metal parts
• Rope scratching and claw-grinding surface
• 500g, light enough to move room to room
• One size, no assembly, no tools
• Sits flat on the floor or against a wall or cage panel

On the name: the manufacturer calls this a climbing frame and a cat tree. It is neither. At 27cm long and 8cm high nothing can climb it, and it is priced accordingly.

Who it's for: cat owners adding a second or third scratching spot near a doorway or a bed, flat dwellers with no floor space for a tower, and kittens still learning which surfaces are allowed.