Corrugated cardboard is the surface most cats choose when given a free run of the options, and the reason is simple: it shreds. A cat gets the satisfying give and the visible damage that sisal and carpet never quite deliver. Build that surface into a bowl with a dished centre and the same object becomes somewhere to sleep the moment the scratching stops, which is usually about ninety seconds later.

The body is dense corrugated cardboard set on edge, so a cat claws down into the exposed channels rather than across a flat face, and that is what makes it wear slowly instead of fraying apart in a fortnight. The recessed centre cradles a curled cat, and the raised rim gives them something to hook a chin over. It is light enough to move room to room and can be turned or flipped as one area wears down.

• Dense corrugated cardboard, scratch-resistant
• Recessed centre for curling up in
• Round shapes at 35, 40, 45 and 50cm
• Oval shapes at 40, 45 and 50cm
• Reversible and rotatable to even out wear
• Lightweight and easy to move

Cardboard makes a mess. Every cardboard scratcher sheds, and this one will leave a ring of shavings on the floor that wants a quick vacuum every few days. It is a consumable rather than a fixture, so expect to replace it in time and treat the low price accordingly.

What the options mean. Sold in sizes from 45cm to 50cm — £32.99 to £44.99.

Who it's for: Cats who prefer to scratch horizontally and then nap where they scratched, and multi-cat homes that get through scratchers.