Cats do not stop scratching because you own a scratcher. They stop using a scratcher when the surface goes bald. Sisal wears slowly and, unlike corrugated card, it does not leave a drift of shredded paper across the floor every morning. What matters more here is that the part which wears out is a separate pad, so when it finally gives up you replace the pad and keep the frame.

There are two formats. The vertical post stands upright for cats that stretch up a door frame or the back of a sofa; the transformable board lies flat or bends into a curve, which suits cats that scratch horizontally and then sit on what they have just shredded. Both are built on a wooden frame with sisal as the working surface, and both arrive individually boxed. The remaining two options in the dropdown are not scratchers at all, but refill pads for those frames.

• Sisal scratching surface on a wooden frame
• Two formats: vertical post or transformable folding board
• Replacement pads available for both formats
• Minimalist finish, individually boxed
• Supplied as one post or board per box

Check which option you are ordering. Two of the four choices are replacement pads on their own rather than a complete scratcher, which is useful once yours is worn and frustrating if you wanted the post.

Who it's for: Households already tired of sweeping up cardboard, cats who scratch both upright and flat, and anyone who would rather replace a pad next year than a whole post.