The Fauna Relax Classic Cat Scratching Post is a plain scratching post — one sisal-wrapped column on a broad plush base, with no platforms, no condo and nothing to assemble beyond the post itself.

Key Features

• A single sisal post 63 cm tall, which is enough height for most adult cats to stretch out fully while scratching
• Broad 40 x 40 cm base, so the post stays put when a cat leans its weight into it
• Plush-covered base with a paw print detail
• This is a scratching post rather than a cat tree — there are no perches, levels or beds on it
• Available in beige & brown or beige & white
• Delivered flat-packed with fixings and instructions. Assembly is a screwdriver job, not a workshop one

Setting It Up

• Height matters more than anything else with a scratching post. A cat wants to reach up and pull down through the full stretch of its body, and 63 cm allows that for most adults
• Place it beside whatever your cat is already scratching, not in a corner it never visits. Move it a little at a time once it is being used
• Retighten the bolts after the first fortnight and every few months after that. Almost every wobbly cat tree is a loose bolt rather than a design fault

Good To Know

• Scratching is how a cat sheds the worn outer sheath of its claws and leaves its scent. It is not a habit you can train out, so the only real question is what it scratches
• A vertical post suits cats that scratch upward on furniture legs and door frames. Cats that scratch the carpet or the side of the sofa usually want a horizontal or angled scratcher instead
• Check the sisal every few months. Once a post is stripped back to the core, cats lose interest and go back to the furniture
• A new tree often gets ignored for the first week. A pinch of catnip rubbed into the posts, or a familiar blanket on the top perch, usually settles it
• Large or very tall cats may want more than 63 cm to stretch fully. Watch whether your cat can reach the top without standing on tiptoe