I had the where I'd bought the cat tree and told myself "I gave her a to scratch," and she walked right past it for the couch arm. And the whole "I bought the tree" I was doing was the lie, because the tree wasn't the "the she wants to scratch". The tree was the "the I bought because it's a cat", and the couch arm was the "the she actually wants to scratch". The specific I was doing wrong was the one nobody tells you: the scratch isn't a toy problem. It's a surface problem. She's reaching for a texture she likes, and the couch arm has it, the tree doesn't, and the "better tree" I was doing was the one that was the "she's not using it" loop.
Here's the I was doing wrong: I was treating the "she's scratching the couch" as the "I need a better cat tree", and the better tree is what's been costing me the "she's not using it". But the "she's scratching the couch" isn't a tree problem. It's a sisal post problem — the "the she's actually reaching for, made into the she's actually using". And the one that ends the "she's going for the couch arm" loop isn't a bigger tree. It's the specific sisal scratching post, and it's the one that turns the "she's not using it" into the "she's actually using it".
The instinct when the cat's the "she's scratching the couch" is to "get a better tree," and you do, and it's still the "she's not using it", because you're only treating the tree and not the surface. The fix isn't a bigger tree. It's the sisal post, which is the "the she's actually reaching for, made into the she's actually using", and it's the one that turns the "she's not using it" loop into the "she's actually using it". And the "I bought the tree" loop ends, because the "she's not using it" isn't the specific that's the "she's actually using it" loop anymore.
One is the "tall sisal post" — the "the she's actually reaching for, made into the she's actually using", and the specific reason it's the right one is that it's the texture she wants, in the spot she wants. The other is the "multi-level tree" — the one for the "I want a full tree, not just a post", and the specific reason it's the right one is that it's the "the tree that's the she's actually using", not the "the tree that's the she's not using". They're two different pieces of the same "move the scratch onto the post", and most owners who've been in the "I bought the tree" loop need the sisal post one first.
alt="A cat scratching a post" class="figure" style="max-width:100%;border-radius:8px;margin:20px 0;"> For the cat who's been walking right past the tree for the couch arm, and the specific problem is "the tree's not the she's reaching for." The tall sisal post is the one that's the "the she's actually reaching for, made into the she's actually using". The specific reason it's the right one is that it's the texture she wants, in the spot she wants, and the sisal material is the "the she's actually using", not the "the tree she's not using". Set it up next to the couch arm, and the "she's going for the couch arm" loop ends, because the tree is now the "the she's actually using". The 4.6 rating is the reason it's the first pick: it's the "move the scratch onto the post" answer, and it's the one that ends the "I bought the tree" loop.
~$45 · ★4.6
See the tall sisal post →For the cat whose specific is "I want a tree, not just a post, and the post's not enough." The multi-level tree is the one that's the "the tree that's the she's actually using", and the specific reason it's the right one is that it's the full "the tree she's actually using", not the "the tree she's not using". It's the specific answer to the "I want the tree" problem. The 4.5 rating is the reason it's the second pick: it's the "the tree she's actually using" answer, and it's the one for the "I want the full tree" loop.
~$80 · ★4.5
See the multi-level tree →Most owners fight the "she's scratching the couch" with "I bought the tree," and it's the "the tree's not the she's using" loop that's been costing you the year of the "better tree". The tall sisal post is the one that's the "move the scratch onto the post" answer, and it's the specific fix for the "she's not using the tree" problem. The multi-level tree is the one for the "I want the full tree", and it's the "the tree she's actually using" answer. Use the sisal post for the "she's going for the couch arm", and the multi-level tree for the "I want the full tree", and the "I bought the tree" ends, because the "she's not using it" loop is now the "she's actually using it". And if the "I want the tree, and I need to make sure it's stable" is the one that's still the worry even with the post, that's the point to check the "is it stable", because at that stage, the post is the "the she's actually using", and the stability check is the "the that's secure", and they're doing two different jobs.
Move the scratch onto the post →This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy through one of them, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Prices are approximate and change over time. A scratching post is the "the she's actually using" — check that it's stable before you rely on it. If the "I want the tree, and I need to make sure it's the she's actually using" is the one that's still the, that's the point to look at the multi-level tree, because the post is the "the she's using", and the tree is the "the she's using, at multiple levels", and they're doing two different jobs.
Source: pain point extracted from r/CatAdvice / r/cats community discussion (90-day pet pain-point corpus). All product data (ASIN, price, rating) was verified live on amazon.com at time of writing.
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