Assembly was not the easiest thing on this, and the lack of instructions did not help. Though I got the basics of assembly by just looking at this, I had to use the photos to figure out what order to assemble things. At least a screwdriver was included, so I didn't have to go get one. As for cat use, mine did not have much interest in this, but I don't blame the product for that. Overall, this does two different textures for cat claws and I find the quality to be good enough for that, though without quality instructions I spent too much time trying to figure out assembly.

This cat scratcher is really cute but really quite small. Perfect size for kittens but my full-size cat that is on the smaller size is bigger than the scratcher. All hardware and tools are included in the box, which I appreciate. I hate trying to find the right size tool for an assembly job. The ball is made out of styrofoam and covered with rope. Have pictures from the website to refer to at the ready because there were no instructions included in the box. The ply pieces are screwed directly into the cardboard, making me wonder how long the scratcher will hold up against enthusiastic players.

Much smaller than I expected from the listing. (For reference with the photos, my cat is an adult 14-pound male, long and skinny.) It's also very lightweight since it's just a small and cardboard. It was very easy to put together and the ball does spin easily.

Despite my personal disappointment though, my cat likes it. He likes when it falls over because then he can use both his back and front paws to scratch at the ball. And he'll also use the scratch pads whether it's upright or on its side.

So I did give it 4 stars (actually I consider that my cat gives it 4 stars). If it was a little bigger or heavier, it would be a really great unique scratcher. But my cat makes it work for him and seems to enjoy it.