This is well shaped for significant scratching. Our nine cats are happily busy with the two boards, and have so far kept their nails out of the sofas. You do need to do some sweeping to get rid of the debris, but much less than if it were a cardboard box.
It's a very cute toy. Love it. The feather part was destroyed within a few minutes but apart from that its very sturdy. The stick is very comfortable to hold and because of the string being elastic
