you can get that rope at home depot or walmart.  its called something like sisal
rope???? im not sure

Here's what our scratching post is.  And we got it at Wal-Mart.  You know
those little houses they make?  We have a taller one with two holes. They
use that as a scatching post as well. That and the couch, but we've been
planning on getting a new one eventually anyway so we don't mind them
tearing this one up.  They also have their own computer chair. When we went
down to one computer we had a spare chair and they kinda took it over.  But
the one from Walmart, I think it's just partical board and then carpet
around it. They had a favorite one we did get at petsmart that broke in the
move, it had a base, then a post then another base for them to sit on at the
top and at the top it had like a feather spinning toy.  Both my cats went
crazy over that.  They have another one that likes something for them to
crawl thru, but it's not long, it's the carpet again, the play together with
that one, it has a toy at the end that dangles, one will be in it and the
other on top. All of these are made out of partical board and then covered
in carpet.  The first one I spoke of we got at Walmart I think for $20 maybe
$25. It wasn't much but it's the cats favorite now that the other one broke
in the move.

Hope this helps.

- Leigh