Me too. Mine would bug the bejesus out of me to have that thing.

eBay often has some very nice looking scratching posts and cat trees at
reasonable prices.  If you want a nice, sturdy scratching post, try the one
from Orvis (which are also often seen on eBay).  I just checked, and here is
one:  http://tinyurl.com/pumgo.  This one has a $25.00 shipping fee, but
they are *very* heavy and sturdy (which is good!).  They are covered with
sisal cloth, so that gives a nice alternative to wrapped sisal.  Duffy loves
to climb his and sit on top.  The top and base are made of a polished wood
(or wood-like material), and I was concerned that he might slip, so I
removed the top, used some padding, and covered it with fabric to match my
chair.  For people in the states, I bought our cat trees from
www.createacatcondo.com.  They are great!  LoveThatCat.com sells some of the
same furniture, and they even used a photo of Holly and Duffy on theirs as
"models."  http://www.lovethatcat.com/cat-furniture.html  (I'm not involved
with the company -- just gave them permission to use the photo when they
requested it.)  There are also some nice instructions online for
do-it-yourself projects for those who are "handy" (which I am not).

MaryL

Photos of Duffy and Holly:      >'o'<
Duffy:  http://tinyurl.com/cslwf
Holly:  http://tinyurl.com/9t68o
Duffy and Holly together:  http://tinyurl.com/8b47e
Recent pics:  http://tinyurl.com/clal7