Natural Paradise Scratching Barrel - Lily S

I normally have no problem assembling any and all furniture myself, but the holes drilled into the frame didn't line up nicely with the round mdf discs. I needed a second pair of hands to squeeze with all their might to grip the sections together so I could bodge the bolts in at a jaunty angle. My very unfussy cats that have always loved everything got for them then wouldn't go near this. Think the lavendary smell put them off. For the price the build quality was disappointing.

Cats love it, looks really nice

I have 6 cats large breed cats, 5 RagDolls and 1 MaineCoon and two of these barrels. Every night, every one of the shelves has a cat curled up in it. The cats all love sleeping in the barrel and using the scratcher. They also love being able to access the beds from either side of the barrel and not feeling like they are cornered with just one exit. There is no fighting over who gets to lie where, they operate on a first come first serve basis. I couldn’t be happier with this product.

As another reviewer noted, the holes didn't line up properly despite multiple tries. I used my drill to widen and straighten one of the holes, but when assembled I noticed the bolts provided are too long. They protrude from the top level and the base, so the barrel is unsteady and could scratch the floor. I bought slightly shorter bolts - M8 30mm hex socket countersunk bolt screws - they fit better. For the price, I shouldn't need to drill holes and provide my own bolt screws!

These are a lot smaller than expected - not too easy to put together and the pillows are cheap nasty thing flimsy and far too small for the bedding areas - once these are washed they will be useless.

Fixings are very tight and although the platforms all look alike they differ slightly in the fixing position so take care and check they all line up first. We have fitted a bigger bed as these small pads are too small. Our seven cats use it but only really one at a time so the three levels have never been fully populated.

My cat totally loves this cat tree. It’s her absolute favourite place to relax.

This built up with no problems and my cats love it.

It was very easy to put together and my cat loves having three spaces to sit in. It is untreated wood so I stained it darker to match our furniture and it looks great. I bought this when it was on offer - not sure I’d pay full price but it is lovely. One star deducted as a couple of the nails were loose upon arrival and I had to use a hammer to fix them into place.

I really like this piece because it doesn't scream "cat" unlike many other scratch posts. The natural wood makes it blend in nicely and the kittens love climbing it and they snuggle up in it. Contrary to what other people have said, it was quite easy to put together. Think IKEA furniture.

Arrived broken. Was very disappointing and didn't look like a good quality product. Excellent return service and quick to refund me.

The product itself looks nice, but the holes and fittings didn’t match up and despite how many times I tried to make them fit, the little metal screw bases would pop out and not sit flush. This wouldn’t have been a huge issue if it were the top level, but it was on the base which meant the metal would scratch the floor and the whole thing would not be sturdy (wobbled all over the place). Instead, I resorted to using no more nails. Unimpressed!

To the person who said shelves etc don't line up properly. You are probably not building it correctly and have shelves upside down. Took me 2 goes but got there in the end. Looks very stylish and is extremely well made . Just take your time and everything fits!

The holes for screws don't align so unable to fix shelving securely Pity as it is nicely made Won't be able to use it unfortunately Hoping to get full refund

This product was great for our two cats, both quickly started sleeping on it and using the scratching panel. It’s a good size and fits nicely in any corner or in front of a radiator. Would highly recommend it!

For the low price, it does the job! Looks nice too. I have two big cats and it's stable, both when they're scratching and when they jump up and down. It comes without instructions but it's literally just 4 screws, you can put it together in 15 minutes.

Unfortunately, it's not very stable. The screws don't fit perfectly, so it wobbles a bit. The lying surface is rather small. It looks great, but that's about it. This is the first product from Zooplus that has disappointed me.

Easy to assemble, looks nice, works.

The cats have really loved the barrel! It's sturdy and stable, doesn't wobble. Unfortunately, the product's own cushions were too small, but we bought some round seat cushions that the cats have liked :)

Top design... sustainability a flop!!! ACTUALLY... my cats and I love this scratching barrel... over the past few years, we’re already on our third one in a row. What REALLY bothers me, though, is the fact that you normally only need to replace the scratching part, but it’s not available separately as a spare part. For me, that’s NOT SUSTAINABLE. Unfortunately, my enquiries about this have also gone unanswered... really disappointing.

I agree with other reviews here: the parts aren’t set up properly for assembly and, considering the price, that’s really not okay. Cat-wise though: full marks. He’s stopped scratching the sofa, sleeps on top and plays on the lower shelves, which I now use to store his toys—he goes and picks what he wants. The washable cushions are perfect, but they would have been better if they were the right size; they’re a bit small. Overall though, my rating is positive.

Thought I was buying a nice scratching post for a litter of kittens that were on the way. Once the kittens were big enough, I wanted to put it together. The holes didn’t line up, so I couldn’t assemble it. I had to buy new screws and drill it together myself. It’s a shame, because for this price you expect everything to be right. Unfortunately, I couldn’t return it anymore, otherwise I definitely would have.