This Cat Scratcher Actually Looks Good In Your Living Room

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Do you ever feel like your cat’s scratching post looks like the ugliest thing in the world? Finding one that won’t stick out like a sore thumb in the middle of your living room can seem pretty impossible.

Enter the PetFusion Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge. It’s different from traditional cat scratchers in two ways. First, it doubles as an actual lounge your cat can use as a bed or a perch. Second, it’s really sleek and stylish, so it doesn’t obviously look like a piece of cat furniture.

We couldn’t wait to try it — and it turns out our cats love to scratch it as much as we love looking at it.

Read on to find out why this is one of our new favorite things, and why it earned our official Paw of Approval

The PetFusion Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge is a horizontal scratcher with a curved design that looks super modern and sleek, like it could totally belong with the rest of the furniture in your living room.

The scratching surfaces are made from recycled cardboard — which your cat should love since it’ll remind him of those boxes he loves to play in — and the sides are paneled with satin cardboard to give it a fancy-looking finish. (And it’s all held together with nontoxic glue, so you don’t have to worry if your cat decides to take a bite.)

It’s available in three neutral colors: slate gray, walnut brown and cloud white.

The PetFusion Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge’s unique design allows it to serve as both a scratching surface and a cozy place to nap, which makes it a great double performer for small spaces.

And it’s reversible — meaning it’s exactly the same on the top and bottom — so it’s almost like you’re getting double the lifespan out of it since you can flip it over and start fresh after your cat has clawed one side to death.

It also comes fully assembled, so you don’t have to deal with any annoying setup.

We picked five cardboard-obsessed cats to try out the PetFusion Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge, to see if they loved it as much as their favorite cardboard boxes (and other scratching options they’ve tried).

Whenever you get your cat something new to scratch, it can feel like a gamble because you don’t know if he’ll actually want to scratch it (instead of, say, your couch).

But the recycled cardboard on the PetFusion Ultimate Cat Scratcher immediately drew in all of our judges.

They thought the textured, porous material was super fun to scratch, and the unique, modern design was great for naps or just surveying their homes.

“Both of my cats have front and back claws and need a good outlet to use them. This scratcher has cut down on my cats ripping up the furniture a fair bit since I've had it. This scratching post seems way more durable than other cardboard scratching posts, and as an added benefit, they can also lounge on it.” — Rachel M.

“Guava does her yoga on top and digs her claws in with laser focus while her ears go back. Goji, our wannabe alpha cat, sharpens his claws to show who's boss, but quickly falls to the temptation of a glorious nap in the curve of the bed.” — Joanna D.

“Ted uses it for kneading, scratching and hiding as well as he can. He also perches up on the seat while I'm cooking, or when he needs some time sitting somewhere.” — Joanna B.

All of our judges thought it was a super fun way to get out all that scratching and kneading energy.

“Ted’s on it every day scratching, jumping, playing, lounging and inventively chewing. If Ted doesn't like a toy or a structure, he simply won't interact with it, so I know that he's liked this one since the beginning. The lounger is keeping him a happy camper so far.” — Joanna B.

“Goji and Guava are both smitten with their new scratcher. Guava needs constant stimulation, and this new scratcher quickly added some new exercise to her repertoire. Goji sometimes likes to attack, so it's a good way for him to get out some stress.” — Joanna D.

“Once Sloth realized what it was and started scratching, he got so excited he drooled all over it. My cats love this scratcher, and so they will continue to use it until it is no longer usable.” — Rachel M.

Our cats also loved that they could play and lounge whenever they wanted, and have fun all on their own, even when their parents were busy.

“Having that one extra toy that Ted can play on independently keeps him entertained and me a little bit saner. It's definitely been a great addition to Ted's play routine.” — Joanna B.

“This scratcher requires zero enticing for Goji and Guava to use. They come back to it on their own to play, scratch and snooze.” — Joanna D.

The PetFusion Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge’s design is unlike anything else on the market and looks so modern that you’ll actually love having it out in the middle of your living room.

“On the outside of the cardboard, there's a wood-colored panel to make the lounger look like a sculpture or piece of furniture rather than a typical cat structure.” — Joanna B.

“​​For anyone who cares about decor, this is a more-appealing piece that blends with your furniture.” — Joanna D.

Our pet parents were also super stoked that the design is reversible since that means it lasts twice as long as other scratch pads and posts out there.

“The design is really cool, and I love that when we get to the point where my cats have absolutely destroyed one side of the post, it can be flipped over, and they can use the other side.” — Rachel M.

“I loved discovering that once one side is super scratched up we can just flip it over and start again with a clean surface. Since it’s double-sided, it won't need to be replaced as much as other cardboard scratchers.” — Joanna D.

And even after some heavy use, it’s proven to be really durable, which is extra impressive since it’s literally made out of cardboard.

“My cats have scratched it, perched upon it and have done quite a bit more to it, and it’s still standing without any major damage. Fox tried to rip it to shreds with his teeth, but, much to his dismay, he wasn't able to. He just left some puncture marks behind.” — Rachel M.

“I'd imagine the life span will be way longer than a typical cardboard scratcher.” — Joanna D.

“Although Ted continues to munch on the product, the damage isn't too terrible.” — Joanna B.

Our pet parents also loved that their BFFs now have their own designated spot to help them out with all their needs, from playing to napping.

“The shape is really cool in so much as they can use it as both a scratcher and a lounger.” — Rachel M.

“Our apartment is also pretty small, so having extra surfaces that are just for Ted's sitting pleasure is always a plus.” — Joanna B.

The PetFusion Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge is also really easy to lift if you ever need to move it somewhere, unlike traditional heavy cat trees.

“I really like how lightweight the toy is — it's incredibly easy to move, which is great for such a small space.” — Joanna B.

At $49.95, the scratcher lounge might seem like a bit of a splurge. But once they tried it, all of our pet parents confirmed it’s totally worth the price (and then some), since it looks so sleek and should last quite a while.

The PetFusion Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge is on the larger side — which can be a plus or a negative, depending on what you’re looking for. Just be aware that it takes up more floor space than a traditional scratching post since it’s designed to lay horizontally instead of vertically.

“It’s pretty big. The scratching posts I already have are all vertical, so they don't take up too much room. This one is horizontal, so you have to have the floor space for it.” — Rachel M.

And, as expected, whenever you combine cats with cardboard, things can get a little messy.

“As the cats have been using it, there has been some cardboard fallout around the scratcher that needs to be cleaned up.” — Rachel M.

“Each day we'd notice a few shreds of cardboard scattered around, but that's par for the course with a cardboard scratcher. There is some mess to clean up, but nothing too bad. It's easy to sweep or vacuum up.” — Joanna D.

These are really only minor issues, so all of our human testers said they would be thrilled to continue using their PetFusion Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounges, and would fully recommend them to other pet parents.

The PetFusion Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge is an addictive cat scratcher and a comfy little lounge all in one, so it’ll be your cat’s new go-to place to get out his energy and immediately plop down for a nap once he’s all tired out.

The design is unbeatable, too. It’s sleek, modern and stylish, which is a welcome change from a lot of the ugly, gaudy cat furniture out there.

It’s also durable and reversible, meaning it’ll last a long time so you can really get your money’s worth.

The Dodo may receive complimentary samples to test in our Paw of Approval program, but all our opinions are 100 percent our own. We only publish endorsements of products we (and our dogs and cats) absolutely love! You can find out more about our testing process here.

If you have a product you love that you want to share with other pet parents, send a tip to dodopaw@thedodo.com.