I decided to buy this scratcher after I read the reviews here at Amazon. I picked it up from my local PetSmart, and boy, it sure does work! I put a little bit of the included catnip on it, and my kitty jumped on the scratcher like, well . . . like a cat that's smelled catnip. I've had it a few weeks now, haven't added any catnip since that first day, and she still loves scratching. I think she's clawing the sofa and bed less, but I'm not sure, since she can be very sneaky and could be doing it when I'm away. However, when I am home, I just pat the cosmic cardboard scratcher, and she pounces on it and picks on it like a good cat. In other words, I give it two thumbs up, and my cat I'm sure would give it two paws up as well. Oh, and one more thing, I think I will buy the refills, but it seems like the current set of cardboard will last at least a few months, but like I said, I just recently bought this and can't say for sure. Hope this helps.