This Christmas, I decided to give my Birman cat, Leanne, a functional gift—The Ultimate Scratching Post by SmartCat. Like me, you may have seen this scratching post advertised on numerous sites, from Drs. Foster and Smith to Amazon, and thought it looks like a sturdy scratch post for cats. I’m a big believer in having a few places in my home for my cat to scratch to keep her from using my sofa or other home furnishings to sharpen her nails.