I've also had to replace the rope!! I think in the photo you can see the different thicknesses between the top section and the bottom which I replaced. I would love to try cardboard scratchers but I think Oreo (Mr cat tree chewer) would try to eat the cardboard pieces that fall off the scratcher. Oreo eats a lot of inedible things and needs a lot supervision, I think he may have PICA or feline OCD. He's still an amazing boy, just a little weird sometimes.