I've had this toy for years, and my cats loved it!  One cat, who has gone to the Bridge, used to love to curl up and sleep right in the middle of it.  I get it out periodically, but my current kitty loves to lick and eat the cardboard scratching area in the middle.  So, when she starts that, I have to put it away.  If your cat doesn't start doing that, that I can recommend it as a great toy.  We put another ball in the channel to double the fun when 2 cats were trying to play with it at the same time.   

Kaffe,

The one I had when I lived in my studio apt Topaz you to started playing with at like 2AM, YIKES I had to start remembering to turn it upside down before bed.  Now with this new one I put it away, when I am not home and when I go to bed.

MandyCat,

Neither of mine seem to try and eat the cardboard in the middle YET anyway.  that is one of the reason I like this toy for them, because they can play with it by theirselves.  My eating experience was with one of those fishing poles, Topaz pulled it down one time and decided to eat the string from both ends and ended up getting a trip to the ER and  exploratory surgery to remove it.  Till this day both my cats will eat ribbon string etc.... First Christmas I had Topaz I was clueless of what cats do, so I had nice curl ribbon on all my packages, come February topaz threw up a big greean and red wad of curling ribbon.  YIKES

I think it's the catnip in the scratch pad that makes her want to lick and eat it.  I should probably get a new pad and not put any catnip on it.  That way she could still enjoy the ball and scratch the pad without being tempted to eat it!