neko ga tumetogi wo tukau.

It is read:

ねこ が つめとぎ を つかう。
Neko ga tsumetogi o tsukau.

A small pronunciation note:

• を is usually pronounced o in modern Japanese, even though it is written を.

These are particles, and they show the role of each noun in the sentence.

• 猫が = the cat / a cat / cats as the subject
• 爪とぎを = the scratching post / scratching pad as the object
• 使う = use

So:

• が marks who or what is doing the action.
• を marks what the action is being done to.

In this sentence, the cat is doing the using, and the scratching post is the thing being used.

Both が and は can mark something like the topic/subject area of a sentence, but they are not the same.

Here, が simply marks 猫 as the grammatical subject:

• 猫が爪とぎを使う。 = A/The cat uses the scratching post.

If you used は instead:

• 猫は爪とぎを使う。

that would sound more like:

• As for cats, they use scratching posts
• or The cat, at least, uses the scratching post

So が is a more neutral subject marker here, while は often adds a topic or contrast nuance.

爪とぎ literally relates to sharpening/scratching claws.

• 爪 = nail / claw
• とぎ comes from a verb meaning to sharpen

In everyday Japanese, 爪とぎ usually refers to the thing a cat scratches on, such as:

• a scratching post
• a scratching pad
• a cat scratcher

So in this sentence, it means the object the cat uses for scratching its claws.

Because Japanese normally puts the verb at the end.

A very common basic pattern is:

Subject + Object + Verb

So here:

• 猫 = subject
• 爪とぎ = object
• 使う = verb

That gives:

猫が爪とぎを使う。

This is different from English, which usually uses:

Subject + Verb + Object

So English says The cat uses the scratching post, but Japanese puts uses at the end.

Japanese nouns usually do not show singular vs. plural, and they do not use articles like a or the the way English does.

So 猫 can mean:

• a cat
• the cat
• cats

Which one is most natural depends on context.

So this sentence could mean things like:

• The cat uses the scratching post.
• A cat uses a scratching post.
• Cats use scratching posts.

The situation tells you which meaning is intended.

使う is the plain, non-past form.

In Japanese, the non-past form can express:

• a present/habitual action: uses
• a future action: will use

So depending on context, 使う can mean:

• uses
• will use

In a simple sentence like this, it often sounds like a general or habitual statement: The cat uses the scratching post or Cats use scratching posts.

No. 使う is the plain form.

The polite form would be:

猫が爪とぎを使います。

That is more appropriate in polite conversation, speaking to strangers, teachers, customers, and so on.

The plain form is common in:

• dictionary entries
• casual speech
• manga
• explanations
• basic example sentences

Yes, Japanese word order is more flexible than English, as long as the particles stay correct.

For example, this is also possible:

爪とぎを猫が使う。

This still means roughly The cat uses the scratching post, because:

• が still marks 猫 as the subject
• を still marks 爪とぎ as the object

However, changing the order can slightly change emphasis or sound less neutral. For a basic sentence, 猫が爪とぎを使う。 is the most straightforward.

Yes, very often.

If the context is clear, Japanese frequently leaves out information that English usually keeps.

For example, if you are already talking about the cat, someone might just say:

爪とぎを使う。

That could mean:

• It uses the scratching post
• The cat uses the scratching post

Likewise, if the scratching post is already understood, someone could say:

猫が使う。

Japanese relies heavily on context, so full sentences like 猫が爪とぎを使う。 are often used for clarity, teaching, or when the information is new.