Katten undersøker klorestativet som om det var nytt.

Because both nouns are in the definite form:

• en katt = a cat

• katten = the cat

• et klorestativ = a scratching post / cat tree
• klorestativet = the scratching post / the cat tree

Norwegian often uses the definite ending attached to the noun itself, instead of a separate word like English the.

So:

• katt undersøker klorestativ would sound incomplete or unnatural here
• katten undersøker klorestativet = the cat is examining the scratching post

Undersøker is the present tense of å undersøke, which means to examine, to inspect, or to investigate.

So:

• å undersøke = to examine
• undersøker = examines / is examining

In this sentence, it suggests the cat is looking at or checking the scratching post carefully.

Because Norwegian usually uses the simple present where English often uses the present progressive.

So Norwegian:

• Katten undersøker klorestativet

can mean both:

• The cat examines the scratching post
• The cat is examining the scratching post

English often needs is examining, but Norwegian does not usually add a separate verb for that.

Som om means as if.

So:

• som om det var nytt = as if it were new

This is a very common expression in Norwegian.

Examples:

• Han snakker som om han vet alt. = He talks as if he knows everything.
• Hun så på meg som om jeg var gal. = She looked at me as if I were crazy.

After som om, Norwegian often uses the past tense to express something hypothetical, imagined, or contrary to reality.

So:

• som om det var nytt = as if it were new

This is similar to English, where formal English often says:

• as if it were new

instead of:

• as if it is new

Even though the main sentence is in the present, the clause after som om often uses var to show that this is not being stated as a real fact, but as an appearance or impression.

Yes, sometimes you can hear som om det er nytt, especially in more informal or more literal contexts, but som om det var nytt is the more typical and idiomatic choice when the meaning is as if it were new.

The version with var sounds more natural when describing something unreal, doubtful, or only apparently true.

So for this sentence, som om det var nytt is the best choice.

Det refers to klorestativet.

Even though klorestativet is a neuter noun (et klorestativ), Norwegian commonly uses det to refer back to it:

• klorestativet = the scratching post
• det = it

So the meaning is:

• the cat examines the scratching post as if it were new

Because nytt agrees with a neuter noun.

The noun is:

• et klorestativ

Since klorestativ is an et-word, the adjective ny becomes nytt in the neuter singular form.

Compare:

• en ny stol = a new chair
• et nytt bord = a new table
• et nytt klorestativ = a new scratching post

So in the sentence:

• det var nytt

nytt matches the neuter noun that det refers to.

Because this is a subordinate clause, introduced by som om.

In Norwegian subordinate clauses, the subject usually comes before the verb:

• det var nytt

This is normal subordinate-clause word order.

Compare:

• Main clause: Det var nytt.
• Subordinate clause: ... som om det var nytt.

There is no inversion here. The structure is straightforward:

• som om = subordinating expression
• det = subject
• var = verb
• nytt = adjective/predicative complement

Yes, klorestativ is a common Norwegian word for a cat scratching structure, often called a scratching post or cat tree in English.

It is made from:

• klore = to scratch with claws
• stativ = stand / frame / structure

So klorestativ literally suggests a structure for scratching.

Depending on the object, English could translate it as:

• scratching post
• cat tree
• scratching tower

Because Norwegian usually marks definiteness with an ending on the noun itself.

Instead of saying something like the scratching post, Norwegian says:

• klorestativet

The -et ending is what corresponds to English the here.

This is one of the biggest differences from English:

• English: the cat, the scratching post
• Norwegian: katten, klorestativet

Yes. It has a slightly vivid, descriptive feel.

The sentence suggests the cat is acting as though it has never seen the scratching post before, even though it probably has. That gives it a slightly playful or observational tone.

So grammatically it is normal, but stylistically it paints a little scene:

• the cat is inspecting the scratching post
• in a way that makes it seem brand new

Good question. These verbs are close, but not identical.

• ser på = looks at
• undersøker = examines / inspects

So:

• Katten ser på klorestativet som om det var nytt
  = The cat looks at the scratching post as if it were new.

• Katten undersøker klorestativet som om det var nytt
  = The cat examines the scratching post as if it were new.

Undersøker sounds more active and thorough, as if the cat is sniffing it, poking at it, or checking it carefully.