# Cat tree/condo for a fluffy cat?



## purr machine (Dec 17, 2012)

I am looking to get a cat tree for my fluffy ragdoll kitten. He is now 12 weeks old, and already quite long haired. He hates blankets and warm blankety surfaces. He prefers to sleep on cooler surfaces, such as leather, shopping bags.. If he is sleeping on a carpet, he will lean against a leather couch or stainless steel lamp base. 
I went to major pet stores and found that cat trees are mostly made of carpet and other soft blanket-like materials. I think this cat would hate it, as he doesn't like being warm.. How do other owners of fluffy cats deal with it? Is there a type of cat tree without carpet all over the sitting/sleeping surfaces?


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Modern Cat had wood, chic designs but pricey. 

Cat trees are great tools for a cats entertainment and keeping variety in their lives. Put them by a window so they have a view of the outdoor world. Great for climbing and scratching. Cats love height too.

I hate the look of cat trees so mine is on a screened in porch and is used day and night! I dont think the warm factor would be an issue.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

I have fluffy cats all my life (Birman, Siberian, Persian) and none of them have issue with carpet or seems to favor cooler surface. I have hard-wood floor at home and one of my cats favorite spot is the small carpet at the entrance :lol:

There are a lot of wood cat condo you can buy. They are usually more expensive than the carpeted one. One of our forum member bought this tree a few months ago, and she likes it
Amazon.com: Sebastian Modern Cat Tree in White: Pet Supplies

We also have a Bengal owner on this forum who DIY a cat tree using an old bookshelf/utility shelf. And I think this cat tree looks very sassy 
The Refined Feline 69" The Lotus Cat Tree in Espresso | Wayfair


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

My Muffs is a Ragdoll, and when she was a kitten, she too would always prefer cool, hard surfaces. She would sleep on the ceramic tile, next to the rug, but not on the rug. She hated blankets and anything soft. I had a large round wicker basket with a pillow inside. If I took the pillow out, she would sleep on the hard wicker, but she refused to go in the basket if the pillow was there. 

Yet, when I bought her a carpeted tree, she loved it, and she stayed on it constantly. So, perhaps yours too might like the tree. 

As others have mentioned, you can get all wood, although you won't likely find one in a pet store and will likely need to order online. I tried doing that, only to find I couldn't get delivery to Canada (always a pain). If you're handy, your other alternative would be to make one yourself.


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## rightsaidfed (May 31, 2012)

I would get the carpeted cat tree as they are most cost effective then toss shopping bags onto the platforms or major lounging sections if that's what they prefer to sleep on. If you're handy with a sewing machine you could even make little slipcovers. I bet you could get fake leather or vinyl remnants at a fabric store big enough to cover the platforms on the cat tree. 

I'd leave all of the posts alone so they are encouraged to scratch. 


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## Katniss (Dec 29, 2012)

yingying said:


> I have fluffy cats all my life (Birman, Siberian, Persian) and none of them have issue with carpet or seems to favor cooler surface. I have hard-wood floor at home and one of my cats favorite spot is the small carpet at the entrance :lol:
> 
> There are a lot of wood cat condo you can buy. They are usually more expensive than the carpeted one. One of our forum member bought this tree a few months ago, and she likes it
> Amazon.com: Sebastian Modern Cat Tree in White: Pet Supplies
> ...


I also bought the modern cat tree and my siberian kitten loves it. She goes inside the house, which is carpeted or lays down on the top shelve, the none carpeted area. There is also a scratching pad on the bottom and se uses it quite bit. Occasionally she will hide there when she plays,thinking that no one can see her. Lol

I wouldn't recommend using plastic bags because my girlfriends cats ate one. My hasn't shown interest in doing so but I don't keep any bags in her reach. 


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## 3gatos (Nov 28, 2012)

I too would try a carpeted cat tree. If she doesn't like it, you can always buy a ceramic tile and put that on one of the sleeping areas in hopes that your kitty will use it as the ceramic will stay cooler.


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## inet (Nov 1, 2012)

purr machine said:


> I am looking to get a cat tree for my fluffy ragdoll kitten. He is now 12 weeks old, and already quite long haired. He hates blankets and warm blankety surfaces. He prefers to sleep on cooler surfaces, such as leather, shopping bags.. If he is sleeping on a carpet, he will lean against a leather couch or stainless steel lamp base.
> I went to major pet stores and found that cat trees are mostly made of carpet and other soft blanket-like materials. I think this cat would hate it, as he doesn't like being warm.. How do other owners of fluffy cats deal with it?


Does this answer your question? (my late Birman companion Jean Luc and his Maine **** buddy Albert)


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## purr machine (Dec 17, 2012)

plnelson  They seem to enjoy it 

Thank you all for answers! I am still looking through the options.. I noticed that non-carpeted trees are much more expensive, and seem to look more like normal furniture than cat trees.. I am not sure if I am ready to pay 300-400 for a tree just yet..


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

See opportunity, take opportunity.

Armarkat........... I give it a 6.5 out of 10.


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## purr machine (Dec 17, 2012)

GhostTown, why 6.5? I've been looking at Armarkat trees, wonder what the drawbacks are... It looks like my guy will grow into a big animal


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

I bought one of the fancy "premium" edition Armarkats and I'm not certain that I would buy one again. I really like how they are reconfigurable, I like the assembly method and the hardware, but the wood is warping in spots, and the base is way too small for it's height causing some stability issues when on carpet (always in my case).

That said, all three of my boys use it, and I was truly planning on replacing the wood with a true, stain-able hardwood anyway so I was expecting a project when I bought it.


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## purr machine (Dec 17, 2012)

I like your tree! And the fact that it is solid wood! It looks well!


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

If you find a place to buy them at a reasonable price in Canada, please let me know. I have two friends that want one really bad, but they are too expensive.


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## 3furbabies (Dec 7, 2011)

If you have only one cat I wouldn't buy a huge tree, probably something that is 48" -56" that's what my old one was and it was fine for two cats but too small for 3.

As for shipping to Canada... Ridiculous. I wanted to order mine from the petsmart website for half price on cyber Monday .... Well shipping was $100 so it was the same as if I ordered it at a discount site. I got it on a wholesale site but shipping is still a lot so I won't be getting another tree for a very very long time.


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## grrawritsjordi (Dec 29, 2012)

You could try Shelving. The adoption agency where we got our kits from had all kinds of shelves on the walls. The cats LOVED it.


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## builder (Sep 2, 2012)

Midnight doesn't seem to mind carpet


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

3furbabies said:


> As for shipping to Canada... Ridiculous. I wanted to order mine from the petsmart website for half price on cyber Monday .... Well shipping was $100 so it was the same as if I ordered it at a discount site. I got it on a wholesale site but shipping is still a lot so I won't be getting another tree for a very very long time.


My 68" Amarcat was shipped to Canada for around 50USD. It is sorta high but the price+shipping is till a lot lower than the price in Canada, so I'm quite happy


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

builder said:


> Midnight doesn't seem to mind carpet


My boys prefer carpet, but it's difficult to clean long hair off of, wears out quickly, and looks like **** after a couple years.

With the bare wood I can utilize washable sleeping pads, blankets, etc. I plan on staining the new wood the same color as other woods around the house, too.


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## purr machine (Dec 17, 2012)

On that note.. When I choose something that I remotely like and do not mind having in my living room, it costs a lot, and with added shipping on top it is 250 on the low side. That would be a lot if I 100% liked that tree, but I don't.

For example I like the one you GhostTown have, I think it has a lot of potential, you can use your own material for their sleeping spaces, and staining the wood would be just great for interior uniformity... But, it is 252 shipped to my house. It will have to stand on carpet in my house, so I dread the stability issues with my elephant jumping on it...

I think I was able to talk my husband into making a tree for Teddy using solid wood and some sisal rope. And I have an idea of covering some seating spaces with padded leather, Teddy's all time favorite material. This is just an idea, do you think leather would hold shape for at lest a few years? I trim his claws, but still, I do not want to redo his seats every couple months.


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

It's not terrible. I have TWO ELEPHANTS and one smallish hippo that get on it all at the same time, while it's on carpet. I don't worry about it tipping over at all, I just think it could have a little larger base to keep it from feeling wobbly when one is at the top of it, 6 feet above the ground.

All three of them are on it watching birds behind me right now, which is around 38 pounds of felines and still growing. It handles them ok. One cat wouldn't be a problem at all, even if he gets to 18 to 20 pounts.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

Fay the fluffy Raggie prefers tile or currently my coffee table top but the "cool" requirement goes out the window for a tree. I couldn't even get this one past the kitchen and into the living room before she climbed on board and made herself comfy.


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