# cat trees?



## fatandgreedy (Feb 20, 2011)

What's everyone's experience with cat trees? Does your cat like it and actually use it? Are they sturdy and large enough for a larger cat? With cat trees being kind of expensive and my cat never using her cat beds, I'm worried if I get one it'll goto waste.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

In my vast experience (not at all), I find that Murphy loves his cat tree and he won't touch cat beds, so I'm not sure there's a correlation there. He naps up on the top level like he's on top of the world. And he's a big 16-pound boy, and while there's a little shaking when he climbs up, it doesn't seem to faze him at all.

Several of us have bought our trees on www.Armarkat.com. They have a great selection, decent prices, and free shipping, although you have to put it together when it arrives.


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## Tiikiri (Feb 18, 2011)

*I got a monster*

http://www.mollyandfriends.com/index.html

From Molly and Friends. It is solid, untreated pine with no chemicals in the carpeting either. 
That said, it weighs at least 250 pounds and is 6'4. It's called "Treehouse" under the extra large trees. 
It cost about $325 but will last for a lifetime.


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## cushman350 (Mar 16, 2011)

*Build it yourself and save*





 




 
Search Youtube.


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## RowdyAndMalley (Aug 9, 2010)

Tiikiri said:


> http://www.mollyandfriends.com/index.html
> 
> From Molly and Friends. It is solid, untreated pine with no chemicals in the carpeting either.
> That said, it weighs at least 250 pounds and is 6'4. It's called "Treehouse" under the extra large trees.
> It cost about $325 but will last for a lifetime.


Wow. That's actually pretty pricey. 

My favorite place to get cat trees is www.kittymansions.com . Their prices are great and the quality is amazing. I have this tree








(mind you, I got it for free) the price is right and my kitties love it. It stands at about 5'1" and is solid. My 16lb monster can sit in the basket all day! Right now this particular tree goes for $154. 

If your gonna spend 300+ dollars on a kitty tree you can get this
:love2







:love2 or this ...







atback No offense tiikiri!


I think they are well worth the money.


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## Goldtanker (Jan 9, 2011)

I got a small (3 ft high) combination scratching post with perch on top. I keep it in the garage. Midnight, the wild cat, uses it to scratch, but he also likes to lay on top of it in the Summer when a nice breeze is blowing through the garage. I think he likes to be up off ground level too.


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## saitenyo (Nov 28, 2010)

I'm guessing it probably depends on the cat. I started with a very small post/nest when I got Apollo as a kitten, and he used that enough that I felt the need to upgrade when he got bigger and we got a second cat.

I ended up splurging on a giant (7ft.) Armarkat tree and my cats absolutely loved it and use it frequently:





However I have fairly hyperactive cats that enjoy jumping on things and flying about the room, climbing all over everything, so it was kind of a guaranteed success with them. I also got a fantastic deal. It was on sale for only $119 or something like that.

As for sturdiness, any tree from a good company should be totally fine. My cats take flying leaps at their big tree and it never topples over. The only issue is if you have a tree too small for the cat. Their little nest is small enough that Apollo sometimes knocks of over when he leaps onto it when they're playing, but that thing is only like 2 feet tall.


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## Tiikiri (Feb 18, 2011)

It loses something in the photograph. The tree is made from untreated pine, no toxic glues, no chemicals in the carpeting. Made in the USA and constructed to be as sturdy as human furniture. I can climb it, and my 93 pound doberman can't knock it over. 









He loves it, and runs straight to the top. I could see him eating the decoration off of the pretty one you posted.
As for the price... well, after spending $1200 for a cat, what's a few hundred more?


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

Saitenyo, is this the tree you have? PETCO Faux Fleece Deluxe Cat Tree at PETCO

I'd like to get this for our kitties, but I'm worried about the faux fur. Would they fall off since there's no grip to the faux fur like there would be with fleece?


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## RowdyAndMalley (Aug 9, 2010)

Tiikiri said:


> He loves it, and runs straight to the top. I could see him eating the decoration off of the pretty one you posted.
> As for the price... well, after spending $1200 for a cat, what's a few hundred more?


That's all that matters then !!! I can see your concern about the leafs, I just like it because of all the levels and houses...



my4kitties said:


> ... but I'm worried about the faux fur. Would they fall off since there's no grip to the faux fur like there would be with fleece?


Our Cat tree is covered in faux fur (not carpet) and the kitties love it! The climb all over it and we have never had they lose their grip. I makes for super soft sleeing spaces too.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

My dad has made a few scratching posts and cat condos over the years (takes a few hours to do), the condos were about five and a half feet high with a house or two on the way up with one or two openings. Good thing he made them too, since they're expensive if you buy them in the store and the cats never really used them. I'd stick the cats in the house or on top of the house and they'd just jump down.


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## Dave_ph (Jul 7, 2009)

Cat trees are a reliable hit with the kitties. I have 3 tress and they all get a lot of use.

If you have a big kitty like my Fay be sure the perches are as large as you can find although I've seen two kitties with a combined volume of 1/2 cubic meter jam themselves into a space of only 0.2 cubic meters. It's cat physics. 

Go to a store and check the size of the perches before ordering if you have a big boned kitty.


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## saitenyo (Nov 28, 2010)

my4kitties said:


> Saitenyo, is this the tree you have? PETCO Faux Fleece Deluxe Cat Tree at PETCO
> 
> I'd like to get this for our kitties, but I'm worried about the faux fur. Would they fall off since there's no grip to the faux fur like there would be with fleece?


Yup, it is. They also sell it on Amazon (where I got mine) or directly from the Armarkat website. 

So far I haven't noticed any grip problems. Apollo goes nuts on this thing (doing really reckless leaps) and every time he misses a jump he's able to grab on just fine. I'm not sure if he's grabbing the faux fur or the wood under it, but so far he hasn't fallen off at all despite his reckless vigor.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

saitenyo said:


> Yup, it is. They also sell it on Amazon (where I got mine) or directly from the Armarkat website.
> 
> So far I haven't noticed any grip problems. Apollo goes nuts on this thing (doing really reckless leaps) and every time he misses a jump he's able to grab on just fine. I'm not sure if he's grabbing the faux fur or the wood under it, but so far he hasn't fallen off at all despite his reckless vigor.


I saw it on the Armarkat site and it's actually more expensive there than it is at Petco. Where would I look on Amazon to find it? While $119 isn't too bad, I'd like to see if I can find it cheaper.

Good to know about the grip on it. There was a review on Armarkat's site by someone who said that their cats slipped and fell while on the tree. But, that was the only negative review. I'm thinking that this person has clumsy cats. LOL


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## saitenyo (Nov 28, 2010)

my4kitties said:


> I saw it on the Armarkat site and it's actually more expensive there than it is at Petco. Where would I look on Amazon to find it? While $119 isn't too bad, I'd like to see if I can find it cheaper.
> 
> Good to know about the grip on it. There was a review on Armarkat's site by someone who said that their cats slipped and fell while on the tree. But, that was the only negative review. I'm thinking that this person has clumsy cats. LOL


Here's the amazon listing: Amazon.com: Cat Tree, Beige: Kitchen & Dining They have the best price that I've seen so far. Looks like it's back down to the sale price it was at when I bought it. And yeah I think it's more expensive directly from the Amarkat site.


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## Ritzpg (Dec 7, 2010)

*Cat trees*

I hope Ritz likes hers, cause I just ordered one, made to order.
Polkat Products/ Your Cat Tree Guy A person I volunteer with at ruderanch.org (for feral and special needs cats near Annapolis, MD) coordinated buying them wholesale, and a certain percentage of the proceeds go to Rude Ranch.
If Ritz doesn't like it, then I will donate it to either Rude Ranch, Alley Cat Rescue, or put it in my friend's Cattery.
Ritz does NOT like cat beds or those really soft blankets. She loves to sit on a hand-hooked rug my mother made 35 years ago, watching the birds on my balcony.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

saitenyo said:


> Here's the amazon listing: Amazon.com: Cat Tree, Beige: Kitchen & Dining They have the best price that I've seen so far. Looks like it's back down to the sale price it was at when I bought it. And yeah I think it's more expensive directly from the Amarkat site.


That's only slightly less than Petco's price. It's regularly $149.99 and it's on sale for $119.99. In this case, I think I'll stick with Petco.


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## konstargirl (Feb 4, 2011)

My older sister has one of those really small cat trees but Vinnie only climbs on it.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

My girls love their cat trees. I have various trees throughout the house...some large, some small. They're always sleeping or playing in one or another. However, they have no time for their cat beds. So, cat beds and cat trees don't necessarily generate the same reaction.


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## fatandgreedy (Feb 20, 2011)

saitenyo said:


> Yup, it is. They also sell it on Amazon (where I got mine) or directly from the Armarkat website.
> 
> So far I haven't noticed any grip problems. Apollo goes nuts on this thing (doing really reckless leaps) and every time he misses a jump he's able to grab on just fine. I'm not sure if he's grabbing the faux fur or the wood under it, but so far he hasn't fallen off at all despite his reckless vigor.


I looked around and ended up ordering one of these from Petco. It's a lot of tree for the money and the condos were a good size.

Thanks for all the advice. Fingers crossed she gets some mileage out of it.


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## livismom (Mar 29, 2011)

my4kitties said:


> Saitenyo, is this the tree you have? PETCO Faux Fleece Deluxe Cat Tree at PETCO
> 
> I'd like to get this for our kitties, but I'm worried about the faux fur. Would they fall off since there's no grip to the faux fur like there would be with fleece?



That is the tree I got my 10 week old kittens. They love it!. The only bad thing is they broke one of the hanging toys already.


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## MinkaMuffin (Apr 1, 2011)

So.. do you think this one would be sturdy enough to support a 20lb kitty? <__< Amazon.com: Cat Tree, Beige: Kitchen & Dining

Although I don't know how I'd fit it in a bedroom that already has bedroom furniture...


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## cushman350 (Mar 16, 2011)

Sure, *Armarkat Pet Products* has served ours cats well and is 5 years old.


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## tigressbythetail (Dec 1, 2010)

That's a lot of cat tree for the money (Amazon.com) I've been shopping for one and the small ones at the pet stores are more than that. The bratz have worn out the one I bought them when they were kittens, so I'm confident that they'd love this one. I'm just not sure where I'd put it! But that's a great price.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

MinkaMuffin said:


> So.. do you think this one would be sturdy enough to support a 20lb kitty? <__< Amazon.com: Cat Tree, Beige: Kitchen & Dining
> 
> Although I don't know how I'd fit it in a bedroom that already has bedroom furniture...


That same tree is available at Petco for much less. It's on sale until April 23. Here's the link: PETCO Faux Fleece Deluxe Cat Tree at PETCO


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## saitenyo (Nov 28, 2010)

MinkaMuffin said:


> So.. do you think this one would be sturdy enough to support a 20lb kitty? <__< Amazon.com: Cat Tree, Beige: Kitchen & Dining
> 
> Although I don't know how I'd fit it in a bedroom that already has bedroom furniture...


Hmm, I can't vouch on that one, since Apollo is only 9-10 lbs, but I would think so? Like I said, Apollo goes flying at that thing as hard as he can and it's never tipped over.


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## fatandgreedy (Feb 20, 2011)

*Caddy checks out the cat tree*

The tree arrived today, which was a nice surprise since I ordered it on Wed with the free shipping. It was really easy to assemble, a lot easier than some of the ikea stuff. My cat's pretty hefty, but definitely not 20 lbs...it's stable enough that I'm not concerned about it tipping over.

Here's Caddy checking out the tree and then wanting to play as usual


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## MinkaMuffin (Apr 1, 2011)

my4kitties said:


> That same tree is available at Petco for much less. It's on sale until April 23. Here's the link: PETCO Faux Fleece Deluxe Cat Tree at PETCO


It's $116 on Amazon and $119 at Petco...??


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

my4kitties said:


> That same tree is available at Petco for much less. It's on sale until April 23. Here's the link: PETCO Faux Fleece Deluxe Cat Tree at PETCO





MinkaMuffin said:


> It's $116 on Amazon and $119 at Petco...??


The Amazon link is confusing. It lists the cat tree at $119.99, but a little farther down, the cat tree is listed at $116.00. Which price is the correct one?


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## MinkaMuffin (Apr 1, 2011)

my4kitties said:


> The Amazon link is confusing. It lists the cat tree at $119.99, but a little farther down, the cat tree is listed at $116.00. Which price is the correct one?


The big price up top is directly from Amazon. The prices lower down (new and used) are from other vendors that work through Amazon. So you would be buying from other sources but your purchases are covered by Amazon.


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## my5kitties (Sep 13, 2005)

my4kitties said:


> The Amazon link is confusing. It lists the cat tree at $119.99, but a little farther down, the cat tree is listed at $116.00. Which price is the correct one?





MinkaMuffin said:


> The big price up top is directly from Amazon. The prices lower down (new and used) are from other vendors that work through Amazon. So you would be buying from other sources but your purchases are covered by Amazon.


Thanks for clearing that up. Is either price a sale price or their regular price?


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## ShadowsRescue (Mar 7, 2011)

We have 2 different cat trees from Cozy Cat Furniture. The prices are great, fairly easy to put together, very sturdy and our cat loves them. I don't know what I did without them.

Cat furniture - one of the best cat trees, cat condos and cat furniture


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## Arkadia (Apr 11, 2011)

my4kitties said:


> That same tree is available at Petco for much less. It's on sale until April 23. Here's the link: PETCO Faux Fleece Deluxe Cat Tree at PETCO


I have this tree too! My cats LOVE it, although I think they would have loved any large cat tree I bought them. My only issue with this tree is that the top platforms are much smaller than I'd like, and only my kitten can sleep on the top platforms, though sometimes I find my older too perched on top of them. Ideally the whole tree would be a bit wider. My cats sleep on it, play on it, play with it and use it as a scratching post. It's also used as a safety fortress when playing gets rough and they need to escape.

I absolutely think you can't go wrong with getting your kitties a *large* cat tree and they can very well be the best cat-related purchase you'll ever make, barring your actual kitty and things that meet their nutritional needs  There are some itty-bitty 'trees' I've had (actually just a little cubby with a scratching pole and perch attached) and my cats never expressed any interest in them. But I honestly can't see any cat snubbing a nice tall tree to climb up, perch on and scratch at. I feel the general rule for buying a cat tree should be: get the biggest, *widest *one you can afford and fit. The higher, the better, up to a point (6-7 feet seems to be about the perfect height for most cats), but I think it's more important to make sure your cats can comfortably fit on and sleep on the platforms, so if you have a big cat, it's worth taking measurements.

I think buying a cat tree for your cats is a purchase one will never regret. Certainly, they'll last at least half your lifetime, if not your full one.


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## MinkaMuffin (Apr 1, 2011)

my4kitties said:


> Thanks for clearing that up. Is either price a sale price or their regular price?


Its the same as the Petco website, the list price is crossed out and the sale price is a different colour and bold.
Aka - $175 regular, $119.99 on sale

Arkadia - Are you working for a cat tree company? ;P


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## Arkadia (Apr 11, 2011)

MinkaMuffin said:


> Its the same as the Petco website, the list price is crossed out and the sale price is a different colour and bold.
> Aka - $175 regular, $119.99 on sale
> 
> Arkadia - Are you working for a cat tree company? ;P


Hahaha no, although that would be nice, I'm currently job seeking *and* I badly want to get a second tree for my kitties so there may be discounts! 

I'm just awfully pleased that I finally managed to get a 'toy' all three cats like and use every day. And I got a great deal on mine too :]


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## fatandgreedy (Feb 20, 2011)

My cat's been on the tree more and more since I got it. She had me worried at first because she mostly ignored it.

I think Arkadia has some very good points. I checked out several at the pet stores and some were unstable and most had "kitten size" condos. A few even had a pipe running through the condo, making it even smaller. A lot of tree review complaints are around condo size and their cats not using them.

One thing I like about this tree is the bigger lower condo which she fits in. The upper condo is smaller but has platforms that add some room.


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