Asking for a little help! - Page 2

I found affordable ones at Kitty Mansions.com. I think they even had free shipping.

I don't have big cats, so the size of the platforms is not an issue. I would like to be able to get taller trees that I can actually afford. Anything under 6 feet tall is pretty much useless in my house. That's the only thing that entices them away from climbing up my bookcases.

I agree with needing a material that can be removed and washed. NO carpet. The one I have has fleece coverings, which starts out nice but gets matted and dirty very quickly. The hammock is faux fur, which is much easier to keep clean. Of course, my kitties won't lay in it unless I put it on a rigid surface for a bed. Go figure.

I do like the look of natural wood more than sisal scratching posts, but I'm a little leery of training them to scratch on wood. If they start in on my piano, they're toast. (Well, not really, but I would be very unhappy). The sisal look doesn't bother me enough to change it.

I believe a safe removable covering for platforms could be made if it were like a shower cap, but instead of elastic around the bottom, use cording that could be pulled tight. I recovered our daughter's desk chair (with long lime green faux fur, lol) this way, on both the top and the bottom and it has stayed put. That was nine months ago and she uses the chair every day.

Cat, that's brilliant!!!!!!

As someone who lives in an RV, space is a major issue for me.
Think tiny studio on wheels
While it is super easy for me to find cat towers with a small enough footprint, they are usually not tall enough, thus easily knocked over, or they are too tall and will not clear my ceiling.

I've found lots of the spring loaded floor to ceiling towers, but again, the footprint ends up too large.
Another issue is surfaces.
I live in the desert and the cats want smooth surfaces to lie on in hot weather.
I think alternating traditional platforms with linoleum platforms, this would also be handy for people who feed their cats up off of the floor.

Affordable of course as obvisouly I'm not rich, or I'd be living in something larger than 28'x16'.

That is my idea using the real wood. I have been trying very unsuccessfully to convince BF to make me a cat tree. With a couple pieces of plywood and the wood we already have for our wood stove we could make one relatively cheap...But he just doesnt want to make it and I cant make it because I would either make it completely destructable or Id lop off an arm using power tools..LOL

I have noticed though that ALL my cats prefer using my oak bookshelf to scratch on over their sisal scratchers. When Fatman was alive he used the carpet in the hallway as his scratching post. Hercules has nail issues which requires them to be trimmed constantly and he is my biggest real wood scratcher, Bacon also scraches the real wood too but we have had issues now with her scratching on the wood trim around windows and the molding. I think if the wood was treated with a people/animal friendly bug killer type thing that would cut down on the bug issue. A big thing we have noticed too with using real wood is that its the rotted out trees that have the bugs not the tree we have actually cut down, those have had little to no bugs and the bugs that were on it were from it sitting and drying out.

I just checked out that site, its awesome. Even not having the holiday pricing its still pretty reasonable. Maybe Ill be able to get one after we pay off the Snap On bill when we get our taxes done. I have a corner in the living room were we could put a cat tree that isnt completely ugly. The bungalow we have now is bright crayon colors and ugly nylon so thats not allowed in the living room. If there was something that matched the couch and walls but didnt stick out like a sore thumb I shouldnt have a problem sneaking it into the living room.

Thats another thing, too much cat paraphanalia is just tacky. For dogs you can find tons of stuff that blends and isnt that noticable and doesnt scream "OMG look Ive got a dog" but cat stuff just doesnt blend very well. BF loves our pets but he is one of those people where if he has company come over he doesnt mind if the pets themselves are seen but he doesnt want all their stuff seen too, like litter boxes, toys etc. I personally dont care, I figure if someone is gonna come in my house they better be prepared for the menagerie of munsters and all their stuff, if they dont like it they can feel free to walk out the same way they came in.

Thanks, Laurie! I didn't have a staple gun so I had to get resourceful. Both pieces are like big shower caps: the top part has a plastic back that screws on and covers the fur edges, but the bottom is just pulled tight with the cording.


we call it "Hairy Chairy"

Everything above sums up my feelings. I'm in the original poster's area, well same province, and the choices are Walmart or very expensive places

I have 2 that I bought cheaply from major chain store, one is a simple tower with 3 platforms, it goes from ceiling to floor.

Here it is:

Kizzy, the lowest cat, now covers the entire perch, and when my 3 get playing I worry it may fall down, but so far so good. The rug does NOT handle clawing, so I wouldn't buy this rug again. I do love the simplicity of it, the cats love climbing it, but if I were to change this model I would have:

• larger platforms (which leads into larger and hopefully more secure pieces that hold it in place)
• different carpet material
• the lowest post being a sisal scratcher

I have 3 cats, 2 love the sisal (which I have door hung type scratch posts of) and 1 likes carpet.

The other house I have is this:



In this one, I am happy with it. It's simple, affordable and it fits my cats needs ( sisal and carpet, hidey hole and open ) but I would like it to be taller....my cats like to be high up...

I would like a nice, tall tree, with places they can sleep, both sisal and carpet scratching areas with a different fluffier material for "non-scratching" oriented spots, hidey holes and open perches. But at an affordable price.

Hope this helps.

I have one thing to add that no one here has recommended yet: Curved platforms. See example here http://www.zaharabengals.com/thecatfactory.html (we have the big one on the left, cant believe how affordable this guys stuff is)....the cats really love the curved platforms over the flat ones, as they curl up on them really well (both 16 Lb an 8Lb cat fit very well!). Very good for dangle foot kitties too...the stairs are "removable" so very good if needed for older/less mobile cats.

Yes, those are what I referred to as "cradles" in one of my posts. 3 of my 4 cats love those. I think they feel much safer in those than on just plan old platforms. None of mine lie on the platforms.

Now that one on the left I would have no problem with the cost, or how its made, except I need the sisal.

I googled and found this one made by the same person: http://edmonton.kijiji.ca/c-pets-acc...AdIdZ244253364 and I would love it.

Too bad shipping would put it out of my price range if he did ship.

Very nice tree, and great prices.

Ooooo - never saw one with stairs! Those would be perfect for our little CH wobbler who can climb but not jump!

This is a GREAT thread!!!!

Lots of folks here have already said what I would say -

PRICE is a huge factor for me...

Ease of shipping and assembling once it arrives so that you don't have to be a structural engineer to put it together.

Sturdy - the main one we have now is not very well designed and the posts come loose and we have to tighten them down constantly...

Ease of cleaning - I have one that is faux fur and another that is carpet. The fur fabric one is MUCH easier to vacuum off.

A BIG YES TO CRADLES instead of platforms. Or platforms with sides so the cat feels safe in there.

Hammocks -- or whatever you call them... the boys fight over this one...

Easy for the cat to get up and down... some of the ones I have seen the distance between platforms is silly....

Custom configurations... speaks for itself

Not too terribly ugly - also speaks for itself LOL!!

Sisal fabric instead of rope... looks better IMO.

Part wood as some have indicated would be nice... one of my cats leaps at the main tree and shinnys up the back side like a real tree. I think he would love it if it were made of bark! And outside. And had real birds in it!!!

I haven't read all posts so if this is a repeat, sorry.

A wider more sturdy base, in addition to larger platforms. I have a 20 lb Maine Coon and it scares me to think of him swinging around on top and tipping the thing over!

Here are the pictures of the one from the shelter which I like the looks of. It's really the only one I've ever seen that I would want. It's not as tall as I remembered. It is rather beat up. I don't know how old it is.

It is built in 3 sections with bolts to hold them together. So more sections could be added to make it higher.






I'm sure it is far from perfect. Don't think everyone would ever agree on what is perfect, anyway. What I like about it is that it is made of wood, is atheistically pleasing and would fit in my decor, provides a "house" as well as scratching services and platforms. Some of the platforms would be easier to access than others. It seems quite sturdy.

In case anyone wonders, this tree is in the offices section of the shelter where 2 or 3 cats are loose - all very long time residents. So, that explains the mess. I've actually never seen anyone on this tree. But I'm in that area very little. I did ask if they used it and was assured that they do.

Robin

I LOVE the Hairy Chairy! Great color, too. Brilliant!

Robin

I agree with everyone about the size and the materials. My cats don't like anything that is "cat furniture" I think they find them too uncomfortable. I tried to get them a cat hut but it was way way to small. They could get it but not out. My moms cats had the same problem. I ended up giving the hut to a friend who has kittens.

Another big issue is there doesn't seem to be really nice cat trees for small apartments. I Would LOVE to get my kitties a cat tree or a condo but there isn't any really nice ones with cozy places for the kitties for people with smaller living spaces.

I WOULD like cat furniture that fits both my budget and my living quarters.

ALso materials seem to be a big issue with my cats. They tend to not like the carpet. They love softer materials hence why I can never get them off the couch!

Thought I'd resurrect this thread... anybody get something for contributing? Or know anything more about the OP?