Asking for a little help!

going nova · Dec 14, 2010

I would like a big base to keep the tree tipping over, and big platforms/cubbies, etc.
I would also like to be able to replace damaged parts easily. (Some parts get more use than others.)
Scratching areas with different materials. (Carpet, sisal, and cardboard. They don't all like the same scratching surface.)

atoz · Dec 15, 2010

First of all, thank you to all who have responded so far, your participation and suggestions, is beyond value to me!

Based on the responses in the past 24 hours, I have roughly broken down your suggestions from most important to least as follows:

Functionality - including size of components, ease of access, usability etc

Safety - overall stability, safety etc.

Ease of cleaning - self explanatory. The popularity of this took me by suprise!

Looks - near and dear to my heart as well, also one of the hardest to make everyone happy

Durability - another pet peeve of mine with some of the existing offerings on the market

Natural Products - surprised this didn't rate higher

Customizable - I suspect this didn't rate higher because of the way we have been conditioned as consumers - were just used to getting what we are offered and thats that.

If you don't see something mentioned, rest assured I have listed to all of you and probably classified your suggestion under one of the other categories.

One thing I was surprised wasn't mentioned directly once, was affordabillity, but rest assured price points are going to be very important to me. I want to see my products be available to all cat lovers!

I'm going to address each point in a separate post to keep the reading and commenting easier.

libby74 · Dec 15, 2010

Winchester;2981099 said:
I agree 100%. And that's why my kids still don't have a cat tree....I'm very leery of buying one. I think the platforms are way too small for chunkier cats and even for cats that really like to stretch out when they nap. And I also think that they're sometimes not the sturdiest things around. I always thought that if I got them a cat tree, I'd only end up putting a bunch of pillows around it on the floor in case one of them fell off. So no cat tree here.QUOTE]

Ditto. We looked at a 6 foot cat tree the other day; when I nudged it I thought it was going to tip over. Told DH that I wouldn't feel safe having it in the house unless I weighed it down with concrete blocks. Wouldn't that be attractive?
I also don't like the scratching post/sleeping cubicle we have. It's covered with carpet that is now threadbare, and there really is no easy way to replace just the carpet.

alleygirl · Dec 15, 2010

I agree with everyone who has posted so far.

I have big boys too and any of the little cubbyholes or "houses" on the trees are too small for my boys to get into comfortably. They enjoy tall platforms but those are generally small too.

I have had a problem with them becoming unstable after a while and very hard to keep clean.

Like others have said, most of the affordable trees on the market are ugly, carpeted things with limited color options. I would like something a little nicer looking but can't pay 200-400 $ for something like that.

atoz · Dec 15, 2010

I'd like to address this post directly first.

Originally Posted by hissy

I routinely test and professionally review cat condos and other products. On cat condos, my biggest pet peeve (no pun intended) is how we are sending our cats mixed messages. We DON'T want them scratching them on furniture or the carpet- yet we buy cat condos that are made exactly like the furniture and carpet we are trying to preserve. I do assist a gentleman who makes cat condos and he is very receptive to any criticism (constructive) about his product and works to improve the product (including weatherproofing the hammocks and condos for outside kitties).

What I would love to see is someone creating a hard wood condo with not just platforms on it but places where the cats can hide when they are scared or unsure. I work a lot with high-risk strays and ferals and know that a condo like that would sell well within the industry of rescue. There is a gal in Florida who builds cat condos that actually look like real trees (with fake leaves etc) but she can't sell these except locally because of the cost of shipping.

I would also like to see a condo with plastic tubes running through it where you can place a ball or some sort of forward motion toy for the cats to ponder.

Sorry, but like I said, for years, I have offered professional reviews for cat condo manufacturers and my cats aren't soft or spoiled. They really do give any piece of cat furniture a work-out. The following photo is the condo that gets the most traffic. It is in an unfinished part of our house near the tunnels leading to the cat enclosure. It never has a "No Vacancy" sign and the hammocks and condos are washable and easy to remove

I think you have hit the nail on the head perfectly on a couple of points here. I completely agree that we send such a mixed message to our babies by trying to convince them to use their furniture and not ours. I believe that the only way we can be successful in this is to properly design their furniture in a way that they prefer it to ours. You mention having some kind of stimulation built in, as well as safe places where they can feel comfortable. I believe these are all part of a well designed feline environmental enrichment system. A lot of the research that I have been reading on this indicates to me that we are only just beginning to understand what indoor cats need. I am working very hard to design a system that will be flexible enough to accommodate all the needs of our friends.

With reference to your friend who makes the trees, honestly shipping is probably the single biggest hurdle to overcome for a small business that needs to ship larger items in small quantities. I have done a lot of research into this, and if you like you can have her contact me and I can share my findings with her.

atoz · Dec 15, 2010

The number of people that mentioned ease of cleaning surprised me a bit. And I have to admit I haven't given this enough thought. I would like to hear your thoughts on how best to accomplish this. My initial thoughts about this is that removable covers is the obvious answer. However when I think about this more, I'm not sure I like this. In order for a covering to be removable it needs to be somewhat loose fitting, and this will pose problems both from a durability and looks point of view. Perhaps beds and hammocks can have a removable cover since in theory they will see the most contact time. Part of my overall design includes the ability to easily and inexpensively change out, so maybe other parts that can't have a loose fitting cover can simply be replaced or exchanged for recycling. This I believe will also solve the durability problem. Worn out parts can just be changed out.

ldg · Dec 15, 2010

While I was one who chimed in to say I'd love to be able to wash something like a cover, when thinking about how to do it, a cover that comes off could be dangerous - at least the way our cats leap around and tear around on the trees.

But something that combines the concept of bed and platform - like in the picture in hissy's post - some of the cubes could have "tops" to make them stable, a hard surface - but what goes INSIDE the cube could be removable for washing. And all hammocks could hang in a removable way, I'd think.

3catsn1dog · Dec 15, 2010

I agree with what everyone said so far but my biggest hurdle is afforablity. I want a cat tower/tree in the worst way but I'm leery of purchasing off craigslist and ones in stores or catalogues are too expensive. Right now I'm looking to replace the nylon bungalow I got last year but I don't want another nylon one because this one got used hard....really hard lol. Unofrtunately spending $200 on a cat tree is unfeasible right now but someday id hope to be able to get one since my cats all love their bungalow.

dusty's mom · Dec 15, 2010

My biggest kitty Squeak has outgrown her crow's nest. She loved this when she was smaller, but she is 12 lbs and growing, and it's just not as comfortable as it used to be.

mrsgreenjeens · Dec 15, 2010

Originally Posted by 3CatsN1Dog

I agree with what everyone said so far but my biggest hurdle is afforablity. I want a cat tower/tree in the worst way but I'm leery of purchasing off craigslist and ones in stores or catalogues are too expensive. Right now I'm looking to replace the nylon bungalow I got last year but I don't want another nylon one because this one got used hard....really hard lol. Unofrtunately spending $200 on a cat tree is unfeasible right now but someday id hope to be able to get one since my cats all love their bungalow.

That is exactly why I thought if REAL tree limbs were used as some of the posts, the expense could be cut down, since these should be free if taken from already fallen trees, etc. (problem there might be with bugs, though)

dusty's mom · Dec 15, 2010

Originally Posted by 3CatsN1Dog

I agree with what everyone said so far but my biggest hurdle is afforablity. I want a cat tower/tree in the worst way but I'm leery of purchasing off craigslist and ones in stores or catalogues are too expensive. Right now I'm looking to replace the nylon bungalow I got last year but I don't want another nylon one because this one got used hard....really hard lol. Unofrtunately spending $200 on a cat tree is unfeasible right now but someday id hope to be able to get one since my cats all love their bungalow.

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

GoldyCat · Dec 15, 2010

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.

swampwitch · Dec 15, 2010

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.

ldg · Dec 15, 2010

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

arlyn · Dec 15, 2010

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'.

3catsn1dog · Dec 16, 2010

Originally Posted by mrsgreenjeens

That is exactly why I thought if REAL tree limbs were used as some of the posts, the expense could be cut down, since these should be free if taken from already fallen trees, etc. (problem there might be with bugs, though)

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.

Originally Posted by Dusty's Mom

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

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.

swampwitch · Dec 16, 2010

Originally Posted by LDG

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

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"

snake_lady · Dec 16, 2010

Originally Posted by SwampWitch

My problem with most cat trees and cat furniture is the platforms are too small. .

Originally Posted by Atoz

Functionality - including size of components, ease of access, usability etc

Safety - overall stability, safety etc.

Ease of cleaning - self explanatory. The popularity of this took me by suprise! This one is not as important, I mean it is but not high on my list as I find the 2 I do have quite easy to clean, and do not want bare wood or the looseness of removeable covers.

Durability - another pet peeve of mine with some of the existing offerings on the market *This one falls under safety for me*

One thing I was surprised wasn't mentioned directly once, was affordabillity, but rest assured price points are going to be very important to me. I want to see my products be available to all cat lovers!

Price is a big thing for me, and for many I think but some ppl don't want to say that.

Originally Posted by 3CatsN1Dog

I agree with what everyone said so far but my biggest hurdle is afforablity. I want a cat tower/tree in the worst way but I'm leery of purchasing off craigslist and ones in stores or catalogues are too expensive.

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.

februa · Dec 16, 2010

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.

mrsgreenjeens · Dec 16, 2010

Originally Posted by Februa

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.

Asking for a little help!

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