What large cat tree/tower to get for older cats?

We're looking for a large cat tree/tower for two older cats. 

We have 10-foot ceilings, and would like to take advantage of them.  But our cats are 15+ years old, so they don't do a lot of jumping up.  It should be easy to climb to the top.

Also, something that looks fairly nice, because it's going in our "great room" (combined kitchen/living/dining room).

Price is not an issue, within reason.

Any advice?

Thanks,

Mike and Marilyn

I just bought one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BYQ18M/?tag=&tag=thecatsite and I reallyreally like it. It's "only" 6 feet tall so it doesn't take full advantage of your 10-foot ceilings, but I think it has enough levels that older cats wouldn't have a problem. Armarkat isn't super high-quality, but it's good enough, IMO.

I just got one of these- its 5' tall I think, but it's easy to climb, and looks good enough that I don't feel like I'm sacrificing the style of my living space for the cats.  I have it in white laminate, and it's sturdy and well made.

http://www.squarecathabitat.com/product/baobab.html

Just had another thought- that particular company also makes shelves that mount on the wall.  Those could go up as high as you want, and you could space them so they're easy for your cats to climb.

http://www.squarecathabitat.com/wall-products-1.html

Willowy said:

I just bought one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BYQ18M/?tag=&tag=thecatsite and I reallyreally like it. It's "only" 6 feet tall so it doesn't take full advantage of your 10-foot ceilings, but I think it has enough levels that older cats wouldn't have a problem. Armarkat isn't super high-quality, but it's good enough, IMO.

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We have two of the same, very happy with it so far, and no signs of wear although they are only a bit over a year old at this point. 

Regarding shelves, unless made of money I wouldn't get "cat shelves" when any generic shelf that can hold at least 50lbs is a cat worthy shelf. 

Shelves are cheap after all, but "cat shelves" are an expensive niche product.  



This isn't mine, but these are Ikea Lack shelves IIRC, and relatively inexpensive:



The only concern is that I'm not sure how much those shelves are rated for weight-wise, even if they are screwed into studs.     If in doubt, I have seen the "half depth" lack shelves where they literally just cut the shelf in half so its half as deep, which strengthens the shelf (less leverage for the cat).  

I do recommend putting on an adhesive liner (available cheap at most home improvement kitchen sections) for added traction.   I used cork on mine.  

Willowy said:

I just bought one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BYQ18M/?tag=&tag=thecatsite and I reallyreally like it. It's "only" 6 feet tall so it doesn't take full advantage of your 10-foot ceilings, but I think it has enough levels that older cats wouldn't have a problem. Armarkat isn't super high-quality, but it's good enough, IMO.

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I bought this one for my cats last year for Christmas and it still looks practically new.  Wear on the sisal is about it.  My cats range from 2 years to 15 years and they all love it.  I have it in front of my window so they always get the morning sun.

I have a bunch of Armarkat/Go! Pet Club cat furniture, so I have become somewhat of a connoisseur :lol3:. That one is definitely my favorite. Some general tips: make sure whichever one you buy has at least a 3-point base (I have one that has only 2 posts to the floor and it's way too tippy), but 4-point is ideal. The bigger the base is, the better. As few unsupported ledges as possible. Symmetry is a good thing.

Willowy said:

I just bought one of these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BYQ18M/?tag=&tag=thecatsite and I reallyreally like it. It's "only" 6 feet tall so it doesn't take full advantage of your 10-foot ceilings, but I think it has enough levels that older cats wouldn't have a problem. Armarkat isn't super high-quality, but it's good enough, IMO.

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That looks great, but yeah, I'd like something taller.  Does such a thing exist?

We're thinking about putting cat walks around the perimeter at 8.5 feet or so.  Ideally the tower would be tall enough to get them up there.

evakatharina said:

Just had another thought- that particular company also makes shelves that mount on the wall.  Those could go up as high as you want, and you could space them so they're easy for your cats to climb.

http://www.squarecathabitat.com/wall-products-1.html

Click to expand...

This is a good idea, but those shelves are too small, and they're charging too much.  $100 for a shelf?   I'd prefer to make my own.  But I'm not sure our cats will use shelves, and I'm reluctant to drill into the walls without some assurance that they will.

Since a standard ceiling is 8 feet, it's hard to find one taller than that. You'll probably have to do some modifications. Maybe you could put shelves (using them as steps) from the top of the cat tree to the catwalk.

This looks cool, anyone have one of these?

http://www.mycatsheaven.com/84_designer_cat_tree_house

Here's an 8-foot tower:

http://playtimeworkshop.com/catmountain.htm

I can't tell how they would access the upper levels though, without having to climb up the outside.  And it isn't the most attractive thing I've seen...

MikeAnderson said:

This is a good idea, but those shelves are too small, and they're charging too much.  $100 for a shelf?   I'd prefer to make my own.  But I'm not sure our cats will use shelves, and I'm reluctant to drill into the walls without some assurance that they will.

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I can testify Kitties LOVE shelves.... I have both a tree (the same one from Amazon), and shelves, which I built myself across my living room - and my goodness - they are a HIT!

You can get any type of shelves - Like Ducman said, I would not spend $100/per shelf - no way. If I remember correctly, my entire set up cost me less than $80 - and we are talking 4 2ft shelves, and one 6ft long shelf, the carpet, the hot glue, the glue gun, the brackets, the tool to make sure they were leveled (laser).... in short, all I needed to make them work. Just make sure you find the wood studs if you have dry walls - my shelves/brackets hold over 80lbs, I believe. I know the big one holds more. A lot depends on the screws and installation.
The cats run back and forth from the cat tree to the shelves like it is their personal Disneyland - they LOVE LOVE LOVE the shelves, no question about it!! With more money, I would definitely do them all over the place - best thing I have done so far for them :nod:

Here are some pictures, not so good, but you can have an idea:

Carolina said:

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If that isn't a Kodak Moment, I don't know what is!  

Check out the 9-nest tower: http://kuranda.com/cat-beds/cat-tower It's 76" high.

We have the 8-nest and our cats are ALWAYS on it. The first nest is very low to the floor and they can climb as high as they want easily! The white is a nice cream color and the nest colors are deep colors (not like they look on the website). It's not the prettiest thing ever but it has a small footprint but with lots of climbing and sleeping areas. The nests are like little hammocks and very comfy. 

I'm not a big fan of plastic but the tower is 100% cleanable (no cat smells coming from the old carpet like on most trees!) and easy to assemble, and is indoor/outdoor. Customer service was awesome also, and parts can be bought and replaced as needed. 

Carolina said:

I can testify Kitties LOVE shelves.... I have both a tree (the same one from Amazon), and shelves, which I built myself across my living room - and my goodness - they are a HIT!
You can get any type of shelves - Like Ducman said, I would not spend $100/per shelf - no way. If I remember correctly, my entire set up cost me less than $80 - and we are talking 4 2ft shelves, and one 6ft long shelf, the carpet, the hot glue, the glue gun, the brackets, the tool to make sure they were leveled (laser).... in short, all I needed to make them work. Just make sure you find the wood studs if you have dry walls - my shelves/brackets hold over 80lbs, I believe. I know the big one holds more. A lot depends on the screws and installation.
The cats run back and forth from the cat tree to the shelves like it is their personal Disneyland - they LOVE LOVE LOVE the shelves, no question about it!! With more money, I would definitely do them all over the place - best thing I have done so far for them

Here are some pictures, not so good, but you can have an idea:

Click to expand...

I am thinking of doing this... I am pretty crafty and I have almost all the shelves I could need. I just need more white brackets like you have or something similar. My question for you is how did you space them out? was it randomly placed or did you leave just enough in between for cats to get from one to the other freely without having to jump. We have 5 cats ranging from 17 years old to 6 months old. Love the upside down cat We have a ragdoll, a maine coon, and a norwegian forest mix so we have three BIG cats and a tortishell and a tortieshell mix, 2 SMALL ones. Our priority would be the older cats. Thank you so much for your time, in advance.

Welcome to TCS!  This thread is a little old; but I know many of these posters are still active here.  But if you dont get a response; you could send a member a PM with your question too.  One of my two falls off the couch while sleeping...I dont trust her on a shelf!  But then she is ok on the cat tree...hmm... lol

Thanks, I just did that.

does anybody recommend a cat tree for a large active cat. I have one now, but since my cat has grown he's getting too big for the condo and he can barely fit on the ledge in front of the condo. 

Ideally, I'd like to get one with those hammock type things on it because I think he would really like  them. I've been looking through the listings on Amazon etc but can't tell if he'd be too big for some of them or not. Seems like most are built for 8-10 lb cats. I'm not sure how much mine weighs (I am bringing him to the vet soon so he can get a weight check then) but he's fairly long.

(these are not great photos, but they are recent and you can see his size somewhat).

He's a year and a half old now, so he still has tons of energy.

Re: shelves. I think they are a cool idea but I don't think my cat would go for them. He actually very rarely climbs up on anything (like I have a floor to ceiling bookcase that I figured he'd go after when I first got him and he's never even bothered with it. Likewise, he never jumps up on counters or anything. Only time he jumped up on the table was when my husband left some leftover chicken on it, and really, can't blame him for that one). He's more of a burrower in general as he likes to go Under things ( so we make him lots of hidey-holes under tables etc, which he likes). However he does like to go up the sisal posts on his cat tree and sit on top of the bungalow. And he tries to fit on the ledge in front of the cat condo but he's getting too big for it. So I think he would need a cat tree with the sisal legs to climb up. Also we rent and I can't drill holes all over the walls to put up the shelves, unfortunately.

His NO. 1 favorite thing though, is his cat lounger in front of the window. It's one of those faux fur hammock things, and he just loves it. So that's why I think he'd like one of those hammock / pouch type things on the cat tree.