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Cat Towers/Furniture

post #1 of 14
6/21/06 at 1:43pm
Thread Starter 
OK….so here’s the deal…

I would love to get one of those nice cat towers for my 3 cats. The one I’m most interested in is the Super Deluxe tree in the Doctors Foster & Smith catalog (for anyone who’s familiar with that catalog), but there is no way I’m paying $300 for it. IMO, that is way overpriced. So I have set about building my own. The only thing I have left to buy is the carpet and the un-oiled sisal rope. I figure when I’m done with this, I’ll most likely have spent less than $100 on it. Has anyone else ever built their own cat tower/furniture? If so, do you have pictures you’d like to share?

Peace,
Sophie
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post #2 of 14
6/21/06 at 1:47pm
Hi Sophie

I'm so not talented. I bought mine off line at armakat.com I paid 145.00 shipping included. It's 6 ft tall.

I would love to see your tree though when your done!!!
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post #3 of 14
6/21/06 at 6:20pm
Never built one myself, but Petsmart has some nice tree houses from $75 - $150. We got a nice one for $99.
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post #4 of 14
6/22/06 at 5:04am
I paid a fortune for my "Bigfoots" and they were worth every penny. Not a fortune really , around USD $265.00 each. But they are tall, strong, sturdy, and more importantly- took none of my time to make. I also have a couple of Pet Supermarket trees that are equally well built. Every cat show I go to I take money and if I ever find another strong, tall tree I'll try that as well.

If you have the skills and the free time, go for it. I would spend some time browsing local pet shops to get design ideas. Remember- cats like 'em as tall as possible. And they often hit them at full speed so the footprint needs to be large enough that the thing is stable. The last thing you need is the whole thing going down!
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post #5 of 14
6/22/06 at 6:24am
I paid a lot for my cat tree. I wish my cats would do more then just stare at it. I have even picked them up and put them in it or on it and they just look around and then hop off. It's wierd...I've had this thing for 2 years now and they still haven't touched it.

I know you can find all kinds of tips and instructions on how to build one, on the web. I don't have any specific sites to give you but I know they are out there because I was going to attempt it once myself but never had the time.
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post #6 of 14
6/22/06 at 9:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TigerAmy
I paid a lot for my cat tree. I wish my cats would do more then just stare at it. I have even picked them up and put them in it or on it and they just look around and then hop off. It's wierd...I've had this thing for 2 years now and they still haven't touched it.
That's such a shame and disappointment! Mine came out of their shelter box and went right to the nearest tree and scratched. I did rub catnip up and down all the sisal, and sprinkled some on the landings. I also lure them up and down when I play with them.
They gallop room to room, leaping from tree to sofa to other tree- right over top of me going 90 mph- it's quite a sight.

Maybe use a teaser to get them to run up and down a few times? It's such good exercise i would hate to see them miss out on it. You can also feed them up on the platforms.
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post #7 of 14
6/22/06 at 10:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by TigerAmy
I paid a lot for my cat tree. I wish my cats would do more then just stare at it. I have even picked them up and put them in it or on it and they just look around and then hop off. It's wierd...I've had this thing for 2 years now and they still haven't touched it.
Wow -that really is surprising! I could hardly get mine put together for feline intervention! Sorry if this suggestion is too obvious - but have you tried moving it around in case it's just in the wrong place for them?
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post #8 of 14
6/22/06 at 11:16am
If they like cat nip sprinkle it on.
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post #9 of 14
6/22/06 at 2:19pm
I've been debating whether to get one myself. My cat likes to look at birds sometimes, and he likes to look out the low front window (standing up with his paws on the sill). But he's strange in that he's a floor cat... he almost never leaves floor level. He won't even get on the couch. I'm used to cats liking high places... and he's not very responsive to catnip so that couldn't be used as an incentive.
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post #10 of 14
6/22/06 at 3:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SophieC
OK….so here’s the deal…

I would love to get one of those nice cat towers for my 3 cats. The one I’m most interested in is the Super Deluxe tree in the Doctors Foster & Smith catalog (for anyone who’s familiar with that catalog), but there is no way I’m paying $300 for it. IMO, that is way overpriced. So I have set about building my own. The only thing I have left to buy is the carpet and the un-oiled sisal rope. I figure when I’m done with this, I’ll most likely have spent less than $100 on it. Has anyone else ever built their own cat tower/furniture? If so, do you have pictures you’d like to share?

Peace,
Sophie
Don't forget to figure in the cost of the wood and screws/staples, ect into the price. Im sure it will cost over $100.00 unless you have a source to get those items for cheap to nothing.
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post #11 of 14
6/23/06 at 5:38am
That's actually a great idea to feed them treats on the cat tree...I never thought of that. I will also try using a teaser. If I put the laser pointer on the cat tree they will go insane to catch it, but that's not saying much because I think they would walk on hot coals just to get that laser beam.

As far as catnip, my cats never really reacted to it before but I am also planning on trying that again soon.

Thanks for the ideas.
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post #12 of 14
6/25/06 at 6:38am
Here's the deal that we went through. We first bought a cat tree that ran from floor to ceiling. It had a suspension rod that was supposed to keep it from falling. Well, my boys demolished it with in a few months. We then spent about 150.00 on a new cat tree that has a wide base and is covered in carpet.
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post #13 of 14
6/25/06 at 12:56pm
Thread Starter 
OK....here's the scoop.

The wood for my cat tower I'm builing is 3/4" plywood that I obtained (for free) from a construction site. They had piles of wood by a dumpster. I went and asked if I could have some. The men even sorted through it for me to help me find the right size boards.

The posts for my cat trees is 4" diameter thick (very thick) cardboard. I obtained that for free also. It was the core roll on a piece of freeze cloth that my dad bought from a local plant nursery. It was 12' in length, so I had enough.

The carpet will have to be purchsed as remnants.

The unoiled sisal rope is already ordered. I'm just waiting for it to come in.

I still need to buy some fleece and staples.

The one I'm modeling mine from has 18" square bases/platforms. I am making mine 22" square. Their post lengths are 30", 18" and 11". The lengths of mine are 36", 24" and 12". My house that I'm working on to move into has 9-1/2 foot ceilings. My tower will go all the way with a rod. The top of the crow's nest will be at a height of 7' 10-1/4". The bottom of their crow's nest has a hole cut in it for access (as well as the door). I am eliminating that hole and I put a small extension on one corner of the platform just below it for them to be able to get in. Below is a picture of the one I'm modeling mine after.



Peace,
Sophie
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post #14 of 14
6/25/06 at 1:16pm
Thread Starter 
Oh, I forgot....the hanging tunnel that you see in the picture. For that, I bought a sonotube from Home Depot. For anyone who doesn't know what that is, it is used to pour a round concrete foundation. It is 12" in diameter and 4' long. I cut it into 3 equal lengths on a table saw. Then I cut 2 of them open and put them around the 3rd one....which makes it very strong. I will use some sort of reinforcement to attach it to the bottom of the platform that it hangs from so that each time they jump into it, the strain will not be on the cardboard itself, but on a piece of wood or metal, whichever I end up using.

Peace,
Sophie
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