cat tree or no cat tree

[segelkatt]

 
I have a very large cat and a 5 foot, heavy bottomed, three level cat tree with a large base. Even so, we had to secure the cat tree to the wall using two eye hooks and a wire in a place on the cat tree where the cat wouldn't get caught on the wire because when the cat went up the cat tree in an energetic rush, the whole contraption wobbled like crazy. We were concerned that the cat would tip the tree. We didn't want the cat tree to come down on him, and didn't want the cat to have to make a potentially life threatening jump from a falling cat tree.

At one time I had 7 cats, some of them really large (17 lbs and more) and a tree that was 6 1/2 ft tall. Yes, sometimes the tree would wobble when one of them jumped at it, landing some 5 ft up it, immediately chased by another cat, but it never turned over. As long as the base is not only large enough but also heavy enough it won't turn over. The point is that it needs to be heavy at the bottom to keep from turning over. I would not put a wire or anything else like that on a cat tree, I don't even like dangly toys as they can come off and then kitty might get injured by a chewed dangly tail. Even if the tree did turn over the cat is so fast and agile it would hardly get injured by a falling cat tree. 

 

[rachelinaz]

I would love to find the window sill ledges. We eere at Petsmart yesterday and did not see them. We did get a little scratching tree. I remember seeing instructions on making a car tree but it was years ago. Finding carpet, leftover pieces seemed to be the hardest. And having the tools of course.

I told my dh we need a new tree. Our old one is 13+ years old... so it is pretty old.

Regarding window sills that are not wide enough for a cat to sit on: there are window ledges for cats available that hook into the bottom of the window track. I have had those for really large cats (17 lbs) and they work really well for windows that slide up and down. They also work for side sliding windows but only when the window is open, otherwise the track is too narrow to accomodate the sliding window and the hooks of the window ledge at the same time. Also, the "feet" that rest against the wall need to be padded with something, what comes with them is not enough to keep them from scratching the wall below. A little more padding on the top would be nice too. Just get your new kitty out of that "one room only" as soon as possible, you don't want it to think that it is "in jail".

 

[segelkatt]

Google "cat window seat" and you will find many different styles, prices and quality, even some that are heated, take your pick. They are also called "perches", so you should find something that suits you.

Don't throw out your old cat tree. If it is sturdy and you like its looks but not that it is raggedy then refurbish it. Take the carpet off the legs and trim the fuzzies off the sisal or remove all sisal if it's really bad.  Smear Elmer's Glue or an equivalent all over the legs which are probably wood, then start from the bottom winding sisal rope, available at Home Depot, tightly around the legs one at a time, always pushing the coils down towards the coil beneath until you get to the top. You might need to use a flat head screwdriver to help you push the coils down. Fasten the rope with medium size nails onto the leg both at the top and on the bottom.

Go to a carpet store and beg for carpet scraps. Tell them you need it for your kitty, most people are suckers for sob stories and little animals, especially if you can take a child with you.

You don't need carpet for the legs, those you cover with sisal, just for the platforms. You can even take different colored and textured scraps, your cat won't mind and you can tell everyone that it was custom made for you and that you picked the colors and textures.  If the carpet is really stiff and hard to work with, then wash it in the washing machine after you have cut it into appropriate sized pieces for the platforms, it will come out much softer and easier to work with.

Take the carpet off the platforms. Be careful, there might be giant staples in there, those need to come out too.

For the next step it is easier to have a helper but I did it by myself. Smear glue over the top, sides and bottom of the platforms, put the appropriate piece of carpet on top , press down with your hands. Wrap the sides, cut off excess on the corners, fold under, press hard, then nail the carpet to the platform. For this it is best to turn the tree on its side or top. You might also want to put some nails around the sides and maybe even on the top. If you have a staple gun that works too, but not the little stapler in your desk.

If the sides have a lip it gets a little trickier but you'll be able to figure it out. You might want to practice first without glue to see how it works.

You will have a wonderful tree, you can pat yourself on the head for being "green", have saved some money, didn't put anything in the landfill, can be proud to have accomplished something and you now have bragging rights for having a custom made cat tree.  

 

[rachelinaz]

My cat tree and little "house" came from Alaska. Hehe. I guess my worry is finding the carpet. Where should I look?? You don't live in AZ do you lol

Wheredo I find sisal? Is the rough rope?

Somewhere I have pictures of my now 6 and 7 were around 1.5 and 2.5 playing in the cat tree lol. It was too cute. My tree was good then. Peps still uses it outside.

 

[segelkatt]

No, I don't live in AZ, I live in SoCal, that's Southern California for those who don't live in this state.

Sisal rope you find at Home Depot and other stores like that. When the rope is new it's pretty smooth although when it is sold to you it looks rougher than it is. Kitty will rough it up in no time at which time you can clip all the fuzzies off and it will look good for a long time if you keep doing that. Buy the thickest rope you can find, do not take nylon rope or some other man-made fiber, it needs to be sisal. They'll try to sell you something thinner, ask if they have something thicker and that you will use it for a cat tree. That should do the trick. 

Carpet scraps you should be able to beg from a carpet dealer, or if you see somebody getting new carpet you can ask the installers if you can have their scraps. Always offer to pay for it, most will just be happy to get rid of small and odd shaped pieces at no charge.

And to re-visit window seats for your cat: how about just putting a small table in front of the window? Maybe you could get one from a thrift shop, attach a tray to the top of it with screws, put a pillow on the tray - instant window cat seat. You could even put sisal on the legs of that table for extra scratching opportunity. A short bookcase would serve the purpose also or a short chest of drawers.

 

[rachelinaz]

"PACKS UP THE VAN AND HITS THE ROAD..." I an be there in 4 to 6 hours. Lol

Kidding. We are due for a trip to San Diego some day... my kids want to see the beach.

 

[segelkatt]

"PACKS UP THE VAN AND HITS THE ROAD..." I an be there in 4 to 6 hours. Lol

Kidding. We are due for a trip to San Diego some day... my kids want to see the beach.

I don't live quite that far South but 100 miles farther North in Orange County where we have miles of beach (San Clemente; Dana Point with its harbor for small craft; Laguna Beach, very artsy, lots of galleries, nice beach with boardwalk; Newport Beach, very expensive with Corona del Mar beach and which has a harbor for small craft; Huntington Beach (Surf City) which has City and State beaches which are accessible with RVs; Bolsa Chica State beach; Seal Beach) Most of the beaches also have piers where you can walk way out above the ocean and all the beaches have big surf, sometimes higher than other times.

You can also take a huge catamaran ferry from Newport Beach to Santa Catalina Island for a day trip. Hardly anyone gets seasick on the catamaran which carries about 150 people.  During the trip you can see Flying Fish, yes, they are real, I have seen lots of them, some even land on the deck of the boat and you toss them back into the ocean; also pelicans, dolphins, sea lions, depending on the season you can see whales. Your kids would love such a trip.

On Catalina there is a bus tour which shows all the interesting places, there is a glass-bottom boat, lots of gift shops of course, you can take an electric car (no gasoline cars on Catalina) to the Wrigley estate (the chewing gum people), there is a zip-line, lots of things to do on Catalina all in one day. I don't know if a ferry also departs from San Diego, I think there is one from Oceanside.

You might also consider your headquarters to be farther North than San Diego, like Oceanside or Del Mar which probably have less expensive accommodations and also have beaches, and are within reasonable driving distances on the freeway to both San Diego and Orange County (don't tell your kids that Disneyland is also in Orange County, that's just more expense).

 

[rachelinaz]

We love Del Mar.

I told my kids (6 year old daughter and my son will be 7 in May. Yes, 7 lol. They are 9.5 months apart.) we need to find someone with Day passes.
When we first moved here, AZ residents got a huge break for living so close (5 to 6 hours depending on traffic and stuff). They did it because we lived so close. We paid just a bit over what residents who lived there paid for day passes.
They stopped it at some point. Bums me out. We were looking at prices this year and holy moses.

 

[chips]

I have a 7 year old female Siberian shes's about 11 pounds and has been using her Amarkat tree since I got her as a kitten! Its probably about 6 foot and sturdy enough. Its not secured and is in the patio. I have small windowsills too, but there are these attached beds that extend from the windowsill (they dont need to be screwed in).

 

[segelkatt]

If you have sideways sliding windows, aluminum or vinyl, you probably have hardly any sill at all and the window perches that are for sale are all made for double-hung windows. They don't work well for crank-type windows either. There is just not enough room for the hooks to fit into the track plus the window itself. Is there an inventor out there who could address that?

And how do I get my very reluctant flat-faced Persian to use a cat door with a see-through vinyl flap? It's installed on my second-floor patio (no worry, none of my cats has ever attempted to jump out, not even after birds or butterflies that flew in, although the alley cat has caught butterflies,lizards and even a hummingbird that made it in) and my Birman took to it right away, my black alley cat (my avatar) took a few days but the Persian just won't. I've tried sitting on the floor with treats, she can see them, she wants them but won't come through. If I hold the flap open a little she sticks her nose through, will even put a paw through but the moment the flap touches her head or back or even just her tail she backs away. She has watched the other cats going through either way, but she will just sit there, looking pathetic, waiting for me to open the glass and the screen door. I have even left her sitting there overnight, hoping she would get hungry, thirsty, lonely or needing to use the litter box to no avail. I don't want to play the role of a doorman forever, that's why I got the cat door to begin with.

 

[micknsnicks2mom]

i have quite a few armarkat cat trees for my snick throughout our house. in the past year or so i've been adding wall shelves for her too. i've been finding really good ones (ie, sturdy, well-made, and not too expensive) on etsy. in fact, i've got a couple new wall shelves just ordered today, which will be for snick's birthday in august. these are handmade, so my order will take 3-4 weeks to put together (i got to choose the color of the stain and the color of the fabric) and then will be shipped. combined with our cat trees, the wall shelves give my snick a kind of jungle gym to enjoy.

 

[dreamingbyday]

I highly recommend using Pinterest and searching for cat furniture options. DIY is all the rage now, and you can pretty much find tutorials everywhere. I am lucky enough the window is on the corner, so, when the money is right, or I find someone who loan me a woodworking area, I am gonna make the best cat tree ever. I have seen some with actual tree branches connecting the platforms. Etsy.com also has trees people have designed/made by hand themselves. If you find a carpenter in your area, you might be able to have a custom tree made for not much, and just put the carpet and sisal on yourself. Soooo many options!