Cat Trees For Big Breeds... Any Suggestions?

[MistyDawn]

As you can see, Alaska is starting to overflow from his cat tree. He's only four months old, so this isn't exactly going to get any better, with him being a Maine Coon and all. My 15 pound half Maine Coon just barely fits in the bigger cat tree we have in the living room that the adults usually hang out on when they're not on the bed.

Alaska's probably gonna dwarf him by at least five pounds. If he can't fit, Alaska sure as heck won't.

mightyboosh sabian and other big breed aficionados, what kind of cat trees do you get your kitties? Are there any budget ones? We are saving up for a bigger house to start a family in, as well as expand our rescue efforts, plus dropping a grand to change Alaska's contract to allow us to breed him. I don't plan on opening up a cattery. I simply want to let people pay to breed their females with him once he's won a few cat shows. It'll help fund the rescue and further the line of what is looking to be a very good representative of the Maine Coon breed standard into future bloodlines.

 

[mightyboosh]

I only have a very modest tree and they're not that into it really. I will buy a bigger one when funds allow.
It sounds like you have a very fine 'cunning plan' as Baldrick would say (classic UK comedy-Blackadder)

 

[sabian]

MistyDawn
Pictured below is the cat room. The one in the center looks to be similar to what you have. Mine is a Frisco. I think Armacat makes one that looks just like it. I don't think Manny has ever been on it. I just bought it to tie in the 2 on either side in the windows and it was on sale for a really good price. I wanted him to be able to go from one window to the other without touching the ground. I'm planning on getting a kitten sometime soon and I'm sure they will make good use of it. I really didn't expect Manny to use it.

The one on the left in the window has a pretty big perch and it would handle a 25 lb cat no problem. Manny is 20 lbs and he has plenty of room in it. The one on the right in the window has a smaller perch but for some reason that is the one that Manny gets in 99% of the time. I got it first and the one in the other window I got 2nd. He switched back and forth for a week or 2 but he likes the small one the best when he sleeps. He does get on the other one and looks out the window now and then but he loves the small round one.

The 2 in the windows are Whisker City and they are built real well. They are a little pricy but I caught them on sell for I think around $115 each. The Frisco is well made but not as well as the other 2. I think I paid around $70 for it. The Whisker City perches have high side on them so I think he feels more secure. It would be hard for him to roll out of it in a deep sleep.

I looked all over to find large platforms and sturdy trees. Some things I just like to be able to see first hand and lay my hands on it. This was one of those things so, I bought the 2 Whisker City trees at PetSmart. I bought the Frisco from Chewy. It had good reviews and I wasn't as concerned with quality on it.

The one between the Frisco and the right hand window that looks like a house with a platform is built like a tank but the platform is small and I think I paid close to $80 for it. I had gotten it for Tama before he passed but he never paid any attention to it. Manny uses it as a step to the other tree. I got it at Wayfair I think. Don't remember the brand.

I seen some on line that probably would have been good trees but nothing with really big platforms. Originally I was gonna build my own but I just didn't have the time. I used PA speakers staked up for a while before I got the trees. They had a big area for Manny to lay but he likes the trees better. I would recommend the Whisker City trees! Different stores carry different models so you may want to go to several stores and see what they have. I went to 4 different ones and got the 2 at 2 different stores.

The top right hand pic you can see the speaker cabinets stacked up for him. Bottom 2 of Manny in his favorite little perch!

 

[MistyDawn]

I only have a very modest tree and they're not that into it really. I will buy a bigger one when funds allow.
It sounds like you have a very fine 'cunning plan' as Baldrick would say (classic UK comedy-Blackadder)

Purraised for the reference. I love Blackadder. I'm a fan of British shows in general. Blackadder, The Office (Not the awful US one), Life on Mars, The Thick of It, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, Monty Python's Flying Circus, and, until recently, Doctor Who.

MistyDawn
Pictured below is the cat room. The one in the center looks to be similar to what you have. Mine is a Frisco. I think Armacat makes one that looks just like it. I don't think Manny has ever been on it. I just bought it to tie in the 2 on either side in the windows and it was on sale for a really good price. I wanted him to be able to go from one window to the other without touching the ground. I'm planning on getting a kitten sometime soon and I'm sure they will make good use of it. I really didn't expect Manny to use it.

The one on the left in the window has a pretty big perch and it would handle a 25 lb cat no problem. Manny is 20 lbs and he has plenty of room in it. The one on the right in the window has a smaller perch but for some reason that is the one that Manny gets in 99% of the time. I got it first and the one in the other window I got 2nd. He switched back and forth for a week or 2 but he likes the small one the best when he sleeps. He does get on the other one and looks out the window now and then but he loves the small round one.

The 2 in the windows are Whisker City and they are built real well. They are a little pricy but I caught them on sell for I think around $115 each. The Frisco is well made but not as well as the other 2. I think I paid around $70 for it. The Whisker City perches have high side on them so I think he feels more secure. It would be hard for him to roll out of it in a deep sleep.

I looked all over to find large platforms and sturdy trees. Some things I just like to be able to see first hand and lay my hands on it. This was one of those things so, I bought the 2 Whisker City trees at PetSmart. I bought the Frisco from Chewy. It had good reviews and I wasn't as concerned with quality on it.

The one between the Frisco and the right hand window that looks like a house with a platform is built like a tank but the platform is small and I think I paid close to $80 for it. I had gotten it for Tama before he passed but he never paid any attention to it. Manny uses it as a step to the other tree. I got it at Wayfair I think. Don't remember the brand.

I seen some on line that probably would have been good trees but nothing with really big platforms. Originally I was gonna build my own but I just didn't have the time. I used PA speakers staked up for a while before I got the trees. They had a big area for Manny to lay but he likes the trees better. I would recommend the Whisker City trees! Different stores carry different models so you may want to go to several stores and see what they have. I went to 4 different ones and got the 2 at 2 different stores.

The top right hand pic you can see the speaker cabinets stacked up for him. Bottom 2 of Manny in his favorite little perch!

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I AM SO JEALOUS. That makes me want to get a new home like yesterday so we can have a room solely devoted to this. I've read that Maine Coons usually prefer to keep their paws on the ground, but mine seems to be a statistical outlier. His parents at the cattery are often depicted on cat trees, and so were he and his littermates, along with other litters from them. Btw, if you're looking to get a purebred, go with Artcityclaws in Michigan if you can. They ship, and their babies are worth every penny. That's where I got my beauty from. He's magnificent, and from what I've seen of his siblings, while they're not quite Alaska level (I may be biased. ), they're all very nice looking Maine Coons, and if they act anything like my 'Leska, they've got the big ol' kind hearts Maine Coons are so beloved for. They ship, too.

Come to think of it, my half MC loves heights too. He's always on the fridge. We emptied out the cabinet above the fridge just for him to have a box on his high place (and I couldn't reach anything we put up there anyway). He lives a good life, haha.

My husband likes to build things. Gets that testosterone of his pumping. I wonder how difficult it'd be to just build a cat tree? We could line the bedding areas with thick foam and carpet over them, buy a few old poles and wrap ropes around them for scratching, and make the beds different sizes so that there's a place for everyone, and some beds can hold two kitties. We have some that are more strongly bonded than others, like Hex and Mystic, who have an almost romantic relationship except for the fact that they're neutered and spayed, the brothers Stannis and Aegon, their sister Arya with their adopted sister close to their age, Abigail, and Magick with just about anybody lol. They might like to lie together in the cat tree. But the supports would have to be very strong, as strong as the bonds of the cats who share it. Here's my half Maine Coom/half Siamese boy, Hex and his Siamese mix fangirl, Mystic, enjoying cuddle time.

 

[mightyboosh]

sabian Fantastic cat room. Your cats live better than I do! Come to think of it, that's how it should be anyway.

 

[susanm9006]

I have never bought a tree because they all seem too small to me. But I would suggest checking the underside of the top platform to see if it is attached in a way that makes it removable. If so you might be able to use the hardware from the too small platform on something else, homemade or purchased that is bigger. This seems to be a cheaper way to go if it is possible.

 

[LTS3]

There might be a seller on Etsy.com who could do a custom made tree or other furniture for a large breed cat.

Or DIY one. There are plenty of instructions online for cat trees and the like. You could modify one to fit a larger cat.

Cats like to smush themselves into things that are too small for them so I wouldn't worry too much about discomfort

 

[MistyDawn]

Yeah, we will probably just build our own, or modify an existing one. Like I said, my husband loves to work with his hands and we can put our heads together to make this thing as awesome as possible.