Stylish cat towers?

[ducman69]

Those are gorgeous, and I wanted all three from Loki's post.    But, had a sit down with Wesley and Buttercup and told them they'd have to help out and get jobs working on the farm to help pay for it, and they lost interest.  

For those on a budget, if you google "Ikea Cat Furniture" you can see how people have modified affordable items from Ikea that are pretty stylish.  

Here is an example for a stylish litterbox:

http://www.level28design.com/2011/01/find-of-week-something-special-for-your.html

I'll be picking one of these up soon along w/ a lack-shelf.

 

[meuzettesmom]

Because my old cat condo the carpet was falling apart I took all of the carpet off, wrapped it in battening (i think that is what it is called), and covered it in fabric that is more heavy like you would make curtains in. It takes more work, but I like the result. When I ever get a bigger tree I want to do the same thing.



Sorry its a blurry picture, but you can see what I am talking about. I have redone the feather ball it is now pink and green to match. That one had taken a beating.

I like the simple wood ones that you can recover. I thought cat were suppose to scratch on them as well as sit

Love what you did with yours
 

 

[evakatharina]

Those are gorgeous, and I wanted all three from Loki's post.    But, had a sit down with Wesley and Buttercup and told them they'd have to help out and get jobs working on the farm to help pay for it, and they lost interest.  

For those on a budget, if you google "Ikea Cat Furniture" you can see how people have modified affordable items from Ikea that are pretty stylish.  

Here is an example for a stylish litterbox:

http://www.level28design.com/2011/01/find-of-week-something-special-for-your.html

I'll be picking one of these up soon along w/ a lack-shelf.

That zig-zag lack shelf is so awesome!  Wish I had the wall space.  If I were to make one I would probably add little low-pile carpet or sisal squares in the middle of each of them (ala the baobab tree with the little insets on the steps) because I used to use a couple lacks as a coffee table and they were very slippery for Annie to jump onto!  So just a thought.

  Be sure to post pics of how it turns out!

 

[evakatharina]

Another cool DIY cat tree made from Ikea items:

http://www.moderncat.net/2009/09/26/dave-alisons-diy-cat-tower/

 

[meuzettesmom]

I love love love the one I bought from Polkat.  There is another level on top of the tunnel, which Ritz can sleep in.  Custom made.  Best $200 I ever spent.

Look how relaxed... yeah the cat is in paradise, I want what the cats want. THAT!!
 

 

[bastetservant]

I want what the cats want, too, but also trees I take pleasure in looking at.

As I said, my cats spend hours on the Lotus and Baobab every day. Lily usually sleeps most of the night on top of one of them. She likes to switch off between them.:lol3:

There are places to scratch on both trees - carpet - and the Lotus has a big sisal mat.

I love the zigzag shelves, but they do need something for traction. I like the tension rod one in the first post, too. My old house has 9.5 ft. ceilings. Too tall for any tension rods I've found.


Just because some of us care a lot about design, doesn't mean we care any less about our cats' comfort and pleasure than anyone else.

After all, a lot of loving cat guardians don't get cat trees at all, much less spend $400 + shipping for one.


Robin

 

[bastetservant]

Most of my photos of my cats on the trees are on my phone.  And I have no idea how to get these on my computer.  So, I took a few the last couple of days with my camera.

First Harlow on the Baobab at 7:00 a.m. yesterday.



Next, Constantine snoozing on the Lotus yesterday morning.



Lily looking out the window on top of the Baobab.



Harlow and Lily.



Constantine this morning.



A picture from a while ago with Lily and Ariel.



Claudio, my nearly 16 pounder, gets on the lower shelves of the Baobab to look out the window.  He hardly every goes to the top of it, though.  And Tonya seldom comes to the part of the house where this tree is.  However, the Lotus is "her" tree and she climbs on it, naps on it a lot.  But not as much as Lily.  She uses both trees the most.

Robin

 

[evakatharina]

Your kitties are adorable!!

Looks like they really enjoy their cat trees too!

For me, sharing my home with cats involves compromises- I live in a very small apartment (I would guess it at around 400 sq ft) with my boyfriend, our dog, and two kitties!  As you may guess, space is at a big time premium and there are no unused corners to tuck away things that I don't care to look at all the time.  I don't want the kitties to suffer due to our space constraints -they need space to play, climb, scratch, and do all manner of cat things, but I have to like living here too!   For me, it's worth it to spend the money on something the kitties and me will both like, even if it's expensive!  I've invested a lot of time and money in furnishing and decorating my apartment, and selecting a cat tree is no different to me than shopping for a new armchair. 

  Everyone has their own priorities, I don't criticize anyone for honoring theirs!

 

[ducman69]

That zig-zag lack shelf is so awesome!  Wish I had the wall space.  If I were to make one I would probably add little low-pile carpet or sisal squares in the middle of each of them (ala the baobab tree with the little insets on the steps) because I used to use a couple lacks as a coffee table and they were very slippery for Annie to jump onto!  So just a thought.

  Be sure to post pics of how it turns out!

 On all my existing shelves except the great room, I put self adhesive kitchen cabinet cork liner on them.   Its soft/spongy, its super gripy for them, and its insulated so its comfortable to lay on, but easier to wipe clean than carpet which usually needs a vacuum attachment.  
 

 

[lokilove]

Just an FYI the Lotus tree is now available for pre-order. Sadly they don't ship to Canada

 

[kody's mom]

I was told by customer service at Relfined Feline that this is the last "cutting" for the Lotus tree.  They will be "putting out" a new design tree next year.  The production costs for the Lotus were just too high.  They had a contest back in August (I think it was August, anyway) for designs for a new high-end tree, & another for a low-end tree.

My Kody loves his lotus.  I think we got the last Mahogany tree they had.  This last Lotus manufactured is only going to be  available in the expresso.

 

[swampwitch]

Even though you have decided already, maybe someone else is looking. I did a lot of research this summer trying to find a tower or tree that would be: 

comfy for sleeping (or Lily won't bother - won't sleep on a flat board, too uncomfortable for her) 

fun for the kitties to get exercise

absolutely cleanable - very important to me

small footprint for our small house

lightweight for moving it around when needed

lightweight because of shipping costs to Canada

less than $300, including shipping, taxes, and duty costs

Okay, so it's kind of ugly but meets all the other requirements I had. I don't like plastic much but it is very cleanable, and is a good off-white color. Also no carpet that can get dirty or smelly.

This picture is right after assembling (easy), but since then I have made cotton-covered foam cushions and moved it to the corner with windows on each side. They LOVE it, seems they are always on it, lol!



I ordered it from Kuranda.com, customer service was great, product is excellent, total cost shipping to Canada was $249. The largest had one more nest (total of 9) but the weight put it just over the shipping requirements, but I've found 8 nests is plenty for us, we are very happy with it.

 

[momofmany]

This one is pretty cool. I studied it carefully, read thru the information on what it is made from, and realized that I could make one of these. It has about $40 in materials, and about 8 hours in labor.

Now I need to find the time to make it!

http://whiskerstudio.com/index.php/...ls&flypage=flypage.pbv.v11.tpl&product_id=100

 

[evakatharina]

My tree came a couple weeks ago, and the cats have been loving it!  It's sturdy, well-made, and very nice looking.  Very happy with it and I know it's something that I'll be able to keep for many years.

 

[rad65]

I can see why you wanted a good looking tree with the space you had to work with. Your cats look like they're having a blast on that. Do they ever jump from the tree ot the couch or vice versa? I can imagine some entertaining kitty acrobatics come out of that.

 

[evakatharina]

They love to use the couch to jump up onto or down from the tree!  Super funny!  And fortunately no one has tried to use the tree as a handy perch for knocking all my pictures off the wall! (I was a little worried they would seize that opportunity!)