Question About Cat Trees

[JGombs99]

Hello. I'm fairly new on here, so I hope I have this in the right section. If not, please feel free to move it.

I'm not new to cats, but I do have a new kitty after recently losing my first ever kitty. I've been reading a lot about different cat behaviors, and trying to deter unwanted ones. One such behavior is scratching the furniture. According to my reading, cats absolutely have to scratch, and scratching, therefore, really can't be considered a problem behavior. I've also read that having ample appropriate areas for the cat to scratch will improve my chances of her not scratching the furniture. This leads me to my upcoming purchase of a cat tree, and my questions.

There are so many cat trees and cat furniture to choose from! My main questions are size and material for scratching. For size, I know a lot of it is preference, and room inside the house. But, I was wondering if there was a preferred height, since I've seen them from about 2 feet to well over 6. I only have one kitty, so I'm not sure I need something huge, or with multiple beds. But, I do have a medium sized dog, so I probably want something with some height so my Patches can get up and away from Royce (my dog). As for material, obviously the majority of cat furniture is carpet, but I've seen ones that include scratchers made out of sisal, some that are wood, some corrugated cardboard, and something that looks honeycomb like (not sure what this is called). What's best, what's worst, and why? Any assistance is appreciated!

 

[catrobyn]

I find sisal the best. They can really get their claws in it. Aside from a cat tree being a refuge from the dog, trees should be tall enough even with just one shelf. My two cats (and two prior ones) never used the lower shelves anyway, except occasionally as something to jump on as an easy route to the top shelf. Not that they need such stepping stone. They are quite capable of jumping from the floor to the top shelf in one fell swoop, and regularly do. If you get a stand-alone scratching post, don't get one of those little two-footers. The cat should be able to stand on its hind legs and stretch out the most it can. They really have a bit the yoga spirit. Also, the thing should be heavy enough that it doesn't just get knocked over. The cat is also a weight trainer who need to "set his machine" at a difficult level.

Cardboard I don't think I've seen except in flat boxes or curly contraptions that lie on the floor. My sister bought one. Her cat wasn't interested in it, so she gave it to me. My girl cat attacked the thing with gusto. It was fun to watch, but I became dismayed by the bits of ripped up cardboard shreds all over my floor. I just lived with it since I didn't have the heart to take kitty's fun away. Happily for me, after a few weeks she got bored with the thing and quit using it. I dumped it and am now back to a living room which is neat except for the unraveled sisal on two cat trees, where lumps of the stuff hang off of the central post. Nor will I replace these trees with nice new ones. Part of what the cats love about them is their own scent marking, deposited every time they scratch them anew.

Hope this has helped. Good luck!

 

[abyeb]

Materials for scratchers are basically a cat’s individual personal preference. My Charlie LOVES thick sisal rope and won’t scratch on any other type of post, and I have a friend whose cats only like the cardboard scratchers. There’s also different types of scratchers, vertical, incline, and horizontal. So, basically, you might have to try a few different things until you find what works.

I’ll attach some articles that might help you choose:

Cat Trees: 12 Designs That Will Make You Go "wow!"

Cat Furniture

Additionally, you can check out our reviews section to see what other posters recommend:

Cat Trees & Condos | TheCatSite

Scratching Posts & Scratchers | TheCatSite

I hope this helps! Keep us updated, and let us know what you end up choosing!

 

[JGombs99]

Thanks for the info! I haven't had a chance to check out the articles yet, but I will! I've located a couple of models that I like, but since my cat is brand new to me, I'm unsure of her preferences. Both have a sisal post or two, while one has a (I think faux) tree branch, while the other has a slanted corrugated cardboard "ramp". Does anyone have any thoughts on which one would be a better purchase? Also, as far as the height, I'm definitely not getting a two footer, but I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on what would be the best option, or if it matters from 4 feet to 6.

 

[Ardina]

Most cats love being up high, and the higher the better. I have a 6 ft cat tree, and both Saipha and Mishka prefer the top level for lounging and sleeping. They'll occasionally sit in the middle levels to look out the window if there are birds outside, but they mostly sprint straight up to the top. So I would go for the tallest one that fits in your budget and living space.

 

[jcat]

Most cats love being up high, and the higher the better. I have a 6 ft cat tree, and both Saipha and Mishka prefer the top level for lounging and sleeping. They'll occasionally sit in the middle levels to look out the window if there are birds outside, but they mostly sprint straight up to the top. So I would go for the tallest one that fits in your budget and living space.

Our shelter gets a lot of cat-tree donations - almost all of them completely unused because they were simply not tall enough for an adult cat and had to be replaced with bigger trees. We use them for kittens and some elderly cats, but younger adult cats usually ignore them.

It's a good idea to have a tall sturdy tree plus a few horizontal and vertical alternatives. The latter don't have to be expensive. One or two corrugated cardboard scratchers, a rough welcome mat, or a sisal-covered board hung on a wall will do.

 

[danteshuman]

Part of it is height. My cat tree has a slot that holds the card board scrather at a tall angle. So get scratchers that have that tall angle so your cat can stretch & scratch. Make sure the cat tree is sturdy enough so it doesn't wobble. Also all 3 of the cats LOVE the card board sofas. Just sprinkle some catnip to get them started. If I had to do it over again I would avoid carpet trees because that is a bit of a mixed message (scratch this carpet but not any other carpet.)

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petco...mjOHQb1AVjRx15afQrhoC2VYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[JGombs99]

Thanks, all! I think I'm going to go with the Whisker City Kitty Tunnel Multi Scratcher from Petsmart. Although a good amount of it is carpet, it has a few of the other surfaces we've mentioned in this thread. It seems to be a decent size, being able to capitalize on space (which is premium in my small townhouse). It doesn't have any reviews, unfortunately, which I wish it did, but from everything I've seen so far, this seems like my best option.

 

[rubysmama]

My Ruby loves to scratch both vertically and horizontally. So she scratches the sides of her condo, as well as door hanging scratchers. She also loves to scratch my basement carpet, which is beyond saving now. And has recently taken to scratching the top back of sofa, which now looks lovely with throws covering them. She likes carpet material the best, and has little interest in sisal, and none in the cardboard ones.

In addition to the article links above, here's a site article that might give suggestions to help save your furniture: How To Stop Your Cat From Scratching The Furniture

 

[LAL]

Think about where the tree will be. She'll want a view. If it can be placed where she can see out one or more windows and see what is going on inside at the same time, she'll enjoy it the most. This could impact height choice depending upon your windows and other furniture in your home.

 

[JGombs99]

Thanks again for the feedback, everyone! I did go with the cat tree referenced earlier in this thread. It does wobble some when she's playing on it, but that doesn't seem to bother her. I've read they should be against a wall, but I don't think she'd really be able to look out the window if it was against the wall. I'll have to see. But, it looks like she likes it!

 

[FlawlessImperfection]

We love this one! I measured the area I wanted to place it, and I looked for something that had a small footprint, yet contained a hiding space, levels and scratches, and even a much loved toy! It was super cheap too, and shipped on Amazon’s usual great service, highly recommend!
Go Pet Club Cat Tree Beige Color

 

[JGombs99]

Just wanted to get some opinions. As I mentioned, the tree I purchased wobbles/shakes when Patches plays on it, and she's not a big cat. But, it doesn't seem to bother her when it does. Wondering if I should consider exchanging it for a larger, slightly more sturdy one, or if I should stick with what I have since it doesn't seem to bother her.