Too Hard To Find A Decent Cat Tree!

[narelle]

I'll be moving hopefully within the month, and when we have a little more space, I want to get my cat a bigger, better cat tree. Right now she has a very basic 3.5 - 4ft one that she likes, I'd like to get her a really cool one that's more like 6 - 8ft.

However, in my shopping I'm finding that my options are either super cheaply made commercial ones that I feel are a little over priced for what they are and categorically have some kind of design flaw, or really nice handmade ones that are way out of my budget (and often sacrifice cat fun for aesthetics).

Why is there no in between? I want something sturdy (all wood, no cardboard), that isn't 100% gaudy and horrible looking, that my cat will actually use and enjoy? But also that I can actually afford.
I don't mind spending to make my pets happy, but I'm about to move and go back to school (eventually for a doctorate, so I have a very long, expensive road ahead of me). It wouldn't be terribly smart to burn through too much money on a big cat tree. I can't be spending $1,000+ on this thing. *Maybe* a couple hundred dollars, if its really nice?

I've thought about buying cheap ones and modifying them, but I hate that they are half cardboard and easy to break. So at this point I might end up building my own?

What I wouldn't do for the happiness of a cat...

(This is mostly just venting, because this is entirely too frustrating a thing to shop for, but I am open to suggestions if you know of some magical tree I might have overlooked that meets my needs, or just some good DIY ideas to help me build one.)

 

[alexp08]

Keep checking amazon. I got a nice 6ft tree for about 80$ that's going on 3 years old. If all else fails, make your own!

 

[Willowy]

Yeah, building your own is probably the best option. Even if you get a carpenter to make you one, it's going to cost a lot. Wood isn't cheap.

I find the cheap Armarkat/Go Pet Club ones are fine, they last long enough that I feel that I got my money's worth. Even nice ones get dirty and shabby looking after a few years anyway, might as well have a cheap one that I don't mind throwing away.

 

[abby2932]

Have you looked at this website?

The Best Cat Furniture and Cat Trees - Kitty Mansions

I've had the Redwood for a few years now and it's held up great with my 2 cats. Guests always remark how it looks much nicer than your standard, carpeted cat condo. If I had more space in my home, I'd also get the Amazon and/or the Mount Hood.

The website is having a nice little sale right now too so good time to buy!

 

[narelle]

Are any of the trees you are all suggesting made of wood, with good solid bases? I've read so many amazon reviews talking about flimsy platforms and narrow bases that allow the whole tree to sway or fall over when a cat jumps on it.

I have looked at the Kitty Mansions trees on several occasions, they do look nicer than most. Looks like the trees I like best are mostly sold out though? I don't understand why they do so many of them in gaudy colors and patterns. I wouldn't mind terribly, but my fiance is a little particular. He's said to just get whatever I think will be best for my cat, but I know he'll hate looking at a big tower carpeted in blue, yellow, and green. I've got enough cat stuff I know he'll dislike, I could at least try to make sure the biggest most eye catching thing looks okayish? They are a good backup if nothing else. I'll have to show him some.

The fiance is an architect, so I'm not too worried about being able to build a tree if he has the patience to help me with it. I do tend to get carried away with projects, though, and would probably try to overcomplicate it.

I think part of my problem is that my idea of what a cat tree should be like is skewed. My family's cats have always had the same cat tree, that's something like 30 years old now. It's made of thick, sturdy wood - I can stand on it. So all of the cheap flimsy cardboard ones just seem extra cheap and flimsy by comparison.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

The Vertical Cat has one that you can get at 4', 5', or 6' sizes, varying prices. If you get it with no finish on the wood, I think they take $25.00 off of the cost.
The Alexa Corner Cat Tree | The Vertical Cat - Contemporary Cat Furniture, Trees, Shelves and Stairs | Create a room with No Corners

 

[abyeb]

There might be something mentioned here that suits your needs: Banish the Ugly Beige Carpet: Check Out These Cool Cat Trees | Catster

 

[Willowy]

The cheaper trees (including Kitty Mansions) are made with OSB/particleboard platforms and cardboard tubes. Certain configurations are less sturdy than others---look for one with at least 3-4 feet to the floor; if there are only 2 it will be tippy. Get one with the widest bottom platform possible.

 

[LTS3]

These are solid wood: Handmade Wood Cat Trees, Scratching Posts and Cat Shelves. - Mountain Pet Products

Etsy.com is a good place to look for other all-wood trees.

Wood cat tree | Etsy
Cat tree | Etsy

I have a nearly 6 foot Aruba Cat tree. ARUBACAT - CAT FURNITURE It's very sturdy. It doesn't budge when my cats jump and off it.

 

[kttn]

i have just the tree for you! i was in the same boat last year, every tree is gaudy or made cheaply. i don't like the looks of "cat mansions" (sorry no offense i know they're popular).

look up the brand New Cat Condos on wayfair.com - we bought two of them, this is the 72" one: 72" Premier Solid Wood Cat Tree

small footprint, real wood, and an interesting design that doesn't scream tacky. the cats LOVE it, it took them a bit to figure out but they use it constantly. it really makes them have to work for it since it requires a lot of climbing and jumping.

here's a direct link to all of their trees: New Cat Condos | Wayfair

we got ours in grey, it looks beautiful in real life. also they come fully assembled!

 

[bluebirdy]

Not trees but if I had tons of $ I'd totally buy these,

Unconventional Cat Furniture by CatastrophiCreations

But alas, because I need to eat I went for a cat tree from Amazon.

This is what I have in my house. It's made out of particle board and I sometimes need to tighten the top platform from time to time. So the materials are definitely subpar, but the design makes it secure espite this. My cats are 9 months and pretty slender, active cats so I'm not sure how it would hold up with a more stout kitten.

What I like about it is that it sits flush to the corner of a wall right at the very top so there is no wobble on even the highest platform. The top platform sits perfectly in the corner with the two lower platforms sitting flush to one wall. I run my cats up and down it with toys and they have fun. Note that they are only 9 months so not fully grown.

I also love how tall it is. My cat can scratch the ceiling (and does if a mosquito lands there) easily and there are a variety of nooks and cranies to camp in. I find that they mostly only use the top three platforms unless we're playing (and both cats like to snuggle together on the top one).

I also loved the simple black and white which fit with my decor, but it gets pretty dingy with all the carpet and my medium hair cat. I would go uncarpeted for my next.

The pet store on the town over from us has the most beautiful furniture. I would totally have bought a piece if I didn't already have this. There's is entirely made from wood, with detachable and replaceable fabric inserts on a few spots.

 

[pipperoo]

Have you checked out the various cool designs on hauspanther? Some very pricey stuff for sure, but many cool designs that don't scream "cat tree". I bought the Cat Tower and I can reconfigure the "boxes" to give Pip a bit of variety. the holes are arent' spaced evenly (although on the pic it looks like it - just happened because of the way I had stacked the box. that is indeed a Pip pretzel with her bum out the top hole, her arm out the side and her face just about to pop out a front hole. its made out of particle board covered in fabric, so its pretty sturdy

 

[crica]

Hi, I have this cat tree!

Frisco 72-Inch Cat Tree, Brown

I have four cats, two of them are 12lbs each and two of them are still kittens (6mos old) and it's a very sturdy tree.

I wish it had four perches, but other then that, it holds up to everyone's playing and sleeping, for a year now! (got it before we got our kittens!)

Good luck!

 

[Ardina]

Not trees but if I had tons of $ I'd totally buy these,

Unconventional Cat Furniture by CatastrophiCreations

But alas, because I need to eat I went for a cat tree from Amazon.

This is what I have in my house. It's made out of particle board and I sometimes need to tighten the top platform from time to time. So the materials are definitely subpar, but the design makes it secure espite this. My cats are 9 months and pretty slender, active cats so I'm not sure how it would hold up with a more stout kitten.

What I like about it is that it sits flush to the corner of a wall right at the very top so there is no wobble on even the highest platform. The top platform sits perfectly in the corner with the two lower platforms sitting flush to one wall. I run my cats up and down it with toys and they have fun. Note that they are only 9 months so not fully grown.

I also love how tall it is. My cat can scratch the ceiling (and does if a mosquito lands there) easily and there are a variety of nooks and cranies to camp in. I find that they mostly only use the top three platforms unless we're playing (and both cats like to snuggle together on the top one).

I also loved the simple black and white which fit with my decor, but it gets pretty dingy with all the carpet and my medium hair cat. I would go uncarpeted for my next.

The pet store on the town over from us has the most beautiful furniture. I would totally have bought a piece if I didn't already have this. There's is entirely made from wood, with detachable and replaceable fabric inserts on a few spots.

View attachment 185382 View attachment 185383

I have the go petclub cat tree too. Mine is beige because that color was on sale when I got it, but I love the black and white! My cats love it - the kitten likes to hang out in the little houses, and both sleep on the top three perches. I modified it a bit to add more sisal rope to the top and bottom sections of the columns so my kitten can climb up to the top more easily. Both jump on and off, and it's very sturdy despite being against one wall instead of in a corner. Yes, it's particle-board, but it does the job.

 

[Docs Mom]

Another vote for New Cat Condos, we have the large cat pagoda. It is very sturdy and well built. Just ask Stormy....

This one is at least 5 or 6 yrs old, and is well used by all my cats...not just kittens. It has never tipped over, the base is very heavy.

 

[arouetta]

I have a press board cat tree that has zero wobble. It has a really broad base which is what is preventing the wobble, and I ditched the included tools for real tools, so it's well put together.

However if you want real wood, I would look into the following options. Home Depot and Lowe's cut wood and plywood for customers so they usually have some leftover pieces they will sell really cheap. Carpeting places also have carpet remnants for the same reason that are also really cheap. As long as you remove the bark and treat the wood really, really well with a cat-safe chemical, you can look for someone who sells firewood and ask for unsplit logs of certain lengths. If you don't already have power tools, some of the construction supply companies rent tools. If you don't know where to start in that regard, buy some bottled water, chill it and take it to a residential construction site and ask them who to go to.

The main things would be a way to cut down pieces of wood and a way of fastening them together. Circular saws are good for precision cutting, but make sure the guard is still attached. Some people remove the guard since the tool actually does work better without it, but you also don't want it slicing your body parts. Get a good heavy duty drill to drill the holes. Use anchors, don't just fasten screws directly into the wood, as anchors will increase the amount of load the connection can hold and will keep the screws from just ripping out of the wood while your cat is on it. You will also need a staple gun to fasten the carpeting to the wood, that will be safer and more secure than chemical fastening (glue).

Good luck!

 

[sargon]

I ditched the cheapo cat tree I had and replaced it with a combination of window sill cat "hammocks" and shelves for my cat to climb and jump between. It looks better, has a lower footprint, and my cat actually seems to like it better ( probably because she ends up with a lot more vertical space this way.

Your mileage may vary, of course.

 

[Purr-fect]

Try googling things like childrens furniture, funky furniture ect kn kijiji kr craigslist.

We got a huge stand about 2 feet sq and over 6 feet high, basically made out of plywood squares for 35 dollars at a garage sale. Our cats weigh about 20 lbs each and this stand doesn't budge when they jump on and off it.

Dont look for cat trees...instead look for childrens toys, modern storage ect and then adapt the item for your cats.

 

[shiddlesnbits]

I built mine. I recently got two kittens and decided buying prices were too crazy so I built
a small (3-4ft) one for about 10$. I left idea spots for when they get older so I can build around it and mount this to a bigger piece. They love it so far

 

[MeganLLB]

This is called "Cats in Cubes" by OneFastCat
They are currently out of stock but you can buy on amazon

This is a DIY cat tower, that you put together however you want. You can order as many pieces as you want, make it as big or small as you want in whatever shape. They sell beds, hammocks, and scratchers to fit on the cubes.
I have one for my Luna and she loves it.

The best part about it is that its not carpeted so it wipes off and is so easy to keep clean.

Here are some different stuctures that people have built