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.)
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.)
Last edited: