Choosing a Cat Tree
July 28th 2010 13:05
You want to get a sturdy cat tree. Some of the cat furniture pieces can have small bases, but reach high into the sky, making them rather unsturdy and wobbly. It's ideal to find a base that's at least 2 feet by 2 feet, but you'll find that some trees need to have wider bases, all depending on the height of the piece.
Do take into account the height of the cat furniture. Some cats prefer to be higher so that they can watch everything, so for these cats, you may want a taller cat tree, but please keep in mind that the higher the cat tree, the larger the base needs to be in order to create the best stability.
Consider what the cat tree is covered in. Most are covered in carpet, faux, or fleece. Carpet tends to look ragged after a while; faux and fleece will provide a soft surface and will look good for a long time. Also, consider cat trees that have a base wrapped in rope, which will help entice your cat to scratch his own furniture and not yours, but it the rope will definitely show wear after some time. If you choose carpet, you may want to consider learning how to recover the cat furniture once it starts to show some wear.
Consider cat furniture that has cubby holes. Just make sure that the hide is going to be big enough for your cat. My cousin built a cat condo for his girlfriend's cats, but the cubby hole just isn't big enough for the larger of the two cats, so be careful of the size of the hide.
Consider cat trees that have accessories. Some will have ropes to climb, paw at, and play with. Some cat condos will have cat toys hanging from strings. Some cat condos will have ladders, ramps, and hammocks. Just be sure to check the safety of the toys that may come with the cat tree that you're looking at.
Also, keep in mind that if you have multiple cats, you want to have a cat tree that has multiple ledges at different heights so that they can all play and jump around at once, versus fight over one ledge.
Consider that different ledges, different angles, and different size posts, are ideal for your cat. They like to jump and climb around, so just make sure that the cat tree that you choose is sturdy. You don't want an excited cat to knock over his furniture while in play. That could cause a lot of damage to your house, as well as potential harm for your cat.
Keep in mind your budget, as cat condos can cost anywhere from $50 to over $500. And, of course, keep in mind the amount of space that you have to put a kitty condo; the more space you have the larger piece you can purchase, but if you only have a limited amount of space, you'll need to purchase something more accommodating to the space you have available.
Below, you'll find a wide variety of cat condos that are fun and safe for your pet. These are priced much lower than you will find at local pet stores, so you may want to consider buying your cat tree online instead of the store.
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