Cat lovers, talk to me about cat trees :)

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I''m planning on getting one soon (the breeder has several already so the kittens should be used to them), and I''d like one that is on the taller side (though less than 70"). I also want one that is $100 or under (or slightly over). Any recommendations?

I''m looking at these two now, but hesitating on pulling the trigger:

Link

Thanks!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

#2

 

[Catmom]

We have this one that we bought from Petsmart. I think it was around $120 but that was a while ago. As you can see from the picture, my cats love it. Not only to scratch but they love sitting and lying in the baskets. I wish I had a better picture. It has a large tube at the bottom that they like playing in too.

 

[Catmom]

I did have a better shot, lol. Don''t look at my material stash, the cats like to get in there.

 

[ecf8503]

JMHO.... cats like to be able to sleep and feel snuggled, and the curved beds help do that as opposed to the flat surfaces. Also look at the setup of it and make sure there is a way for the cats to actually get from one level to the next - I''ve seen some where the next level is directly above the one they are on, so they really can''t get there at all! I have 2 (I can post pics later) and both have the semi-circle levels, one has a house at the bottom and one has a tube on the first level up. I got one at Pet Supplies Plus and one at a cat specialty store on clearance. HTH -

 

[lulu]

I found one about a year ago that nearly reaches the ceiling and has lots of nesting spaces. It was $150 on ebay. Don''t remember seller''s name though. It''s holding up very well.

 

[CJ2008]

My cat loves his...

I bought it a really long time ago, I don't remember where (but it was one of the main pet retail stores, either Petsmart, Petco, etc.)

Like ecf said, make sure the cats have a way to get from one level to another and that the base is wide enough to make the whole thing really sturdy.

ETA: #1 looks better than #2 - #2 doesn't look sturdy at all, I wouldn't get that one.

ETA2: I hope we'll get to see pictures of that adorable cat on it! He looks so cute!

 

[Haven]

Our cats love the ones with the half rounds, for sure. We have several trees, one really tall one, and several short ones for windows. We also have one that looks like a real tree, and the cats like to play on that one.

We bought our trees at Petco and Pet Supplies Plus. DH says to make sure you buy one with thick poles that is really sturdy and constructed well. We like to wrap sisal around the bottom of our trees, too, so the boys can scratch.

We also have a few scratching poles and an activity tower. They use those, as well.

And the pup likes ''em, too.

 

[Gailey]

Date: 8/23/2009 12:17:37 PM
Author: Haven
Our cats love the ones with the half rounds, for sure. We have several trees, one really tall one, and several short ones for windows. We also have one that looks like a real tree, and the cats like to play on that one.

We bought our trees at Petco and Pet Supplies Plus. DH says to make sure you buy one with thick poles that is really sturdy and constructed well. We like to wrap sisal around the bottom of our trees, too, so the boys can scratch.

We also have a few scratching poles and an activity tower. They use those, as well.

And the pup likes ''em, too.

Great Picture!

BEG, when do your babies come home?

 

[zoebartlett]

I''d love to get one but we don''t have a good spot for one in our house. We look at them from time to time at the store but we''ve never gotten one.

 

[zoebartlett]

Michelle and Haven -- great pictures!

 

[Kunzite]

Date: 8/23/2009 12:58:03 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett
I''d love to get one but we don''t have a good spot for one in our house. We look at them from time to time at the store but we''ve never gotten one.

We were in the same position so we got our babies the next best thing: Link

BEG - I know you''re looking for trees, but I wanted to post this for all of the people that may not have room for something so large. Our cats ADORE this. They love to scratch it, sleep on it, sleep under it, play around it... just in general spend time with it!

 

[Matata]

Wellll, errrr, when it comes to my Savannahs, I do tend to overindulge. Here''s a sample pic of the 6 ft custom tree I had made by SittingprettyKitty. It''s built to last which is sort of a necessity when you''re dealing with large, strong kitties. Da boyz love their tree which sits in front of a large window in the sunroom, facing the bird feeders. Ooooooooooooo, talk about twitchin'' whiskers

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Yay thanks so much for replying guys!

Matata, I''ve seen those before, and they''re so amazing - but sadly out of my current budget.

I forgot to tell you guys, this isn''t going to be the kittens'' forever tree

I figure it''ll last for the next year to 2 years, and when I move permanently I''ll get them a nicer one (which will hopefully be when I have an income too, so I can splurge).

What do you guys think about this one?

Link

 

[Dannielle]

Here is ours, with our chubby little Harlow

As long as it has a little hiding spot your little ones should be happy..

 

[wolftress]

I''m sorry I can''t recommend any as I live in Australia, but just wanted to share a tip from our vet. He said people shouldn''t buy cat trees with carpet scratching posts as it confuses the cat and s/he will end up using your carpet or rug to trim their claws!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 8/24/2009 1:00:34 AM
Author: SanDiegoLady

Date: 8/23/2009 10:24:26 PM

Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl

Yay thanks so much for replying guys!


Matata, I''ve seen those before, and they''re so amazing - but sadly out of my current budget.


I forgot to tell you guys, this isn''t going to be the kittens'' forever tree

I figure it''ll last for the next year to 2 years, and when I move permanently I''ll get them a nicer one (which will hopefully be when I have an income too, so I can splurge).


What do you guys think about this one?


Link

Wow, I like this one because it can go in the corner. Nice price too!

Do you think it''s sturdy enough? With two rapidly growing cats, I''d definitely want to make sure the tree is secure

though I do like the price, and it''s the perfect size to go next to my couch.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 8/24/2009 2:36:50 AM
Author: Dannielle
Here is ours, with our chubby little Harlow

As long as it has a little hiding spot your little ones should be happy..

Aww I bet Harlow loves his - it''s really high! He must love being the King up there

 

[MsP]

Date: 8/24/2009 4:45:50 AM
Author: wolftress
I''m sorry I can''t recommend any as I live in Australia, but just wanted to share a tip from our vet. He said people shouldn''t buy cat trees with carpet scratching posts as it confuses the cat and s/he will end up using your carpet or rug to trim their claws!

I kind of agree with this... my cat sees anything wicker/rope and goes nuts scratching it.

I got her as a retired show kitty and I guess her previous owner had rope items and no carpet. I had a carpet scratching post/tree item and even with lots of coaxing, she wouldn''t touch it. I bring in a rope covered one and she ran over and began scratching. Fast forward a couple months and I get a wicker laundry basket--or as she sees it, a new scratching post. Same thing with the outdoor wicker furniture. Oh well... I can''t expect her to know the difference. They all look the same from her perspective.

 

[radiantquest]

I am really happy that someone started a thread about this. I have never bought the carpeted kind. They are pretty expensive for what they are and DH refuses to spend the money because my kitties have toy boxes and little cat houses/toys and they like it for about 2 weeks. They are all over it when I first get it and then they ignore it. He thinks they will ignore the carpeted kind too and then it will be a total waste of money. Mine seem to prefer window sills, the coffee table, and the tops of the couch and chairs. My kitties are a bit odd. My boy cat refuses to drink water from his water dish in the house, but will go right outside and drink water that filled a dish when it rains that has dead bugs in it. They are silly so I am wondering if even though most cats like these tower things if mine will.

 

[packrat]

We got one for Bella years ago and she loved it. We got it at Petco I think. It was tall and had a spring pole type thing on the top so it was connected to the ceiling and wouldn''t fall over. We also got her a perch for the window sill after we got married. We put feeders outside the window and she''d lay all flat on the perch and stalk the birds. She thinks she''s a wild hunter cat.

 

[y2kitty]

I have the same one Catmom has and my kids love it. If I had the money, I get one of these:
Cat Tower

 

[Maisie]

Gracie loves her cat tree. She loves the fact that she can get higher than my son James who chases her around!

 

[portia]

Date: 8/23/2009 12:17:37 PM
Author: Haven
Our cats love the ones with the half rounds, for sure. We have several trees, one really tall one, and several short ones for windows. We also have one that looks like a real tree, and the cats like to play on that one.

We bought our trees at Petco and Pet Supplies Plus. DH says to make sure you buy one with thick poles that is really sturdy and constructed well. We like to wrap sisal around the bottom of our trees, too, so the boys can scratch.

We also have a few scratching poles and an activity tower. They use those, as well.

And the pup likes ''em, too.

OMG, Haven, that is too funny! Your dog hangs out in the cat tree! LOL!!!