What do I do with a huge cat tree my cat won't use anymore?

October 20, 2018 6:49 PM

My indoor cat was let outdoors by a well-meaning relative and got fleas. Because he was an indoor cat, he wasn't treated for fleas (fixed now!) and it took me a while to realize he had fleas. He and the cat tree and our home generally are treated now, but he changed his behavior patterns as a result and now I have an 80" tall cat tree that he doesn't use. What do I do with this thing?

Mr. Butters loved his cat tree and spent A LOT of time on the top two levels before the flea infestation. Now he won't go on it at all. He also started avoiding a pet bed on a counter by a window in another room. My sense is that he associates flea bites with those places. He now hangs out on our sofa arms and other places.

I have tried sprinkling catnip on it and using catnip spray, but it hasn't encouraged him to get back on the cat tower. I have thoroughly vacuumed it and I am certain there are no longer any fleas there.

I really think he benefits from a soft, comfortable place to hang out high, so my plan is to get rid of the current tower with the negative connotations for him and get a new one or install some cat-friendly shelves/platforms.

However, I'm not sure what to do with the existing cat tower. I don't need to make any money off it, but I would feel bad to just put it at the curb for large trash pickup. Will people buy these second hand? Can I donate it somewhere? As I mentioned, it is pretty big and it will be tough for me to transport it somewhere. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

posted by jeoc to Pets & Animals (13 answers total)

Best answer: I put a cat tree on Craigslist once and two girls arrived with a granny cart and hauled it away.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:52 PM on October 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: A lot of cat trees like that can be disassembled. Try seeing if you can rotate the top platform off the column - it might just be connected by a simple bolt. If you can take it apart into more manageable pieces then you've got more options. Shelters might take it if you can drop it off for them, and more craigslist/fb marketplace freecycle people can take it off your hands if you don't have a car.
posted by Mizu at 6:59 PM on October 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly I was able to rehome our old cat tree. VERY quickly. Just advertise it on Craigslist or Facebook.
posted by tafetta, darling! at 7:49 PM on October 20, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I've freecycled a cat tree and it was snapped up. Also, if you know of any pet rescue places or groups who do fostering you could offer it to them.
posted by kitten magic at 7:58 PM on October 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I second Craigslist - there is a “Free” section. Suggestion - if you can, move it away from your home though - need to be safe. Goodwill and Salvation Army might pick up? - and yes, local shelters might be grateful.

It’s big - sure you can’t repurpose for the holidays? Lights and all that out front?

Good luck! I’m curious about what it looks like! Oop! Found your photo!

Oh, that is COOL! And Mr. Butters is adorable! My baby puppy dog’s name is Buttercup. : )
posted by misondre at 10:18 PM on October 20, 2018

Best answer: First, see if you can "reset" Mr Butters' mind about the tree by "rehoming" it in your abode.
Because that is a seriously nice tree for your buddy.

Is it possible to move it to a different location? Or even take it out for a month and then bring it back in to a new location after that? Sometimes, novelty wins in the curious mind of a cat.
posted by mightshould at 2:28 AM on October 21, 2018 [11 favorites]

Best answer: An animal shelter in your area would love a cat tree donation. Or, look on Petfinder.com for a local cat rescue organization and ask if one of their foster homes would take it.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 5:44 AM on October 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You might also be able to take it apart and reassemble it in a different configuration, and that might convince Mr. Butters that it is actually a new object that doesn’t have flea connections.
posted by rockindata at 7:39 AM on October 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Nthing that this will be snapped up very quickly on Craiglist!
posted by lucy.jakobs at 9:01 AM on October 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Yeah, before getting rid of it completely, I would try the "reset" as mightshould recommends. Ideally, if you have the space to hide it for a few weeks, that would be great. And then when you bring it back, put it somewhere else. If you don't have the space to hide it, just skip that step and put it somewhere else in the house.

I regularly rotate cat trees, cat beds, and cat toys because cats love novelty, and I've had cats for seemingly no reason develop a sudden dislike of a previously favorite toy or sleeping spot. But when I hide it away and then bring it back or move it somewhere else, it's like it's brand new again.

Or you can just get rid of it, but it seems like a nice cat tree, and these things can be expensive, so I would probably try the reset first.
posted by litera scripta manet at 9:32 AM on October 21, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Echoing others -- the reset may do it! When I got him his cat tree, my cat did not much care for it. I moved it across the room and pulled it out from the wall, and now he spends a ton of time in it, usually asleep on the topmost platform. Cats, amiright?

(That said, if Mr. Butters really doesn't ever adjust, it'll get snapped up on Craigslist/NextDoor/etc.)
posted by kalimac at 9:44 AM on October 21, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Definitely try the reset. My cat is a box cat, and I just randomly move the box around the house, and it's like a whole new box, every time! But I recently acquired a cat tree (more like a cat ladder, actually), that's specifically designed to be moved easily from window to window. A change of scene may be just what the doctor ordered.
posted by backwards compatible at 8:31 AM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Rehoming in the house was a good idea, but my only other space for it is away from the humans and not his preferred area to hang out, so I think I'm going to have to sell it.

I'm very interested in the cat ladder backwards compatible mentioned. I'm looking for something a little more compact and mobile this time around.
posted by jeoc at 7:53 PM on December 2, 2018