Cat Tree Shopping Help
April 15, 2015 7:27 PM Subscribe
Kittehs need a tree. I've found one I like ... spoiler alert, doesn't ship to my country.
My two kitties need a new cat tree. After looking at all the cat trees in all of the internet, I found a couple I like - difficulty is, the company doesn't appear to ship to the US (and if they did, dang, I expect it would be rather expensive).
The trees I like:
Natural Paradise Cat Tree
XXL Natural Paradise Cat Tree
Why I like them:
Wooden base, so no floor level carpet to keep clean
Natural looking materials (rope, sherpa fleece, light wood [or wood looking stuff, not too picky here])
Removable / washable cushions and covers
Lots of spots to sleep - without a huge leap between shelves
Tall - we want some higher perches for watching out of windows
What I don't want:
Tons of carpet
That sort of silky faux fur - the kitties both like sherpa style fleece but we have some blankets that they won't touch because of the texture
Long stretches or jumps between shelves
Tiny or narrow sleeping areas
Those little tunnel or "condo" style boxes - the first tree I link to above does have one enclosed sleeping area, but it seems open enough to appeal to my cats. They have a basket they occasionally deign to sleep in. But they have never used the condo style box on the bottom of the current cat tree.
Additional Information:
We have a Refined Feline Lotus tower (I am very certain I like it more than the kitties do) and most of the perches on it are too narrow for all but the most svelte city cats (which we are not around here). They are 7.5 inches wide - really cramped. It only gets climbed because it happens to have a food bowl on it...
I am not terribly concerned about price point (although if I was unconcerned, I guess I'd find a way to get the UK cat tree I want...). I am moderately concerned about looks. I am mostly concerned about my two being able to easily climb up the tree, especially as they are now middle aged kitties.
The kitties in question:
Clio
She is an active, playful, nimble kitty. Favorite activity is running around the house with her stuffed mouse in her mouth, yowling like the dog has her by the tail.
She has not yet managed to learn how to use the pet door (but we've only had her 5 years, there is still hope, right?) and it is easily possible to sneak up on her and surprise her. We are always happy that she remembers to breathe on her own. She is very very very not smart, and much beloved by all for it. Her favorite place to sleep is on a towel on the dining room table.
Which probably tells you more about us than about her.
Miss Moppet
She is a heavier, lower to the ground kitty and the one I am currently a bit worried about in terms of jumping. She does jump - this picture is from the top of my desk where she likes to sleep while I work. But some days she looks like she really doesn't feel like making the two big hops to get up there (and I'm now considering some sort of "decorative" shelf to give her a bit of a ladder - our house is decorated in "early pet"). She is a smarty and her best friend is our 130 pound Golden Retriever / Saint Bernard mix
Current goals:
Find a US based cat tree I love as much as the two linked above, or find a way to get my hands on the UK based ones that doesn't cost an additional fortune in shipping.
My two kitties need a new cat tree. After looking at all the cat trees in all of the internet, I found a couple I like - difficulty is, the company doesn't appear to ship to the US (and if they did, dang, I expect it would be rather expensive).
The trees I like:
Natural Paradise Cat Tree
XXL Natural Paradise Cat Tree
Why I like them:
Wooden base, so no floor level carpet to keep clean
Natural looking materials (rope, sherpa fleece, light wood [or wood looking stuff, not too picky here])
Removable / washable cushions and covers
Lots of spots to sleep - without a huge leap between shelves
Tall - we want some higher perches for watching out of windows
What I don't want:
Tons of carpet
That sort of silky faux fur - the kitties both like sherpa style fleece but we have some blankets that they won't touch because of the texture
Long stretches or jumps between shelves
Tiny or narrow sleeping areas
Those little tunnel or "condo" style boxes - the first tree I link to above does have one enclosed sleeping area, but it seems open enough to appeal to my cats. They have a basket they occasionally deign to sleep in. But they have never used the condo style box on the bottom of the current cat tree.
Additional Information:
We have a Refined Feline Lotus tower (I am very certain I like it more than the kitties do) and most of the perches on it are too narrow for all but the most svelte city cats (which we are not around here). They are 7.5 inches wide - really cramped. It only gets climbed because it happens to have a food bowl on it...
I am not terribly concerned about price point (although if I was unconcerned, I guess I'd find a way to get the UK cat tree I want...). I am moderately concerned about looks. I am mostly concerned about my two being able to easily climb up the tree, especially as they are now middle aged kitties.
The kitties in question:
Clio
She is an active, playful, nimble kitty. Favorite activity is running around the house with her stuffed mouse in her mouth, yowling like the dog has her by the tail.
She has not yet managed to learn how to use the pet door (but we've only had her 5 years, there is still hope, right?) and it is easily possible to sneak up on her and surprise her. We are always happy that she remembers to breathe on her own. She is very very very not smart, and much beloved by all for it. Her favorite place to sleep is on a towel on the dining room table.
Which probably tells you more about us than about her.
Miss Moppet
She is a heavier, lower to the ground kitty and the one I am currently a bit worried about in terms of jumping. She does jump - this picture is from the top of my desk where she likes to sleep while I work. But some days she looks like she really doesn't feel like making the two big hops to get up there (and I'm now considering some sort of "decorative" shelf to give her a bit of a ladder - our house is decorated in "early pet"). She is a smarty and her best friend is our 130 pound Golden Retriever / Saint Bernard mix
Current goals:
Find a US based cat tree I love as much as the two linked above, or find a way to get my hands on the UK based ones that doesn't cost an additional fortune in shipping.
Er, one more potential DIY inspiration here. What I like about this is that you can control the height of the jumps very easily, the whole system seems relatively easy to install, you can add as much or as little carpet or sisal as you like, and you can absolutely widen the shelves if you are interested in doing that. Re making it look like wood, you could always achieve that with contact paper if you really wanted to--someone else making a variant of this used marble patterned contact paper and at least in the photos it looks very good.
posted by sciatrix at 8:15 PM on April 15, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by sciatrix at 8:15 PM on April 15, 2015 [4 favorites]
Maybe http://www.alfasent.com Is for you? Can't speak as to the shipping cost though.
posted by alchemist at 10:54 PM on April 15, 2015
posted by alchemist at 10:54 PM on April 15, 2015
Something like this Baobob modern cat tree? You could put little beds and cardboard boxes on the levels. Comes in different colors.
posted by barnone at 6:53 AM on April 16, 2015
posted by barnone at 6:53 AM on April 16, 2015
Or this white tower of boxes. If you google "Sebastian Modern Cat Tree" you can see better photos of it in use.
posted by barnone at 7:03 AM on April 16, 2015
posted by barnone at 7:03 AM on April 16, 2015
Best answer: I built my own. I think it checks all your boxes. It wasn't hard. Tools: a drill, a borrowed table saw, and a jigsaw; Materials: two sheets of birch plywood (you could use plain plywood, but birch is nicer), some carpet remnants, some sisal rope, screws, wood glue, and finish.
As you can see, the cats approve.
posted by adamrice at 7:37 AM on April 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
As you can see, the cats approve.
posted by adamrice at 7:37 AM on April 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: After some discussion we have decided to DIY it - alfasent looked like an interesting option, but I couldn't get details from the company with the models I liked on shipping size and weight to get a quote from alfasent. Thanks, all!
posted by hilaryjade at 2:30 PM on April 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by hilaryjade at 2:30 PM on April 18, 2015 [1 favorite]
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Alternatively, these options over at Haus Panther might suit your tastes. They're spendier but many of them are made in the USA and there's a lot of very nice aesthetics. You might like the CurvyNest or the Ventana in particular.
posted by sciatrix at 7:59 PM on April 15, 2015 [1 favorite]