Cats love heights and giving your indoor cat(s) places that they can climb, perch and observe are important. When shopping for a cat tree it is important to know that not all cat trees are created equal. Here are some things to look for and some things to avoid when you purchase a cat tree or cat condo. Click here for cat trees we love that are made in the USA.
What makes a Cat Tree high quality?
Construction
Make sure that you are purchasing a cat tree that is stable and constructed with high quality NEW material. Many DIY (do it yourself) companies either don’t have the knowledge to make a quality cat tree or they skimp on material in the construction.
Question to think about: Can my cat maneuver around the cat tree without difficulty? Do the poles come to a dead-end or are all the areas notched so that my older-young-kitten can get to all shelves and platforms? Many people designing cat trees forget about ease of use and instead make the cat tree in a fashion that was easy to make and not functional for the cat.
Are the platforms or houses/tubes large enough for my cat or will they be large enough when my kitten becomes a cat?
Is the material securely attached to the base or wood? Many times someone will try to make a cat tree and attach the carpet, fur, or sisal with a house stapler or worse yet glue. For one this won’t last and glue could be toxic and the wrong staples can be digested and cause internal problem for your cat. There is a special staple to attach the carpet to the cat tree, a household stapler just won’t work and glue is a definite no-no.
Material
Are you using new high quality material for your cat tree? Used carpet has many draw backs, for starter’s feline leukemia, ring worms and who knows what other diseases could be lurking in that used carpet. If you purchase a cat tree, make sure it is constructed from new carpet. If you make your own, by all means just go buy some new carpet. This cat tree will be sitting in your house so smell and appearance mean a lot.
Wood and poles: Make sure that the wood is high quality construction grade wood and not used defective wood. There are many issues with used wood such as bugs, termites and dogs may have marked the wood if it was left out side. The wood could have been water damaged and this would affect the stability of the cat tree.
Don’t purchase a cat tree that is made with fur. The fur is cheap and won’t last. It does not attach well and is easy for a cat to pull the fur off the cat tree. Most quality cat trees are covered in carpet; the cat trees made out of the country (China) are made with fur. Stay away from these cheap imitations; they will be worthless in 3 months.
Design stability
Make sure the cat tree is constructed not to wobble or fall over. This will scare the cat and he may not ever use the tree again or worse yet it could injure the cat and the veterinarian bill would be more than the cost of a quality cat tree.
