Finding The Perfect Cat Tree

This photo was taken a number of years back. It is the bottom of my cat tree and is 2 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet high. A nice sturdy base for some wildly crazy cats. The whole tree is 6 feet tall. They would run up the tree and it would shake but with the heavy wide base there was no fear of it falling over. It has gone through many kittens and adult cats over the years.

Spacing of shelves should be for easy climbing up and down. Very important, as your cat will get older and you want them to always love the tree. We had a front hole in the bottom box and also a top hole. The top of tree also had a hole for them to come through and nice 4 inch border all the way around, so they could sleep up there without worrying about falling off.

Built it in 1980 and in the high wear area it has been re-carpeted many times. We made it out of 3/4 inch plywood. It was designed to fit beside a bookshelf and an organ. We even put a thin carpet on the bottom and three unexposed sides of the bottom box. There is still some of the original carpet on the tree, due to the fact it doesn't get any abuse. Our first was to glue the carpet in place, later when replaced we used a staple gun and the last few times we used tacks that were long enough to sink and hold into the wood. Used a hammer to secure them. We cut the loose threads from time to time, but when we can see that the scratching has exposed any wood we replace that section of the carpet.

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Build it or Buy it?

Well that would depend on if you have the tools, space and skills to build a tree. The best reason for building your own, you would be able to design what works best for your home and the area in which it will reside.

The good part about building your own you can put whatever carpeting you want on it. Even if you decide not to build your own, there really is no reason to have one really torn up cat tree.

If you or someone you know is having their home carpeted, ask the installer for all the remnants. It is easy to replace the carpet on the tree. When you take the damaged piece off, it will be the pattern for cutting the replacement out and you can just use a black marker on the under side to trace it out. Use a utility knife to cut the carpet, but be sure to protect what is under the carpet just in case you cut too deep. Get some good tacks from the hardware store and separate the carpet fibers and place the tack in the carpet and give it a few whacks with a hammer to secure it. Before long you will have a nicely fixed up tree.

That is why I highly suggest in getting a really good tree so it will last for years by just replacing the carpet, before it gets downright UGLY!

If a cat feels insecure because the tree is not sturdy, you may find that they won't use it no matter how much you try to assure them it won't fall over!

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Picking a tree that will last

If you decide to buy a tree instead of make one, get one that will last for years. It should be like a good piece of furniture. Try to find something that will look great in your living room. Remember to cut off loose threads as your cats go to town on it.

Cats love to get up high and survey all their surroundings and up out of little kids reach. Besides it is usually so much warmer up closer to the ceiling and you know how much cats love the warmth.

Don't be intimated by replacing the carpet from time to time. You should be more ashamed of one ratty looking cat tree than taking the road to repairing it. Your cats will love you for it and they will not be ingesting loose threads from the worn out tree.

As they say "don't replace, reface"!

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