How to Choose a Cat Tree – A Buying Guide

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Why do you want to buy a cat tree?

If you are a cat owner and want a place for your cat to relax, play, and sleep in, chances are you are looking for a cat tree or cat furniture. Contrary to popular belief, cats are pretty active creatures and need a certain amount of physical activity to stay healthy in their lives. A cat’s body structure is built for climbing as they have muscular lower backs and back legs. Out in the wild, cats often climb and camp out in higher places to protect themselves from larger predators below. Also, they prey on smaller animals who live up in trees.

Finally, being in high places ensures that they get a better view of their surroundings. However, when your cat is domesticated and indoors, there are no natural objects for them to climb. They end up settling with furniture, which ends up doing more damage to your furniture than anything. You should seriously consider buying a cat tree if you see that your cat has a strong desire to climb. Cat trees come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and designs. The size of your cat tree usually depends on the number of cats you have. For more information about buying a cat tree, please see our buying guide below.

How to choose the right Cat Tree for your Kitten – A Buying Guide

Cats are ultimately creatures of nature. They are born to climb to high places and run around. With a cat tree, you can let your cat roam free within the confines of your home. You give your cat a playground and a place to call home. Although many domesticated cats are quite lazy, they all have the natural instinct to roam and climb around. Buying a cat tree for your cat is a happy middle ground and allows your cat to have some fun too. Here are the different things you need to take into account before buying a cat tree.

Space

You should consider the space of your home when buying a cat tree. Look at the dimensions of the cat tree first before buying! These things look small in pictures but they can be deceptively large. Cats like to take naps in the afternoon sun and hide in dark spaces, so maybe consider putting the cat tree in a spot that has both sunlight and dark spaces. Be sure your ceiling is high enough for the cat tree. Most cat trees are going to be taller than they are wide, so please take this into consideration.

Size and dimensions

In general, we would say that bigger and taller is better. Your cats will have more fun and a taller cat tree will condition your cat to take on more risks and exercise more. However, you always have the constraint of your budget, so you may not be able to afford such a big cat tree. If you have more than one cat, you should definitely consider getting a larger cat tree. You also need to consider the size of your cats. Some cat trees are only designed for small to medium-sized cats while other cat trees have structures that are built enough for large to plus-sized cats.

Sturdiness

Durability and balance are very important for a cat tree. Make sure the base of your cat tree is sturdy, because this sets the balance of the entire unit. When your cat is perched up high, you want a structure that can support all of its weight. Your cat will most likely also be swinging back and forth, causing momentary unbalances in the cat tree. You cat tree need to be sturdy enough to resist your cat from toppling it over. You are going to want a durable cat tree as well in order to prevent your cat from breaking it or leaving scratch marks everywhere. Generally, cat trees are made of compressed wood with some kind of seal or covering. Compressed wood is durable, relatively scratch resistant, sturdy, balanced, and offers great grip for your cat to move up and down.

Features of the cat tree

Ideally, you should be looking for cat trees with multiple floors, condos, and perches. These are fun for your cat and offer it places to go and hop in and out of. Make sure there is also plenty of room for your cat to play. Many cat trees also come with sisal rope posts so that your cat can scratch on them without damaging anything. Be sure to train your cat to only scratch on the rope. Some cat trees have cool features like a fake mouse to play with, ladders to climb, and even a rope swing. Some even come with litter boxes attached. The most important thing is to make sure you make the cat tree comfortable and interactive for your cat.