I bought my first cat tree from Petco, it was fully assembled and on clearance. I remember the store was across the street from my 1 bedroom apartment, and my partner and I walked it over like crazy people since we didn't have a large car lol. I still have it I have had to replace rope and carpet but it was the best 90 bucks spent.
@@janineheartandsoul trust me there very very easy to assemble constantly seeing your willing to spend 90 bucks and they all come with a alley wrench the only tool u need and screws included
Cool. Personally I will never again purchase a pre-made cat tree as they are a nightmare to dispose of years down the road when they've become completely shredded or uncleanable. Tearing the things apart with brute strength, a hammer or a saw is no fun. I like what I can get on Amazon where it all screws/bolts together.
@@user-ei8rb7sj6c LOL, IKR? Being a bit stout in my old age, I do tend to wear dark clothing. I've noticed it's almost impossible to even get my clean clothing from the dryer into the other room to fold, without at least a few white hairs! Two red and white small dogs and a new kitten--I'm doomed, laundry-wise! 🤣
This is the one review I’d have to disagree with. I’ve had cat trees with the “plush” material and the microfibres shed and can be easily ingested/inhaled. My throat felt itchy after setting one up so I can’t even imagine the cats laying on it, scratching, licking it everyday. All my cat trees are now carpet. I really like Cat Condo.
Good point! The New Cat Condos tree is one of the best on the market; unfortunately, it became unavailable at the time when I was ordering for the review. It is mentioned as one of the best options in our written review. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experience.
Question? Why is every goddamn cat tree made with that ugly beige carpet? Why do you have to spend hundreds and hundreds on some custom made one without that ugly beige carpet? Also, if I pick one up off of Etsy, I have no idea what the quality is like after spending 100s of dollars I really wish a company would mass produce some that aren’t so ugly and tacky.
Try Armakat brand cat trees. Much much better quality than majority out on the market. I’ve already bought 3, 2 of same model 78” (since it’s such good quality, got it as spare) and secondary smaller cat tree. They use both. Both especially love to be at the top perch and nap inside the condo. 😻
😂 yeah, same thing happened to me. Are you sure you were just THINKING? I was talking today with a friend about getting a cat tree and this same video popped in my Home videos... but now I know why: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CVazBWGgg64.html
Hi Mallory, I bought your recommended tree (the Armakat 73") and my two cats love it. It was less expensive than I thought and easy to assemble. Thank you so much!!
I am building some custom cat trees to raffle off for our home-based, registered nonprofit rescue and this video was SO HELPFUL. It gave me some good ideas for new builds and for improvements on existing designs. Thanks for making this!!
Have you tried a different place? I've come to notice that a few things are important in order for a cat to use a tree: 1 stability (too wobbly or even just tiny movements and they might not like it) 2. Location in the most used room by their hoomans, preferably close to where your scent is most. 3. View - can they look out of the window and/ or keep his eye on you. 4. Does it fit their character in regards to scratching preference (not every cat likes sisal or that carpet stuff) and lounging. Just moving it to another place in your living room might suddenly see action on the tree.
Adam you have to train your cat to use a cat tree, encourage climbing of the tree with play and give treats if your cat paws at the tree &/or climbs on the cat tree, plus take your shirt off and rub it all over the cat tree and leave it there, you can also rub your cat's favorite blanket, toy &/or bed against the cat tree make the tree smell like you and most importantly your cat.
Bummer, you didn't any try good ones, only the cheap and flimsy chemical smelling crap from China. How about the ones from Costco? Very solid, thick carpeted, super tall and very reasonably priced?
I foster kittens and this was such a helpful video! Im designing a new foster room, so this was good to hear. Im gonna post a video on it once it is done, so you can see which I picked!
I really appreciate the senior cat tree. I don’t have or have had a senior cat but my grand parents had 2 senior dogs. A small shiz zu and a golden. It was always heart breaks to see the little one try to get on the couch. They got a small ladder with 2 steps and she was so happy! And then with the golden after the other passed started getting old too. They got a plush staircase for her to get on the bed with them! It was so sweet!!! But eventually even that became too much and a while after she passed away. I really love and appreciate people who make accommodations for senior and/or disabled pets. They just warm my heart!
Molly and Friends make the best cat trees I've ever had. Super sturdy, come assembled, and are made in the USA. I think their production got seriously hampered by the COVID shutdowns and I'm not sure if they are still in business, but I've had a MAF cat tree for 8 years now and other than some damage from scratching, it has held up great to my 15lb cat. My next purchase will be another one if they are still in business at that point.
My boy loves carpet. He's an indoor kitty and has soooooft paws. He doesn't enjoy sisal ropes any. I think it's too rough on his soft marshmallow paws!😻 Thanks for sharing. ❤🐾
There are some things to consider that I notice you didn't list. How easy or difficult to clean the trees are is one of them. I've found the velour/plush fabric used in many cat trees now to be much more fragile and difficult to clean/maintain than the old fashioned carpet covering. Cats barf and carpet is much easier to clean and much more durable. It's also easier to vacuum the fur from without tearing. Overall the velour/plush fabric may be more aesthetically pleasing but it just doesn't stand up well to cleaning or cat claws. You're going to need a vacuum with a very long extension hose for the really tall trees or be able to tip the tree over on its side to clean the uppermost platforms and cubbies. The sturdier the tree the heavier they are to do this with and if you anchor the tree to a wall which many companies recommend then that can be somewhat time consuming. Cardboard uprights, which I noticed most of the reviewed trees use, do not do well with moisture so if you have one or more cats with inappropriate urination problems it will be difficult to use enzyme cleaners on them as they'll eventually turn to mush or warp. I'm finding the sisal on sisal wrapped uprights doesn't last anywhere near as long as the rest of the cat tree. It just takes a small portion of it losing its adhesive or being pulled free by a claw and soon the entire string comes loose. This isn't just unattractive but becomes a choking hazard if you have cats with an affinity for eating string like things. Carpeted uprights don't have this problem and it really takes years for them to come unglued/unstapled/unsewn. I like the sisal but it's inclusion on the body of a cat tree pretty much dooms the longevity, aesthetics, and serviceability of trees it's used on. I have sisal scratching posts for my cats to use, separate from the cat trees. They're less expensive to replace when worn out. Platform and condo size are super important. Most condos and platforms on inexpensive cat trees are really not realistically sized for even average adult cats. The cutesy "fashionable" trees with like 3 platforms on uprights at the top are a waste of space unless you have very small cats or kittens. There are some that have condos and/or hammocks with the same problem. Sometimes I think the people designing these trees have never owned or even seen a cat. The highest platforms that use plush instead of carpet should also have sides on them to prevent sleeping cats from slipping off while sleeping, carpeted platforms tend to provide firmer support and better traction even without sides and are less slippery. The cardboard uprights tend to need frequent tightening and can easily strip out if over tightened as they basically use screws on one end with plastic internal nuts/fasteners. Tall cat trees should be anchored to a wall, especially if they have a small relatively lightweight base. Living in CA we have to anchor most tall furniture anyway due to the possibility of earthquakes and our energetic, large cats create their own quakes on a regular basis 😆😆😆😆😆
@@inskee Thanks 😊 We have a lot of cats so constantly replacing what amounts to disposable cat trees is just much too expensive and far too wasteful...there must be a ton of the things in landfills across the nation!
@@brookepacey8149 I know your comment is 4 months old but I'm gonna reply anyway. My Maine coon loves a barrel-type scratcher, they're sturdy enough so that it doesn't move when she's putting her whole weight into it (she weighs 8kg/17lbs)
Me too! My cat's current favorite tree is a gray perch I keep by a window that is exactly window sill height. He chills there all the time and watches the wildlife. It's just one step up and then the perch that is a good size to lay down on.
Thank you for your review! I got the first one from FB market for $50 5yrs ago. Best money I ever spent. We don't purchase the new posts from the store we just get some sissal rope and hot glue and a staple gun and replace them as needed. Our cat's love it I wish we had a second one!
Also worth noting that for quite a few cat trees (especially tall ones) you should be anchoring them to the wall for safety. If you - like me - are unable to do this you need to be especially careful with the tree you pick. I wanted a tall tree but knew I was getting two bouncy cats, so stability was top priority. Ended up getting quite a heavy tree that looks a bit similar to the first one in this video - but in the two bottom layers there were 4 columns on each level. So since it's both heavy and the weight is evenly distributed them running and jumping on the tree doesn't move it. You don't want a light/flimsy cat tree in this case even if it's easier to set up.
If your paying over 140 for a cat tower it should have good if not the best stability. That should be the part that any cat tower maker should invest into when building them.
We have the first one! My cat hates the hammock and avoids it at all costs. It just holds a bunch of toys now. Our favorite cat tree was one my parents got from Petco in the mid to late 90s. My childhood cats never scratched it so they had it basically new condition when I got my cat. He tore that thing up, but he loved it and it was so much better quality than any I've found today. It was heavier, the rope ball never came off no matter what he did, and it took a lot longer to rip the sisal. I've never found a tree with a ball that stays on now. He rips them off in a day.
This channel ( especially this video) helped my families cat life! We got a new kitten and she likes being high, climbing and hiding. This helped so much!!!!
We bought our cat "mansion" at the Minnesota state fair in the 90s. We got a new one in 2017, they took the old one and gave us a 100.00 credit. It's not cheap, but lasts forever. We just recapped the spots that needed it. We have 4 total, all solid wood, nice and sturdy and guess how many the cats use. ONE! we had 5 cats when we purchased, down to 2 seniors who could care less about the mansion of a cat tree they have. Oh well, we have it for when we get kittens again.
I love that Amarkat makes tree replacement parts. I was just saying the other day it's a crying shame to have to replace an entire tree just because the scratching posts are stripped of their cording; we've tried replacing it ourselves, but hot glue does not hold up, and we don't use staples so the kitties' claws don't get stuck in them. That said, the tree did *not* look very stable and I saw a lot more wobble than I would hope to just with Wessie rubbing his face on the platform. My 2 furbabies are little at only 8 to 9 pounds a piece, but you get 9 pounds of cat running at a tree that isn't set into a corner and it seems like it would be easy to topple. Do they not have one with a thicker/larger base?
I have three different Armarkat trees here; I and the cats are quite happy with them and they seem to hold up pretty well. Some of the scratching posts on the oldest one (bought it about six years ago) are getting frayed and will need to be re-roped soon, but the cats love them and they are almost always 'in bloom' with a furball or two in residence. Their other favorite 'cat tree' is my electronics workbench; I often turn around to see one perched atop my oscilloscope or knocking something onto the floor. How can we can be certain that the earth is not flat? Simple - if it were, cats would have knocked everything off of it by now.
When we got a new cat tree first time took almost 6 or so months for him to even touch it, and really took a roommates kitten to instigate our cat even using it... so it does take a hot minute.
wall shelves would be an option -- chewy has several options, and you can also buy ikea shelves to make a perimeter around a wall or two. min width 8" for most medium sized cats, 12" should be fine for almost all cats. you'll probably want to buy a carpet cover for any wall shelves so the cats don't slip either
Definitely shelving! Some on etsy are really cool! Theirs also cat trees you can get that are like shelves that you can change position s. Or check out myzoo they have really cool shelves like a big moon 🌙, sun 🌞, and cloud ☁️ shelves, they are utterly beautiful and well made considering they are made in japan.
The way your cats were snuggling their bodies against the carpet and hiding out inside the tunnel spaces were fun to watch -but interesting too study at the same time. Cats are very territorial and love to have a wide variety of exploration for them to navigate without feeling to caged into an area for long periods of time so the cat tree is a wonderful invention thanks to whoever came up with this idea.
Cat trees where you are are SO cheap 😟 They're minimum 200 for a cardboard one to 1300 for a good one 😭 I want to have multiple cat trees but just can't afford them.
Ran a small cat rescue for years and have had a lot of experience with cat trees. Almost all of them use cardboard tubes with round plastic end caps to hold bolts in place to join the tubes to a base and have a platform on the top. The plastic caps will break over time, leaving the bolt exposed. Replacement parts are expensive. I never use these types of trees now. Look for all wood frames. I have a large tree that's been in use for 21 years and the frame is still solid as a rock. I've just needed to replace the carpet and sisal rope around the posts that wear out from use.
@@mashal.5634 Check for solid wood, not the thin 1/4" stuff, joins that don't move, a base big and heavy enough to not topple when it becomes a part of the NASCAT race track. If you're looking for something that's going to last a long while, you'll end up paying for it up front - they're not cheap. And they're not easy to find on-line, you'll need to do some searching to find a good company putting out a good product.
Hi Masha, they weren't available at the time when I was ordering products for this review, so I wasn't able to include them in the video roundup, but New Cat Condos sells very highly-rated cat trees that are made from solid wood. Here's a listing on Amazon: www.amazon.com/New-Cat-Condos-Deluxe-Kitty/dp/B00VBBPKSO/?tag=best-cat-trees-20
I have one of the Trixie fold and store ones and the best use for this is sitting in front my cats favorite sun soaking window where he can watch the birds at the bird feeder
These are ALL for TINY kitties. Mine all have Maine Coon in them and are the Great Danes of Felis Domestica. Not a platform, scratch pole or cubby on any of these that fits my buzz fuzzies. I've always needed medium dog beds and carriers for the kids. They like to stretch out when sleeping happy.
I have the 76” from chewy. Great tree. Holds all three of my boys at once without even blinking. My older boy can only get about half way up because he’s not super comfortable with jumping, but it’s got a great bed for him halfway up and two hide boxes on the lower levels. My younger two go all the way up to the top and fight over the hammock. They all LOVE the tree. I think I spent $130 on it. Great material and great deal!
Once upon a time they used wood in the upright posts. Most scratching posts aren't tall enough for cats to fully stretch and pull. Cats also love the high ground, preferably above eye level. As others have noticed, designers know little about cats. I despair of finding a well manufactured cat tower. For all we know these manufacturers are simply using up cast-offs from the carpeting & building industry. There's something to be said for not using materials found elsewhere in the house, let's say carpeting and leave it there. Cats don't distinguish between the fun carpeting and floor carpeting. A friend of mine trained her cats to tear up the staircase carpeting by bringing in some sort of fancy cat scratchy pad. It didn't take long. Maybe we expect too much from manufacturers.
Hi Marlorie your videos have been so helpful! I’m fostering three baby kittens I found in a bush and there now eight weeks old and are stuffing up my expensive furniture! Love your videos keep it up ❤️
i'm looking for a tree now. it will be my first and as much as i want to spend a lot on a tree, i've noticed that many even expensive one's like at petco have very poor build quality. i mean when a tree is $100 or $200 and it wobbles, there's no excuse. i can't believe i found one that's on sale for $60, regular $112.00 but none the less, to find one at almost $50 that doesn't not wobble and is bottom heavy should not have better build quality then tree that's 3 times more expensive. i'm not sure if petco is the right place but i lucked out today and find that they have a sale on their cat trees. like everything ur starting i guess it's just safe to go small and invest in something better so u have some experience and an idea of wat to look for. i also feed they are way overpriced just because they're homes for cats.
Some are more stylish but be prepared to spend more cash, then. You really need at least a cat tree if you have a cat! I have a typical cat tree but also, made one from scratch in a corner, with lots of platforms and cushions and a 2 m scratching post. I like it much better than the conventional one, but it takes time and effort but less money. Now the conventional one is in a room, not in the living room :)
I’d highly recommend the Frisco modern cat trees! I have one and my cat loves it...it’s super sturdy and looks like a nice piece of furniture too. I have this one but they have a bunch of different sizes too www.chewy.com/frisco-475-in-modern-cat-tree-condo/dp/204585
Lol i wish i would of seen this video before I bought mine, i love my cat tree but i did a shit ton of comparing to figure out which one was ig best? Prettier? And just better made After watching the whole video my cat’s tree is similar to #2 It’s the Go pet club 72 in Black Cat tree condo. My cat loves it but she prefers the top parts more tbh
I wish you would review the trees that Petsmart/Petsupermarket/Petco carry and ( if you haven't,I'm new) a review on those cat excercise wheels that they run on, sort of like those hamster wheels
Any of the cat trees or towers that are completely fabric get dirty too quickly and difficult to maintain clean. Looking for an all wood one that you can put pads on it you can throw in the wash. Still doing research.
I saw these crazy wicker "vases" in a thrift store once-they were about 8" in diameter and about 6 feet tall! They looked like termite mounds. Wish I would have grabbed them to this day because they would have made great cat scratching posts.
Your cat tree is very super and your all video also super then that cat will very cute that Orange color cat my favourite your cat and cat tree cat litter toylet ver super I want that
First let me say I have watched several of your videos and thank you for doing them. I have to say I was surprised on your recommendation for cat trees. Did you really look at ALL OF THEM? The number 1 tree made me very nervous as it was not stable at all. When Forest was on it swayed a lot. I would never trust it for not falling over unless secured to a wall which I didn't want to have to do. The 2nd one was just ugly! I can't believe you didn't have any that weren't your standard "carpet" looks or had a more sleek or modern look. I see where others have recommended the Lotus tree but it's price point is more than I wanted to pay. Did you even look at Made4Pets brand? Here is one I ended up getting. I like it a lot and it's not outrageously priced. It's only 50" tall which works for me as 73" was taller than I wanted. It's very sturdy. They have other models of course. My cat loves this tree although he never uses the condo so I'm glad I didn't get one with double condos. I also was surprised at how small a lot of the beds and platforms are on a lot of the trees. This tree has one of the larger beds at the top and anything smaller would have been a failure for my cat. My cat is a 12 lb Ragdoll so I don't consider him a particularly large cat. Plus I liked the materials used in this tree. NO CARPET as I don't want to encourage my cat to scratch carpet by having carpet near sisal rope scratching posts on the cat tree and this tree has easily cleanable surfaces with pads that velcro on some of the platforms and are washable and they stay in place. www.amazon.com/Made4Pets-Levels-Natural-Scratching-Extra-Large/dp/B08N6Q4ZGC/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=Made4Pets&qid=1607881308&sr=8-11
We have two giant cat trees. One has no more stuff to scratch and the fabric isn’t the best in one spot because Oreo thinks it’s a toy. I need to replace that one.
I would love to purchase a cat tree but with all do respect I would want something that is modern, sleak and safe but mostly not any of these eye sores that you see everywhere.I have modern furniture and actually besides blending with my decor I want it to be beautiful to look at
Hi there, Love your youtube channel and work! thank you I am trying to find a sturdy carpeted tree or perch with a large circular and walled top bed for my elderly guy (15 years old and 15 pounds). I've watched your video on elderly cat trees but none of those would work for him. Basically I am so frustrated with the industry that cat trees are just not built for senior/elderly cats. The steps between levels are often so far apart, and poorly carpeted. Would you have found any trees that might fit my description for what I am looking for? Thank you rob
Hi Rob, sorry about the late reply. I think some of the trees from New Cat Condos might suit your needs; they're quite robust and good for larger cats, and most of them have those circular, walled top beds you're looking for. www.newcatcondos.com/
Just got my cat the Trixie Fold and Store Tower. My cat is very needy while I'm working at my desk. since it's easy to move around, I set the tree up next to me and she's happy to sleep on top of it.
Best cat trees I've come across are Contempo Cat! They're wooden with removable carpet inserts which are fantastic for anyone with cat allergies like me (and has long-haired cats haha).
I really wonder about pet allergies now is it really that mild? I've seen so many people saying the same thing. I am allergic to (blank) and my pet is a long haired (blank) but I use (blank) product and now all problems seem to go away
@@kittenmimi5326 oh the allergies don’t go away unfortunately. They’re just SIGNIFICANTLY more manageable. Also a mixture of consistent cleaning, vacuuming, and good circulation. Sorry if my comment was misleading.
All of these trees are for small cats-not for larger 15-20# cats. The only one I’ve found that accommodates larger cats is the Puurfect Post Mondo- Everest
These videos are far too long. All she really needs to do is find the most expensive thing on Amazon and show that. She's one of those people who believes if you aren't paying an arm and a leg, you hate your cat and it's a horrible product. My $70 cat tree has outlasted the $200 cat tree I had before.
Hmm, while this isn't true about my personal views, I can see why you'd get that impression from the video. Thanks for the insight, and I hope to make better reviews and share more solid, high-quality, affordable products in the future.
one thing you can do, is take your cat to Petsmart and actually let them climb on the cat trees in the store. We did that with purchasing our first tree, the one she laid down on was the one we bought.
Thank you , I bought a cat tree and my guys love it, they jumped on it before I could put it together and tighten the screws. My question is about a cat litter box that is extra large. They all seem to be standard size and I have a cat that is twelve pounds and he does not seem to be happy in the cat litter box. Where can I buy an extra large box or is there such a thing?
I mean, yeah, that's nice and all. But what about quality? How long do these last? How sturdy are they? What's the quality of the rope? What's the damage after, say, 6 months?
Sorry if I missed this but which one would you recommend or what I should look out for when I have a cat that has no claws up front? Great video by the way!
That's a great question. Cats like this don't really need to scratch, but that doesn't mean you should avoid ones with scratching posts or any other features. You can really offer anything they feel comfortable with.
I have 3 kitty furbies. Their fav is just the basic hammies without a lot of bells and whistles. I have 4 of them. Mallory does amazing research on products. I always look forward to her videos!!!!
