Heads up: CrazyCatVid is reader supported. Some links below are affiliate links (Amazon, Litter-Robot, Life's Abundance). If you buy through them I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Every product here has been through my own four cats first.
Before the big tree, my four cats fought over the top of the fridge. After it, they each have a floor and the house got quieter. Vertical space is how cats sort out who is who without teeth. Here is what I learned buying, assembling, and replacing cat trees for a decade.
Stability is the whole game
A tree that wobbles when a cat lands on it is a tree that gets abandoned. Look for a base at least 24 inches wide on anything over 5 feet, and plan to anchor tall trees to the wall with a strap. Two cats jumping at once is the real test.
Yaheetech 63 inch Multi-Level Cat Tree · About $70
The main tower in the living room. Stable with two cats on top and it has survived Luna for two years.
One perch per cat, plus one
Cats do not share well. If you have four cats you want at least five resting spots between the tree and the rest of the house. Perches, condos, hammocks and window seats all count.
Sisal, not carpet, for scratching
Carpet posts get shredded and teach cats that carpet is for scratching. Sisal rope holds up and feels right to them. A tall separate post is worth it even if the tree has posts built in, because cats like to stretch to full height.
MECOOL 34 inch Sisal Scratching Post · About $40
Tall enough for a full stretch, heavy enough that it has never tipped. Stripes uses it every morning.
Placement matters more than price
Put it by a window with a view. A tree in a corner of a hallway is furniture. A tree by the front window is a TV. The window perch below is the cheap version of the same idea.
Cat Window Perch Hammock · About $25
Suction cup hammock, holds a 14 lb cat, and Penelope treats it as her bird-watching station.
Skip these
- Anything under 30 inches called a “tree.” That is a scratcher with a cushion.
- Faux fur on the perches. Collects hair, impossible to clean.
- Trees with attached dangling toys. They get ripped off in a week and the string is a swallowing risk.
Assembly tip
Build it in the room where it lives. A fully assembled 6-foot tree does not fit through most doorways. I learned that the hard way with the first one.
More on making a multi-cat house work in the meet the cats post, and the full furniture list is on the shop page.
