Haven’t you had posts in the past that talked about cat towers you like? Like Armarkat I think? I didn’t see anything in the “recommended” section though.
You know, I thought I had, but apparently not – I think someone asks where I got something, and I tell ’em, and I never put all the links in a central location! Maybe that needs to go on my “to do” list.
I will say, though, that a few weeks ago, when our local Sam’s Club had nice, tall, very sturdy cat trees for sale for $79.99, I dragged Fred to the store with me so we could buy one. We brought it home, put it where another cat tree had been, moved that one out to the porch, and tossed the falling-apart tree that had been on the porch. And?
They don’t use the new one. Because what I didn’t notice until Fred pointed it out some days later, is that there’s no easy way for the cats to get down from the top.
They can get up there, but to get down they’d have to jump to the top of the tunnel, then try to either go face-first into the lower level, OR jump straight to the floor. I don’t like that idea, so what we’re going to do is rearrange that room so that they can jump down to the back of one of the recliners. That should fix the problem (not that it’ll necessarily encourage them to actually use the tree, but it’s a possibility), but I am NOT pleased that I didn’t notice the issue BEFORE buying it.
Edited to add: I’ve never seen a tree made by Molly and Friends that wasn’t extremely well-made, sturdy, and popular with the cats. The tree in my bedroom is one made by them. I picked it up several years ago at Home Goods for about $200, and it’s been very much worth it. HOWEVER, they tend to be expensive, so I’d keep an eye out for sales on them!
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Since kitten season’s heating up and you’ll have some vacancies soon, are you going to get new tenants? I’m very much looking forward to what you have brewing down at Crooked Acres. Your current place did inherit that name, right?
We will definitely be getting new tenants once these guys move along. I like to keep the foster room always occupied.
We’ve been calling this place Shady Cove, but meh. I’m not really feeling that name. I suggested Squirrel’s End to Fred when we first moved in, but he didn’t like it. The way things have been going lately, we ought to call it Chipmunk Abattoir. I guess we’ll stick to Shady Cove for now, but that could change.
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What a bunch of stressballs. Honestly, Robyn. Can’t you get them to chill out a little?
No rest for the wicked!
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The permanent residents are what we call ghost kitties at my house. You’ve heard about them but seldom see one in real life. Bunny is usually the exception. She marches out, sniffs everyone, rubs her face on their shoes and then decides if they are perhaps worthy to touch her.
and
I have friends from 10 – 20 years ago that have visited often, yet haven’t ever ‘met’ any of my cats! So, on the plus, they will not throw shade as to “her cats were everywhere… on the counters, on the table, in my chair, on the mantle, etc” (my mom and a collection of her friends came over for ‘tea’ to see my ‘old house’… and I was scared!)… as I get older, I’m pretty sure they’ve come to think I’ve been making it all up and perhaps I’m already going a little astray…(especially when I try to update them on cats and kittens I’ve never met somewhere in Alabama!!!) Bless My Heart!
and
isn’t it hilarious that we can grow outgoing and friendly fosters and all of our permanent residents think “stranger danger” when people show up?? 🙂
and
My sister was convinced that this “Baby Mae” cat I kept going on about years ago was just me playing the part of Crazy Cat Lady, and she humoured me. It was years before she actually caught a glimpse of the Elusive Baby Mae. (Or, it could be that my Mae just had more discerning tastes, and didn’t care for this human…*cough**cough*…*ahem*…)
I’m so glad it’s not just my house!
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Would whoever sent this banana bed to us please report to me so I can properly thank you? Amazon isn’t telling me a thing.
Laura’s face is cracking me up.
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Someone requested a picture of Charles in his pink harness, so here you go.
We started bringing him downstairs for 10 or 15 minutes at a time in the evening, just to let him explore and to see how he was with the other cats (which is valuable information when you’re trying to adopt out adult cats). At first we kept him attached to a leash, but after some hissy-growly-poofy times, he started relaxing, and now he’s allowed to wander around downstairs with just the harness on (I’m not actually sure why we keep putting the harness on; just habit I guess.) He’s interested in the other cats and doesn’t get aggressive with anyone, but when he gets too close to Kara or Alice, they’ll run away, so he thinks they’re playing and they think they’re being terrorized, so it can get a little screechy on their part. It makes him poof up and get wide-eyed, but he calms down pretty quickly.
I brought Caroline down once, but she kept lying down because of the harness and wouldn’t explore. I meant to keep doing it, but due to innate scatterbrained-ness on my part, I haven’t done it again. I need to!
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Sleepy little muffins.
Almanzo likes hugs.
It’s a Willie-and-Albert pie.
Basket full o’ Mary.
I don’t know who’s been chompin’ on Almanzo’s whiskers, but he’s not tellin’. “I’m no snitch!”
Albert is so obsessed with the closet door handles.
A Pa and his kids.
Willie loves his Pa.
A pile o’ sleepy slackers. That’s Almanzo (green collar) with his paws on Mary’s face, and Albert (yellow collar) cleaning Laura’s ears.
“Don’t look, Ethel!”
Mary’s Glamour Shot.
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Dewey looks like he could be related to those Half Pints too, doesn’t he?
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Previously
2018: Don’t they look super innocent? Like they weren’t just smacking and biting at each other?
2017: “You tells him to leave my feet alone or it’s gonna be POW! right in the kisser!”
2016: The Fakers are 12 weeks old.
2015: No entry.
2014: No entry.
2013: “I am but a wee sad kitten who wants only to explore the world,” Puff said sadly.
2012: “WE NEED COOKIE!”
2011: “Dorfy sweepy too. I can haz a snuggle?”
2010: (Hint: SHE is the boss.)
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: Aren’t I nice, taking toys away from our cats for the foster kitties to play with?
If anyone is looking for cat trees and wants something a bit different I highly recommend this one: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CQKGNU2/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 It’s currently unavailable (check out the customer images in the reviews for a pic of my boys on the tree)
But I did find this one very similar in style is currently available. It’s more expensive but looks to be of similar material and design.
I love the one we have because you can zip off the different sections and they’re easily washable in case of accidental messes. And the mesh and canvas are really heavy duty standing up to the claws very well. Ours came with a covered top hidey hole but we took that off as the boys seem to prefer hanging out up their to more freely observe their freedom.
https://www.amazon.com/One-Pets-5-Storey-Portable-Activity/dp/B0083XM798/ref=pd_sbs_199_5/143-6850890-2487537?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0083XM798&pd_rd_r=3d55b659-7e0e-11e9-97ac-510cb5876d74&pd_rd_w=AoFB1&pd_rd_wg=rDwf3&pf_rd_p=588939de-d3f8-42f1-a3d8-d556eae5797d&pf_rd_r=5ZAFGQ6DK6ETF1NA4QZ5&psc=1&refRID=5ZAFGQ6DK6ETF1NA4QZ5
Those are really cool!
Thanks for the quick answer about the trees! I had heard about the Sam’s Club trees but hadn’t looked at them yet. I wonder if each club got the same style? But Wayfair has a large selection right now, which is why I was looking for brand recommendations. I need to replace a tall but very unsturdy tree that has to stay in a corner or it gets knocked over.
And now I see that I didn’t say what I MEANT to say in the post (I think I’m going to go add it), which is that I’ve never seen a Molly and Friends tree that isn’t extremely well-built, solid, and holds up over time. Unfortunately they aren’t cheap, but the big tree in my bedroom was made by them, and I got it from Home Goods several years ago for $200, which was a great deal.
I am still very happy with my Costco tree that I have had since just before Phoenix came to us. It has steps up to one platform, a hammock area and two more platforms and a box….they all loved it from the start and it has held up extremely well, even the scratching post and carpet. It was about $70 but a search didn’t show it anymore… darn!
Those trees are the entire reason I had a Costco membership (which I’ve since let lapse.) My friend Katherine had the BEST tree from Costco, and I kept waiting and hoping they’d come back again… but then it was such a haul to get there that I never checked. Now that we’re so much closer, maybe it’s time for me to rejoin!
I have a tree from Costco that has the same problem. My cats have never been beyond the first “level” because it’s just not easy to get up or down on.
How about just turning the tree sideways so that they an use that beautiful window area? Our cat likes to look out the window and we have the tree in our room near said window. She often jumps up to the middle level and then climbs to the top but to get down she often jumps to the windowsill or convenient dresser next to it.
I thought of that, but someone (coughcoughcoughARCHIEcoughcough) likes to sit in front of the cat door and bully any cats who want to come through, so I don’t want to give him a height advantage.
I, too, have a tree with a hard to access upper level, but Anna and Bella still manage it, and it’s the coveted spot. However … as the girls are now 9 years old, we’re starting to see Anna having some trouble getting down, especially if Bella is occupying the mid level. Fortunately a recliner is close to help. I don’t understand how these trees are built with real cats in mind.
Please pass on to Almanzo that our cat Marie says “Snitches get Scritches.” 😉 😉
Try wrapping a board in sisal rope and attaching it as a ramp. Or could you not put a cat shelf on the wall in between the top and the cylinder, so they can step onto that.
“…so what we’re going to do is rearrange that room so that they can jump down to the back of one of the recliners.”
Because of course you will.
But really, who amongst us has not rearranged, repurposed, and just plain given over furniture and other items, for the enjoyment of our cats?
If you follow this link https://www.facebook.com/kayskittykisses/photos/a.136668980241951/294331434475704/?type=3&theater to the Kitty Kisses FB post, you will see the climbing pole we got for Jessica, Andre, and Bella. Andre and Bella played on it for awhile (because it was new) and then ignored it for awhile. Jessica didn’t like it at first. I think the main reason was that it was covered in plush instead of carpet. But it is VERY STURDY (and was pretty expensive). I purchased it from Amazon (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B078RN3JGB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1), but it is no longer available. However, Amazon does have other trees made by CatTreeKing.
Shortly after assembling the new tree, I moved two of the old trees to “surround” the new tree. That was a hit with everyone. I also rotated the top nest 90 degrees to the left to make it easier to get into. https://www.facebook.com/kayskittykisses/photos/a.136668980241951/321747488400765/?type=3&theater
All three kitties now LOVE the arrangement and even after about a year of hard use, especially by Andre and Bella, the tree still looks new. As a side note, the “old” trees are in excess of 30 years old. I think I bought the gray one from PetSmart. The orange one is probably closer to 40 years old. My Dad rebuilt it once and recovered it twice. It has gotten EXTREMELY HARD use over the years and still does. Bella loves to dive from one of the new platforms into the hole in the top. Years ago when Tinker was a kitten (she has been gone for 13 years now) she would swing on the bar bracing the top nest like she was a little monkey.
Miz Poo was the only cat I could count on to let me love on her when I came to visit. The others were random on whether or not I would see them. Usually some of the boys would. I might even get to pet them. But the girls were usually vanished.
omg – your Mr. Boogers number is 1?!?
Glad to know that we don’t have the only anti-social ‘ghost’ cats! seldom seen except when a stranger comes in the door in time to see a furry streak race for cover!
Thanks for the cat tree info, too.
I’m lucky — mine are pretty social, although most will wander off and find someplace else to be once the whole gang shows up. I do have a fuzzy lovah who wanders around the room and canvasses everyone in it until she has been sufficiently petted by each person in the room. She’s so funny. XD If it’s feeding time, I’ll be told no matter who’s in the house.
I coulda kicked myself for not thinking of it until right after the “A Boy Named Jayne” lyrics post was locked in:
“It was Catlinburg some time in March…”
I have three different ‘trees’ from Contempo Cat and love them! My 20-pound cat destroys EVERYTHING and all Contempo cat stuff still looks fantastic, three years in. Note that they are NOT the typical “carpet-and-sisal” trees. I love the visuals and my cats love them too! Even my cat with only one good eye finds them easy to climb up & down.
https://contempocat.com/
We recently bought this cat tree from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQJNVBO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Our old cat tree only had one nest. I got this one so that each cat would have their own nest. But of course Figaro will not use the nests. I have no idea why. He will sometimes get in the condo part, but mostly just uses the tree to get to the window sill. Holly, however, loves to lay in the top nest and spends most of her time there.
I requested the harness photo! Thank you! I love it 🙂
We bought this cat tree about 10 years ago. It has held up very well for our four 10-12 pound cats. It was pricey but I think, given how long we have had it, it was worth it. And it looks so much better in our living room than the old shredded carpeted one.
Also available through Amazon.
https://www.therefinedfeline.com/product/lotus-cat-tower/