Cat tree - yes or no?

[tragichero]

Hi all,

I posted a couple of days ago for advice on my new adoption, who doesn't seem to like toys, and got some great recommendations (thanks all - this seems a lovely board - great advice without judgement!)

So, pay-day is coming up, and having seen my neighbour's many cat trees for her colony, I was wondering about getting one for my new kitty-cat. There are some fun looking, affordable ones on line and also a few nearly new ones going on Facebook marketplace which would be even better.

The thing is, is it worth it? Do yours actually use them? I am pretty sure that when I had cat trees before, they rarely got used.... While I am not on the breadline and can definitely afford to care for a cat if I am sensible, I don't really want to waste £30 or more on a strange living room ornament she will almost certainly ignore.... But it would be money well spent if it brings her pleasure!

If it's relevant, she is a young and very small cat, not very playful, does spend a lot of time chilling (and loves the hideaway I made her with blankets on the base layer of the coffee table....).

My 2 prefer their cat hammocks to the cat trees.... We do have 2- but they are often found on the same (we will buy a few more as they love jumping on them!!)

My girl loves her cat trees, & all the cats I fostered before adopting her liked them too. We started with one & built up. She’s also got a smaller one in the bedroom.

Mine go through stages of using them but they are used more often than they are not

i get mine from Wayfair at a good price

The catpest hadn’t used it for months and then it got shut away for a week while the decorator was here and when we got it back out it went in a slightly different place and he’s not been out of it since! He tends to worship on spot for a while then move onto something else - last winter it was the radiator bed.

My girl loves hers. All of mine have used it. She loves to sit on it and watch the garden.

I think they’re especially valuable for indoor cats, though I loved the pics of @WinterIsComing2025’s cats on their tree in the garden.

We’re in a flat, so the trees give Kitty more opportunities to climb & to be up high.

Every cat we've had (7 to date) has loved the cat trees we've had! So my vote is get one! They love being up higher, put it by the window so your cat can see out.

Depends where you put it. They do love to feel safe and up high. You’ll need scratching posts anyway so I’d go for a simple one with single platform and good scratching pole and place it in the window.

We had a stunning leather one shipped from Germany as was going in living room and didn’t want to bring down the tone🤣 Cost us silly money plus shipping and do you think they’ve used it once?! What they love is the ugly basic traditional one hidden in my dressing room with different platforms.

Boy-Cat looks like Bagheera, the panther in Jungle Book! These are amazing pics.

And in general thanks to everyone for your replies! I am definitely going to go for it I think.

Have been looking at some on Facebook Marketplace, as in a perfect world I would rather buy second hand, but unfortunately they are coming up as more expensive than better looking ones on Amazon. When I factor in the travel too, it just isn't worth it.....

I’d have a good look at the reviews on Amazon before buying, though.

I’ve got most of mine from Pets at Home or Zooplus & replaced the scratching poles as needed.

He looked even more like a panther in this pic. Damn I miss that cat so very much! Thick as shit & a total cuddle monster.

Note that the longest appendage dangling down was his tail, it would touch the floor if he didn't carry it & let it droop.

I have pondered getting a cat tree for years. But from bitter experience I can almost guarantee he won’t use it. He won’t use anything that I buy specifically for him. Numerous beds, including one actually made of cardboard because he loves a cardboard box, have been discarded with a sneer. I was actually saying the other day that it’s a shame you can’t hire one with an intention to buy and if they don’t use it send it back? Not helpful I know.

Ours loved the old one so when it died, we got a new one. Lived in / on it for the first 3 weeks and has totally ignored it for the past 6 months!

We have a huge one that reaches the ceiling for our bengals. They love it and use it every day.

Just seen that Groupon has a few quite decent cat trees at good prices at the mo. Here

Some of them are Pawhut, which is quite a decent brand - I got the climbing tower top row 3ed from the left recently for the cat's bedroom, and if you're looking for a "starter" tree just to see whether your cat likes them or not the one next to it looks pretty good for £20.

My cat doesn’t really play with toys but I pushed the boat out and bought her this cat tree and it was worth every penny! She climbs on is and sleeps up at the top. It it fitted to the ceiling so it’s very safe. She has had it for four years and sleeps in the top hanging basket every day.

My big lump of a thing (over 5kg) was too big to fit on the top of his so never used it - I took it off. Going in the house was variable until recently, when I moved it. I am not the official cat curtain opener so he can see out of the window when in the mood!
Pic attached of poor exhausted creature in said house…. I might be allowed to close the curtain now!

I am NOW

So, I went for it, inspired by all your good advice ans pics of your lovely cats enjoying theirs.

She has ignored it so far, in time honoured cat tradition, despite the trail of Dreamies we laid leading up to it, and the further Dreamies we placed on all levels.

As intyoe, she has just started yelling at me from the sitting room, so fingers crossed she is saying "Come and see mum, I'm in the hanging basket!"

(I'll check as soon as I finish typing this. But I'll leave you all to imagine a happy ending to the story.... ;)

Our ,moggy loves his

We bought one for my cat but all she ever used was the scratching post part so we now have a bigger & better scratching post. She does, however, love her cheap & cheerful tunnel!

I bought a huge one recently and my cats loved the cardboard boxes that it came in. I don’t think the tree has been used for anything other than trying to knock down when racing around at speed.

Their favourite place to sleep seem to be a small pet armchair, a heated mat, a hammock, a Kallax box, any number of cardboard boxes that are supposed to be imminently recycled but seem to end up being kept as the cats like them, or the bath.

If it’s the scratching part of the cat tree you are looking for, my cats really like the cat sofas (it’s cardboard) that Amazon sells.

Has she tried it, @tragichero?

Kitty normally likes to study anything new for a day or two first.