Cat Climbing Tree – They Are Built; Not Grown!

Cats are fun and playful animals; however, it can get pretty irritating when they climb your drapes or claw the heck out of your couch. Damage from cats can potentially reach into the hundreds of dollars from having to replace or repair these items. You should keep in mind that it is not your cats fault and realize that these animals need mental stimulation and play time, your furniture just happens to be perfect for this. Instead of declawing or getting rid of your cat, consider making or buying a cat climbing tree. Notice the article does not say grow a cat tree because this isn’t a real tree, it is a term for an assembly of wood and soft material, typically carpeting, that your cat can climb, scratch and lay on. It is a good alternative to letting your feline roam your home in search of drapes to shred and couches to mangle.

Cat climbing trees are made in a variety of designs, heights, and colors and with differing features. Typical designs include two or more platforms attached to a tower, some type of cylindrical housing for your cat to hide in and some type of toy attached. From here, anything is possible. Some models have three to five platforms and can reach up to seven feet tall. Toys attached are generally balls on a string, rattles or other common cat toys. Structures are made from wood as a base and are then covered with a soft material, most commonly cheap carpeting. They provide a place for cats to play and hide as well as to scratch.

In general, prices for cat trees range from about 100 dollars to 300 or 400. A rule of them is that the more elaborate the tree, the more expensive. Other factors influencing price are the types of materials used. Models that are made out of natural materials such as un-processed tree branches or nicer carpeting can go for more than the typical neutral carpet color and basic pine construction. A 5 to 6 food model with a few platforms and a cylinder home for your cat will go for a couple hundred bucks, not a bad investment to save your furniture.

As convenient and nice as these structures are for your pets, they are expensive. If you are handy and motivated, they are not that hard to construct. Instead of spending 250 dollars on a pre-built cat tree, you can spend under 60 dollars on a couple pieces of lumber and yards of cheap carpet. Assuming you have all the tools to construct it, expense can be greatly minimized. As far as having a plan you can be as creative as you want. There are numerous photos across the web of cat trees that you can use as a reference. Start out with a wide base, which can be a 2 foot by 2 foot piece of particleboard covered in your cheap carpet. A staple gun is perfect for attaching carpet to wood. Use 2×4’s to build up the tower from there adding platforms or stapling string with toys on the end as you go. Your cat does not care if you make it or buy it premade; he or she will love it regardless!

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