Does anyone have a recommendation for a cat tower that won't break within a year? For a tubby cat.
I thought I'd be able to just buy one from a pet shop, pay a bit extra compared to ebay and get a couple of years' warranty but I asked around today at a few and nobody seems to give warranties. So looking towards buying online now.
Cat tower recommendation
Quantumcat on 03/11/2017 - 17:56
Comments
plus 10 on building own. I've made simple poles and elaborate ones, they are great value
How "tubby" is tubby? I've gotten about 5 years so far out of a $79 ebay cat tree. It's 3 levels, with multiple platforms, about 1.6m-1.8m tall, as long as you assemble it tightly and well, it shouldn't have any issues. Again though, how "tubby" is tubby?
Edit: something just like this should be perfectly fine: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/351761700700
She's about 8kg. I'm just worried because my sister got one for her two cats that are pretty small, and the top platform broke off after a couple of months. But, at $79, it would be cheaper probably to just buy a new one each time it breaks than invest in a really expensive one.
Yeah I actually looked around a lot for a good deal on cat trees but the prices for the size/type of cat tree I was looking for all hovered around that $80 range at the time.
It's self-assembled, but it's steady/stable enough and hasn't given me any trouble so long as you really really screw all the bolts and nuts on tightly. If you don't, and it starts off a bit loose, then it might get looser and looser and snap off eventually.
8kgs is a bit heavier than my cat (only 4kgs), so keep that in mind too. But honestly I think all cat trees are made pretty much the same, you're unlikely to see much quality differences between them I don't reckon.
I saw mentioned here a site called www.realsmart.com.au. Have a look there OP. Hope you find something.
Thanks guys for all your suggestions. I'll go with one of your suggestions for a cheap one. My sister really is the only horror story I have found with them, so I'm going to assume it isn't commonplace. Even if it does break it would be a lot cheaper replacing it than having bought an expensive one in the first place. And anyway, maybe they wouldn't even play on it. I just spent $2000 installing cat netting in the backyard so they can go outside whenever they want, and play and run to their heart's content. And what do they do all day? Sleep on my bed. Ungrateful }*#^{%{!!!
Wow, You are such a good cat owner. Last month I bought one of those 180cm one on eBay for $72. My kittens are 5kg at the moment, but they will be 7-8kg when they are fully grown. At the moment i noticed it does wobble a lot when they are on the top level, but they don’t seem to mind. As bad as it wobbles, doesn’t seem like it’d tip over. Quality is about the same as you’d get from the $50 Kmart one, though that one is a lot shorter
I’m actually looks at getting my backyard enclosed too. Whenever I let my kitties out they absolutely love it. They run around and chase each other, never want to come back inside. But I have to put harness on them, so whenever they try to jump over the fence I’d just step on the leash. Cat nets cost so much!
Thoroughly recommend the cat netting! I love being able to sit outside in the morning with coffee and newspaper, and have the cats curl up for a pat next to me or watch them chase each other through the grass. My place was well suited to it though, the yard sort of wraps around the house with the border walls being no more than 3 or 4 metres from any attach point (pergola roof or wall of house). If you have a normal rectangle or square shaped yard it's a little harder. But an option is to put fence toppers along your fence so they can't jump onto the fence and over. Like this: https://www.catnets.com.au/products/d-i-y-installation-acces…
I have enclosed the side of my house with cat netting too and it's brilliant. You can buy brackets and netting that stops them from being able to climb out without totally covering the yard over.
Repco also sell a product called oscillot? which stops them from climbing over the fence.
I bought mine on Ebay years ago… They are so cheap and will last fine. They could wobble if your cat is heavy so choose a bigger one with a wider base..
e.g. a base this size (not saying this is cheapest place)
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Cat-Tree-Scratching-Post-Scratch…My cats love sleeping high up on ours so I want a good size comfy circle at the top of the tree and also a decent flat platform so I can put a blanket on for them to sleep on..
This would be ideal for me if it was taller and wider but I cannot find it
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/102CM-Cat-Tree-Scratching-Condo-…I've got that first one for our cat (7kg), and since he was a kitten he loves that hammock. How he still manages to fit in it, I'm amazed, and even more amazed that the hammock is still holding after 15months.
Eventually it will give, and then my plan is to build one from scratch, and involve a netball ring to use as a hammock so I know it is a bit more solid… as the hammock currently bests resembles the leaning tower of pisa.
If you're in Brisbane there is a lady who has a business called catlovers scratchers. They're incredibly well made and strong, and cheaper than the petshop. You can look her up on facebook, I have two of them :)
When we looked a few years ago the stuff you could buy online looked to be a similar quality to what you'd find in stores, we ended up making our own.
We used:
1 sheet of MDF *
3 bearers from the timber section at Bunnings
A carpet sample from a local flooring shop
Some fibre rope for the vertical supports *
Staple gun + staples
The items with the * were the only things we had to pay for, so the whole thing cost less than $20. The only work we've had to do since building it ~5 years ago is to replace the rope around the vertical supports every few years because it gets a decent workout.