Kitty Condo's...

[Sara]

What do you guys think about this Kitty Condo? I am thinking of hiring a carpenter to build one for the dining room. It's the only room where I can put one by the window. I really think they prefer window locations. Is a window location the best? Any special type of carpet or rope I should buy? I want it to be attractive in the house and fun for the cats. They just seem sort of bored lately and I want to give them a treat. Also, keeping them from scratching everything else in the house would also be nice. I want sort of a condo/stratching post combo. Also, I have 6 cats so need something on the larger side. I have very high ceelings so I can get creative and I can make it high.

Sara

http://www.fatcatfurniture.com/category.cfm?Category=4

[Sara]

Also, how do you keep them clean? I have 6 cats so this is a big issue. Do I keep towels in the bottom of each bed or can they be vacuumed daily? Will vacuuming even keep them clean? I find I have to actually wash their bedding. This carpeted material will not be removable and washable. Can you re-carpet them once a year?

[Traci]

If you're going to have it built, would probably be cheaper and of course, more sturdy. The thing with most condos is that they do tend to rock or tip alittle if they are not built properly, are too high, or do not have a wide, heavy, solid base. Depending on the size, width of base and sturdiness, you might want to consider tacking it to the wall. If someone else does this for you, please make sure they cover all nails, seal all connected boards, and cover all glue used.

Most any carpet is fine, you can probably even find a good deal on carpet remnants at your local carpet dealer.

As for rope, try to opt for sisal, it lasts longer, is more durable, and cats love the texture.

As for cleaning, I use a handvac only. For accidents or stains, I use Woolite upholstery foam cleaner, (only use a little), then vaccum really well.

[Lupie Linda]

All of my cats, past and present, have loved their cat "trees". The ones by the window are definitely the most popular. My favorite tree was made without staples or tacks. I don't know how they did it. It was also sturdy enough that my kids sat on it with the cats sometimes, it was heavy. It lasted for a 12 years and only had one bald spot. I purchased it when we lived in the east and have not found another like it in our new area. It had sisal rope and carpeting. Some cats prefer sisal and some prefer carpet. I was hoping I could train them to love sisal, as it lasts much longer than the carpet, and it would keep them from scratching the carpet on my stairs. (They still hit the stairs occasionally, but they don't touch my furniture.)

I agree with the last post -- make sure it isn't tippy at all. My cats love to wrestle around, chase, and play on them. If they are wobbly, they may not trust it and will go back to something sturdy -- like the couch. Also, if it fell, it could really hurt one of the kitties. They need a tall area to scratch on, as they want to stretch their backs when they scratch. So watch for that essential feature.

When I first bring the tree into my home, I always rub it down the outside of the tree with sprinkles from a new bag of catnip to really get those oils down into the carpet. Some of my cats show absolutely no interest in catnip, but it still smells like their toys and things so they know it is their tree. For new cats, I try to be social with them and scratch my "claws" on the tree when I first come in from being gone somewhere. They love that and really begin to understand the concept of "scratching post."

I just vacuum the trees with the hose of my vacuum cleaner occasionally. It is really not a problem to keep them clean. They can get a little "stringy" sometimes from the ripping and tearing of the scratching. I just take scissors and trim it like an overgrown hedge. Then it looks nice again.

I really believe in cat trees. They are worth every penny in the furniture and carpeting they save! The trees have sure gotten funny looks from some of our guests. It is a common thing for a guest to look at it and say, "What is that?" (A sure sign they aren't cat people.) Grin.

Linda

[Sara]

Thanks for the tips you guys! Yes, I worry about how to have it made... Just glue or what? I suppose the guy in the store will have some hints. I want it very sturdy. My cats scratch all my furniture so I need something very fun and scratchable. I am sure they will love the rope. I am thinking of trying to grow some catnip if I can find it. In my dining room the corner near the window also has a heater. Not the dangerous kind, the radiator type heaters in old apartments hiden in wood. So that area is warm and they can peek out the very tall French doors. They are going to love it. I want to design it rather than buy it so it will fit perfectly and be safe. Also, there is not allot of kitty stuff in Argentina.

[iggycatlove]

http://www.angelicalcat.com/

http://www.7thheavencatfurniture.com/

http://www.sittingprettykitty.com/cgi-b ... ykitty.com


http://www.catsplay.com/cat_trees.php3


Here are some sites with pictures of cat trees. Maybe they will give you ideas. Bug and Tris sure love the one I have.

MMH

[Sara]

Thanks! I added them to my bookmarks.

[melissaranks]

I acutally have the cat tree plans. I bought them off of e-Bay for like $5 (US). I've only built one, but my cats LOVE it! It's also very sturdy. Of course, I did a couple of modifications like instead of using 2x4's I used 4x4's for extra strength. I also used sisal rope on the legs instead of carpet (saved money too). There are also places online that have cat tree plans for free (just not as detailed). It was really easy to build and the guy at the lumber store cut all of the pieces (even the plywood) for me to the measurements for no extra charge. The tree cost me $60 to build and in the Petsmart the (almost) exact same one cost $150. So, it was money well spent! If you can use a hammer, have an electric screw driver (I have a cheap one that cost $20) and have a place that will cut the wood for you, it should only take an afternoon to build the tree and another afternoon to cover with carpet and sisal rope. Oh, and the tree sits next to the window, the best spot in the house!

[Yzma]

I just took a look at the picture of the cat tree you were thinking of havin built... if you're getting it custom made, you should really get your carpenter to focus his attentions on making it as sturdy and stable as possible... our first cat tree, which was supposedly 'the most sturdy' fell apart after a week!


you see the bit right atthe top in this picture? well that was the first to go... the rest is fine, and we've fixed it now but in the process of fixing it we've discovered the only really stable way to build them is to have more than one piece of wood supprting each platform...