Think of this thread as a real estate show for cats.
What cat condos are out there?
What are the granite counter tops of a cat condo?
Who buys these?
How much per floor of the tower?
Did you buy your cat “too much house,” (because you are now broke or because the cotton pickin’ cat won’t live in it)?
Does everyone have to have new construction? Or can you redo the carpet and sisal scratchy part and resell?
Squabbling over the lower level apartment made it undesirable, no one used it. My condo was an excellent ladder to the forbidden table next to the large window, so was appreciated for that.
When it became a single cat household, it was used once or twice, but because it was winter a clear door was required. I cut a large baggy up and taped it over the entrance, so kitty could crawl in and survey her “great big tracks o’ land” from her “house”.
My cat was “scratching” my former room mates furniture (despite the fact that she could never produce evidence… different story, sorry.) and she demanded that I get one that was at least 5 ft tall with some sisal rope branches. The one I got is nothing fancy, but fit her description. I fully expected him to never touch it, but he actually does use it. not so much for scratching, but more for surveying and resting, although the dog also climbs it. I got mine pretty cheap at Overstock.com
I’ve never had one.
I suspect that if I got one, Good Kitty would use it (because he’s Good Kitty, and does things like actually sleeping in the cat bed), and Bad Kitty would not. Such a thing might be useful for feeding Good Kitty on top of, since he is perfectly capable of jumping and needs to eat free choice and Bad Kitty needs to eat meals but has a pelvis problem which keeps him from jumping very high. However, we have a very small house, so I think I’ll just keep feeding Good Kitty on the kitchen counter.
Both my cats are front declawed (Not my doing! They came to me that way) so sisal would be a non-issue for us, but it seems like the carpet and sisal could be redone. And I bet if you made square cubbies instead of round ones, it wouldn’t be too hard to make one yourself.
My cats have one, but unfortunately, becoming property owners soon caused them to exhibit hoarder behavior. The lowest level is an enclosed circular room with a small entryway, and they have stuffed the entire level with various contraband collected from all over the house! :lol:
They’ve also abused the property to the point where resale is no longer possible—shredded walls and floor coverings, and a fluffy coating of hair that may never come off… Bad tenants, no matter how you look at it!
My cats have access to a subdivision, with houses in every room. Most have sisal, which is popular, although the one tree endowed with a cardboard scratching ramp is quite desirable, with one of my senior cats taking residence in that one. Once they had a house in every room, they quit scratching the furniture completely.
I was lucky enough to win one in a raffle for Fiesty Acres Cat Rescue. It is a cat castle and my guys LOVE it. I could use to replace some of the carpeting at this point, but usually just trim it. I do “supplement” with those S-shaped scratchers through the house and none of my 5 cats scratch my furniture. I am lucky that way!
http://mob74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/wtryan/cat%20castle/047.jpg
http://mob74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/wtryan/cat%20castle/023.jpg?t=1242078497
Here they are and here is a link to the place that sells these in different configurations: http://www.crazycatcondos.com/
One year my mom sent a check for Christmas and it turned into a cat tree, like this:
http://madison-wi.americanlisted.com/misc-household/--cat-playgrounds-free-scratching-post--madison-wi-_18651615.html
Then, shortly after spending too much on the original work of art, we found another on Craigslist for about 1/3 the price. So now we have two. And they are the kind that’s made on an actual piece of tree, so they look cool in our house.
They get a LOT of use, because we have a lot of cats. The one in the bedroom is sort of like kitty bunk-beds, because we’ll often have one on the top berth and another halfway up. The one in the kitchen is in front of the sliding doors to the deck, and the top two levels (a nesting box and a flat shelf) are almost always occupied in winter. There’s been some negotiating for who gets which perch but they work it out. Even the big cat with bone chips (joint mice!) makes it up to the top when it’s her shift to be on watch.
Haven’t had to re-wrap the sisal rope yet, but I’m sure it will need it. Replacing the carpeting will be a job for a professional, because the edges are really nicely finished and I won’t be able to do that. We do have “vacuum cat trees” on the weekly job chart, however, and I think that’s helped keep the carpet from getting gross. So I would give a big claws up for expensive fancy kitty real estate.
My cat came to me with a spinal injury and no claws, so we have no personal real estate story to add.
BUT I thought I’d point out, for those who are drawn to this thread because they’d like kitty to have his own high-rise, that most of what’s out there is made from inexpensive/easy-to-find concrete-forming tubes, 2x4s, plywood, and carpet remnants. The internet is full of DIY tutorials for those who think the pet store prices are outrageous (e.g. http://www.toolcrib.com/blog/2009/01/20-free-cat-furniture-plans-free-plans-for-cat-trees-condos-scratching-posts-and-more).
My crew has one of these in addition to the more generic posts.
Old Lady has no interest in it other than to scratch it. Little Man enjoys doing donuts around the tiers (lies down on his side and runs around the post often chasing his tail ouroboros-like).
I do resurface the “normal” carpet scratching posts because it seems like ones with any bulk are getting harder and harder to find – both of mine are vigorous scratchers, so I need a post that won’t tip over at first touch.
If I had the floorspace, I’d seriously think about building a wild and crazy condo complex.
We built our own, using a variety of leftover lumber we had lying around. It’s 5’ high; the center trunk is a 4x4 on a plywood base (about 2’x2’), with two 1’x2’ “stories” attached on 2 sides, and a top perch centered on top of the 4x4. The two middle levels were a bit teetery, so we added a 2x4 leg to help support them, with “L” brackets like you’d use for a bookshelf.
The only stuff I had to actually purchase was one cheap 5’ carpet runner (to wrap the center post), a couple of cheap carpet mats (to cover the base and 3 levels), and a roll of sisal (which we wrapped around the extra 2x4 support).
Cat uses the thing All. The. Time. He lounges on the various levels depending on his mood, the time of day, where the sun’s hitting it, etc.; if he gets hmself in a state, he’s downright aggressive in his rip-roaring climbing displays. (I should add that it’s parked right in front of a window, so the sunlight and views are the best he’s going to have anywhere in the house.)
My girls enjoy theirs… it’s in a corner near the big front window, so good for viewing the world… It’s about 6 ft tall, has three levels and the middle and top levels get used the most… they do lie on it together (on separate levels of course!) and do scratch on the sisal posts… Got it new for a very good deal on Ebay… though S&H was expensive, it still made it cheaper than buying it locally…
Great condos!
For you guys with the big ones: Did you have to throw out a piece of furniture to fit in the Cat Haus? Did you have to buy your house with a big window in order to accommodate your subletters?
we got one donated for our kitties, who only occasionally sit on top of it. The new girl likes to scratch it, though, to the point that the carpet is shredded. My mom just took a carpet square and stapled it on and it looks as good as new!
We did a little rearranging, but it’s a really small house so there isn’t much furniture to rearrange. We have had a couple “discussions” about the location of the cat tree in the bedroom, however; after walking into it twice in the dark and almost breaking my neck, it was relocated. Tenants are ok with the new feng shui. Right now we’re negotiating whether the kitchen cat tree will move to the porch for summer (fresh air, birds and squirrels up close and personal) or stay inside with the AC. I suppose we ought told a tenants’ meeting but it’s hard to get good discussion going without someone being a bully.
I have one for my cats, but only one uses it. He lounges on the top only, peering down his nose and judging us all. The rest much prefer the backs of chairs and couches.
[QUOTE=betsyk;6977005]
Right now we’re negotiating whether the kitchen cat tree will move to the porch for summer (fresh air, birds and squirrels up close and personal) or stay inside with the AC. I suppose we ought told a tenants’ meeting but it’s hard to get good discussion going without someone being a bully.[/QUOTE]
That would be very worthwhile focus group. I have never known whether cats appreciated the AC and the money I put into it or not.
No high rise but I would really, really like one. Maybe I could get husband to make me one! We have various scratching posts made of different materials and a small (2-cat-story) condo that the resident kitten Bubba really likes. We also have a cat tunnel! Made of indesctrutable fabric. Bubba and Lucy Goose enjoy the heck out of that.
We originally had an inexpensive & relatively small (around 4’) “starter tree”, but considering it was only made from carpet-&-sisal-covered heavy-duty cardboard tubes, it began to show too much wear & tear. Plus, except for one lone sisal section, the cats pretty much ignored it.
Then we saw & fell in love with the tree of our dreams, which was beautifully & artisinally handcrafted by the friend of the owner of a local independent pet shop. Standing 6-1/2’ high by around 2’ wide & boasting 5 luxuriously-carpeted levels in different configurations, this “Mercedes” of the cat-tree world is sturdily constructed with natural, thick-bark-covered hardwood logs (I believe they’re Locust) that just beg to be scratched (& are). We’ve had it for around 10 years now, & it’s still none the worse for wear. No mortgage required (I “think” it was around $150), but I did have to buy it, drive home, & return with my truck since it wouldn’t fit in the car - lol!
This Cat Real Estate Show has a theme song.
From The Jeffersons: “Well I’m movin on up… to the East Side… to a de-lux apartment in the sky-hi-hi-hi. Well I’m movin in up… to the East Side… I finally got a piece of the pie-hi-hi-yi-yi-yi-yi.”
You know it. Sing along.
And this means that cats like the top floors of the cat condo, right?
Do they actually use the bottom ones? Or are those shelves just like a lobby for them? Some of your cats like a basement cube for toy storage, right?
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