Cat Trees - The Perfect Plaything For Your Kitty

Cats love cat trees. What isn't there to love about them?

Cat's love to climb, cat trees are a perfect place to do that with many of them having a number of levels for a cat to climb to before being at the top of the proverbial world and looking down at any animals below, tail wagging, ready to pounce.

Cat nature is also to scratch. Most cat trees are made of materials like carpet and sisal rope that are just begging to be scratched and will hold up when your cat obliges and digs his nails in.

Cats love to play hide and seek. Many cat trees have various places to crawl in and out of on the levels of the tree. This means cats can crawl through these spaces as they hunt their next toy target.

Deciding to buy cat trees should be a relative no-brainer if you own a feline. The only thing to know is what to look for when you are making that purchase.

First, you need cat trees that are sturdy. You don't want your cat climbing his way to the top only to have it topple over on him. Not only can your kitty get hurt if this were to happen, but he also will never trust cat trees again, and you are out one tool to keep him from clawing your furniture to pieces. Check for extra weight at the bottom of cat trees to be able to counter any rough kitty play at the top. The bottom platform should be of a substantial size and be at least 2 layers thick of wood, so it has the weight needed to hold up to a little batting around by the cat.

How much help does your cat need in climbing? If you keep your cats claws relatively trimmed, he may not be able to easily climb to the top of cat trees. But you can offer a little help. Either make sure there are alternating levels to climb up the cat trees you are purchasing, or make sure you will have other objects you can set near the cat trees to give your pet the boost he needs to get to the top of the toy.

Make sure the cat trees fit the cat. There are cat trees in all sizes. The one you get must be big enough for your cat. If you have a tabby that is still a kitten, you may want to avoid paying for higher priced cat trees now and purchase a small one. You need to remember, kittens grow fast and soon that baby cat will be full grown and will have grown out of the smaller cat trees. If there is not adequate scratching available, your cat should be able to completely stretch his body and paws out across the scratching area; he will shy away from the cat trees and instead dig his claws into your furniture. It's better to buy cat trees that will be the right size, up front, and let your cat grow into them.