What is a Cat Tree?
Cat trees are usually made of a very thick cardboard or inexpensive wood and then covered in a durable layer of carpet. The carpet will not shred when cats claw it, so they can climb up and down without ruining their toy. Smaller cat trees will stand alone in the room, which makes them much more portable. Larger trees will often need to be attached to the wall or some other support to make sure they do not fall over.
Simple or Elaborate
At its most basic, a cat tree will measure around two or three feet and have a single platform or cubbyhole. In my experience, these smaller ones really don’t appeal to most cats and will probably not get used often. From the smallest ones, the size and features continue to increase. Some very dedicated cat owners have even created tunnels and trees that interconnect around an entire room! The size we had the best experience with was a single tall tree that attached to the ceiling with brackets. It had a hollow center for the cats to climb up inside, and multiple platforms for them to play and rest on.
Cat trees are a great way for your indoor cats to exercise, and they give all cats a place of their own to play in and claw up. Our cats ignored our leather furniture after we bought them a cat tree.