How to Select Cat Furniture
The term “furniture” generally brings tables, couches, and chairs to mind, but cat furniture is an entirely different story. Cat owners will be familiar with their feline’s annoying tendency to climb up on places like the mantelpiece or the refrigerator – this is because cats are natural climbers, enjoy the activity, and feel secure when they are at heights.
In order to fulfil their need to climb, scratch, lounge about, and wriggle into tight spots, you might consider buying cat furniture – also referred to as a cat tree. This is a sort of playground for your cat, and contains towers, ramps, stairs, platforms, cosy dark hiding holes, and lots of dangling objects to play with.
Instructions
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Start by deciding whether you want to order your cat furniture online, or buy it from a local pet store. There are pros and cons in both cases. If you order it online, there will be more variety to choose from, but you will need to pay additional shipping costs and assemble it yourself once it arrives. If you get it from a local pet store, you can personally inspect it and buy it already assembled, but there will be less variety to choose from, and you will need to hire some form of transport to get the cat tree home.
Image courtesy: cozycatfurniture.com
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Before you purchase it, make sure you have enough space. Cat trees are tall and sprawling, so they will take up a fair amount of room, and most likely form the centrepiece of any room in which they are placed. Clear out a large area in your living room for this purpose, and if you have a special cat room, that’s even better.
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When selecting a cat tree, it is essential to make sure it blends into the decor of your home. Do not get anything that clashes with the overall atmosphere of the room where you plan to place it – the cat tree needs to be one which both you and your felines are comfortable with. In addition to colour, you can also choose what style of cat furniture you want – trees are often designed as castles, tree-houses, and other structures.
Image courtesy: crazycatcondos.com
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Since the cat furniture is for climbing and exploring purposes, it needs to be sturdy. Make sure it does not wobble, and is not the sort of structure that will topple and tip over if you cat jumps on and off. The tree should also be devoid of slippery surfaces, or any parts that can be chewed off and swallowed by an overzealous feline.
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Yet another important consideration when buying cat furniture is the covering. Cat trees come with a variety of coverings and surfaces, including carpet, faux fur and fleece. Choose the one you feel will work best for your cat – generally, faux fur and fleece tend to look the best. An ideal option would be a cat tree covered in faux fur or fleece, with small scratching posts covered with carpet or rope.
Image courtesy: cattreefurnitureblog.com
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Finally, make sure the cat tree is large enough to accommodate all your cats. If you have several, get a cat tree that has several layers, perches and platforms at different heights, to make sure every kitty gets its space.
Image courtesy: bztat.com
