The best cat tree for large cats has to be built strong. It shouldn’t wobble, move, or shake during use, and it should come equipped with designated spots for sharpening nails, play, and sleep.
Our first time cat owner tips will tell you that a cat tree is a must, especially if you have more than one cat in the home. But buying a lower priced cat tree can be a major mistake.
But why?
Lower priced cat trees are not only made out of cheap materials that can easily become damaged from heavy use and your cat’s nails, but lower priced cat trees typically can’t withstand rough play. This means, when your cat is active at night, running around and climbing up their cat tree, it can easily topple over. Not only will this severely scare and stress out your cat it can also prevent them from coming anywhere near their new cat tree in the future.
This is especially true with large indoor cats. Because of this, you need a well-built cat tree that won’t topple over, rock, or sway, when your cat is climbing, sharpening their nails on one of the scratching posts, or chasing a littermate.
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Choosing the Best
We’ve created a site that’s dedicated to teaching important new cat owners tips and tricks regarding training their cats and understanding cat behavior. But we also focus on reviewing the leading models of cat trees on the market. Ensuring you find the best cat tree for your large cat, one they can use for sleep and playtime, and a model that’s designed to last for several years to come.
We found five cat trees that cat owners swear by, each of which has something special to offer, whether it’s a variety of scratching posts, cubby holes, built-in toys, or high perches.
If you’re looking for the perfect cat tree for your feline, we’re confident you’ll find it here.
Our main focus was finding cat trees that were both sturdy and durable, which is why we included some great models that are made out of solid wood.
However, we also found some models made out of pressboard that have a reputation for stability and durability as well. These are the cat trees that will be a great choice for cat owners on a tight budget.
Style-wise we have functional and themed cat trees. The cat condos are pretty basic in terms of design. These are the trees that focus mainly on durability. While the themed models are also incredibly sturdy, they offer more in terms of style and décor.
Whether you choose a unique style such as cat tree shelves, a themed model, or a basic cat tree, we’ve included the best cat trees in each category designed to keep your cats active, healthy, and happy.
Before we jump into summaries of the leading models we have reviewed, below you’ll find a comparison chart that lists the differences between each of the models and includes the measurements, style, rating and price range.
Top Cat Trees Comparison Chart
| Product | Material | Style | Size | Rating | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Cat Condos | Wood | Themed | 84 inches | 5/5 | $$$$$ |
Kitty Mansions Cat Tree | Pressboard | Themed | 78 inches | 4.5/5 | $$ |
CatastrophiCreations Cat Tree | Wood | Shelves | N/A | 4.5/5 | $$$$ |
Molly And Friends Cat Tree | Pressboard | Condo | 66 | 4.5/5 | $$ |
Go Pet Club | wood | Themed | 35 inches | 4.5/5 | $$ |
Best Choice Products | Compressed wood | Condo | 96 inches | 4.5/5 | $$ |
Songmics Cat Tree | Particle Board | Condo | 67 inches | 4.5/5 | $$ |
Best Themed Cat Tree-New Cat Condos Premier 7′ Tall Cat Playground
Our Rating:
This whimsical cat tree is designed to look like a real tree, complete with a tiny house with a U shaped roof. The innovative roof design will provide your cats with a secure, comfortable spot to sleep, while the small, enclosed house will allow your cat to sleep in a dark quiet spot during the day.
The tree also features a variety of sisal covered scratching posts, a high perch, and thick carpeted surfaces that your cats will enjoy.
This is a large, seven-foot- tall model that will provide your cat with plenty of spaces to sleep, sharpen their claws, climb, and play.
Top Choice for Multi-Cat Homes-Kitty Mansions 78 in. Amazon Cat Tree
Our Rating:
This is a budget-friendly cat tree that comes with a variety of sleeping spots, levels, and built-in toys. This model can be a great choice for younger, more active cats who need a play structure they can use to burn up energy while you sleep. This themed model features vines that wrap around the entire structure and plenty of hiding spots, making it a great addition to any multi-cat home.
Space-Saving Design-CatastrophiCreations Cat Mod Climb Track Wall-Mounted Cat Tree Shelves
Our Rating:
This cat tree by CatatrophiCreations is wall-mounted, so it’s a great choice if you don’t have much floor space to work with. It also allows you to arrange the cat tree any way you want, so you can feel free to tweak the design. Additionally, the manufacturer also offers expansion sets so you can expand the cat tree later down the line if your cat needs more space or you bring a new cat home. This versatile cat tree looks like a work of art and is sure to be the focal point in any home.
Budget-Friendly Options-Molly and Friends “Fluffy’s Favorite” Premium Handmade 4-Tier Cat Tree
Our Rating:
This Molly and Friends cat tree offers a more traditional take on cat tree design. This is a condo style cat tree and one that features a total of four levels, giving your cats plenty of room to climb and explore. Not only is this cat tree impressively durable and stable, but it also comes with some hiding spaces that your cats will definitely enjoy during the day. This budget-friendly buy will be a great addition to multi-cat homes for cats of all ages.
Go Pet Club Cat Tree Furniture
Our Rating:
This is a themed cat tree by Go Pet Club and it features levels designed to look like a cat’s paw. This is a shorter cat tree that can take up quite a bit of floor space, however, its design and faux fur covering is sure to please any feline. This multi-level model is perfect for younger, more active cats. It’s also made out of solid wood, so you know this cat tree will stay firmly in place during use. The only drawback with this cat tree is the lack of sisal covered scratching posts.
Best Choice Products 96in Cat Tree Scratcher Condo Palace Play Furniture Review
Our Rating:
Best Choice Products impressed us with their larger than life cat tree that’s designed with the bigger than average feline in mind. Considering the size, you’ll be surprised to learn how affordable this model really is. This is one massive cat tree that comes loaded with sleeping baskets, tunnels, a covered cubby hole and plenty of sisal covered scratching posts that any cat is sure to love. A great addition to any multi-cat household, this cat tree provides cats with an appropriate place to sleep, rest, and play.
SONGMICS 67” Multi-Level Cat Tree Condo Review
Our Rating:
Finding a multi-level cat tree that’s designed to withstand rough housing from larger felines is a task in and of itself, but this leading model seems to include everything that cats of all ages need and love.
The SONGMICS cat tree comes equipped with plenty of sleeping spaces, perches, a built-in ramp and cat toys. It also features a sturdy design that allows even larger felines to run, jump, and play, without causing the tree to shake, wobble, or move. It’s a great choice for multiple cat households and is designed to meet your cat’s natural instincts to climb, groom, scratch, and more.
Cat Trees Buyer’s Guide
The best cat tree for large cats shouldn’t be thought of as a type of extravagant purchase. Cat trees can actually be very beneficial for your feline, providing both mental and physical stimulation. While the human may live in a horizontal world, the feline lives in a vertical one. Because of this, they require elevated spaces for fun, comfort, safety, and exercise. If you’ve ever had to climb up on a chair to get your cat off the top of your bookshelf, then you know how much they enjoy sitting on the tallest spot in the home.
Our cat tree buyer’s guide will discuss why felines need and thrive with a cat tree in the home and what characteristics you should look for in order to find a perfect model for your pet and your home.
The Cat Pecking Order
If you live in a multi-cat home, then having some much-needed vertical space can help keep your pets satisfied, active, and peaceful. This is because the dominant cat in the home will be able to claim the tallest perch on the cat tree, which clearly displays the cat’s status to the other felines in the home.
In homes where you’re constantly dealing with cat fights, this type of vertical space can help to prevent physical confrontations because the cats will clearly know their place in the pecking order once the head cat has established their dominance by making that tall perch their home.
You can click here to learn more about cat behaviors and how to train your cat in our article on the topic do cats understand no?
A Safe Space
If you’ve just adopted a cat or you have cats that are naturally shy and spook easily, then a cat tree can give them the perfect space to hide. This type of cat will look at the cat tree as their safe haven, providing them with the type of security they need if they often struggle with anxiety. This type of safe space can encourage a cat to stop hiding in the bedroom or under the couch and will allow them to view their new family while still remaining in a safe space. When the cat is sitting on a high perch they can also more clearly view their environment and easily identify any dangers such as the family dog. This will ease anxiety and promote relaxation and security.
Eventually, the cat tree will become a place that’s exclusively your cat’s. it will not contain any unfamiliar scents, which will also help to put your cat at ease.
A Designated Scratching Area
The cat tree can serve more than one purpose. While it can help to establish the pecking order in a multi-cat home, the cat tree also features support posts that can be used as scratching posts. Some cat trees will come with posts that have bare wood posts or posts that are covered in sisal, which most cats love. If you currently have a cat tree and the posts are covered in carpet you can always upgrade it and wrap the posts in rope in order to provide more scratching surface options for your cat.
Mental Stimulation
While the indoor cat tends to live a healthier, longer life compared to the outdoor cat, they often struggle with obesity, an issue which the outdoor cat doesn’t often deal with. Additionally, when a cat is not given the opportunity to explore, hunt, and exercise, weight gain isn’t the only issue. They can also experience a wide range of emotional problems such as anxiety, depression, and boredom. If you’ve ever dealt with your cat wandering the house meowing throughout the night, then this is a clear indication that your cat is bored and in need of a little entertainment. Cat trees are designed to encourage exercise and activity, helping to keep your cats preoccupied while you sleep.
Many cat trees come loaded with breakaway toys that are designed to encourage swatting, pouncing, and other types of prey-like behaviors that will keep your cat challenged stimulated and entertained.
Multiple level cat trees can also help to expend energy as your cat climbs from one level to the next. If you have several cats in the home then corners and cubby holes can add to the hunting and playing experience. You can even stash treats throughout the cat tree, stuffing treats inside hanging toys or in one of the cubby holes.
If you want to add more challenges to your cat’s late night adventure, we also recommend purchasing a cat tree that has a number of attachment points so new toys can be purchased for variety or replaced once destroyed.
Meeting Your Cat’s Needs
Keeping your cat or cats entertained can help to prevent unwanted behaviors such as excessive grooming, meowing, inappropriate elimination outside of the litter box, and fighting.
Cat trees are designed to address many of a cat’s instinctual needs. Within the limited confines of their home, the cat’s natural behaviors can be destructive. Cat owners often respond by scolding their pets for these normal behaviors. Cat trees will offer your cats the perfect space to vent their natural behaviors such as scratching and climbing, giving you peace of mind that your cat is healthy, active, and happy.
Shop Online
These days, there are many cat trees on the market. They are often found at local pet stores, but these models are often overpriced and options are limited, which is why we recommend buying online. online you’ll have more options to choose from and you can also read cat tree reviews to find out how these cat trees really measure up to rough use.
Perch Styles
When you’re shopping around for a new cat tree for your feline, you must keep your cat’s personality and size in mind before you hit that buy now button. If you have a large cat, choosing a cat tree that works can be a little tricky since you need a tree that’s tough enough to support their weight and handle their activity level without toppling over. For large felines you don’t want to choose a model that has flat, small perches, otherwise, your cat will hang off the perch. This can leave your cat feeling insecure and may even make them vulnerable to an attack from another cat in the home who may perceive their tail hanging off the perch as an invitation to play. Instead, you’ll want to choose a tree that comes with appropriately sized perches. Models that come equipped with the popular U perch shape are a great choice because they allow the cat to rest their back against the side.
A cat will usually feel at ease when their back is placed against something.
Sturdiness
Aside from the number of perches a tree has, what will matter most to your cat is the tree’s sturdiness. If the tree easily rocks when they jump on it or off it, you’ll quickly notice that they refuse to use it. This is very common with larger felines who need a cat tree that’s more stable than one that’s designed for kittens or smaller cats.
Height or Width?
Some cat trees focus more on height, while other styles will be lower to the ground and will mainly focus on providing enough scratching posts and spots for your cats to snooze. Obviously, if you don’t have much space to work with then you’ll want to choose a cat tree that’s taller as opposed to one that’s wider. However, keep in mind that the taller cat trees may come with just a single cubby hole.
Cat Tree Styles
Most cat owners already know how much their cats love climbing. The problem is, in homes without cat trees, cats often climb where they shouldn’t, which is where the cat tree comes in. There are a variety of cat trees to choose from. The style and size of the cat tree you choose should be based on the number of cats you have in the home, the size of the cats, and the amount of space you have to work with.
Currently, there are three main types of cat trees to choose from:
Condos
The cat condo is usually the go-to choice for multi-cat households. These structures are very small and come equipped with individual spaces designed for cats to sleep in. This type of cat tree is the perfect spot for cats to both sleep and play. They also come loaded with multiple scratching posts and other features that will allow you to hang up your cat’s favorite toys in order to keep them engaged and active.
Post
The cat post comes with a spot for your cat to rest and a scratching post, which will give your cat an approved spot to file down their claws. While this type of cat tree can provide a nice spot to snooze, it’s not really designed for activities and isn’t a good choice for multiple cat homes since the cats will end up fighting over it.
Cat Trees with a Theme
This style of cat tree is designed for both sleep and fun and comes in a variety of styles that will be complementary to your room’s décor. Themed cat trees are designed to appeal to your cat’s adventurous nature.
Materials Commonly Used for Cat Trees
This includes the type of material that the cat tree is made out of, in addition to the type of material used to cover the surfaces of the tree.
Carpet
Carpet is by far the most common type of material used for cat trees. You’ll find carpet on non-scratching post poles and flat surfaces. The carpet is designed to provide a comfortable spot for felines to sleep and rest.
Faux Fur
Cat trees that are covered in fake fur can give your cats a soft, comfortable place to play and sleep. Just keep in mind that trees covered in this type of material are often harder to clean.
Pressboard
This is a more affordable option compared to models made out of wood. Cat trees that use pressboard are often much lighter than models that are made out of wood, so they may not be the best choice for larger felines or multi-cat homes.
Wood
By far, wood is the most durable option. Cat trees that are made out of wood are usually designed to resemble furniture in order to help them blend into a room’s existing décor. However, some models made out of wood do not come with a comfortable covering, such as faux fur or carpet. This means that scratch marks can easily show up on wood, so keep this in mind before you buy.
Additional features to look for
This can include sleeping spots, toys, attachment points, scratching posts, feeding stations, and much more.
Cubby Holes
As we mentioned earlier, U shaped spots on cat trees provide your cat with a nice, secure place to rest. Some trees will simply provide perches in which a flat spot is located at the top of a scratching post. Others will come with one or more cubby holes. These little boxes will have a couple of entryways, allowing your cat to easily escape. These spots are designed to provide your cat with a warm, dark, comfortable spot to sleep and rest. Often, cat condos will come with two or three of these comfy spots. If you live in a multiple cat household we recommend choosing a model that has enough cubby holes for each of your cats, otherwise, they may end up fighting over these coveted spots.
Pricing
Pricing will depend on the size of the cat tree and the type of materials used. Wood cat trees will be more expensive than carpeted cat trees that consist of corrugated cardboard. Additionally, multi-level cat trees will come with a higher price tag compared to a cat tree with a single level or one sleeping spot.
Finding the Perfect Spot For A Cat Tree
Placing your cat tree in the right spot will also have a major impact on whether or not your cat or cats will use it. Generally, placing the cat tree by the window is a great option since it allows your cat to do a little bird watching and enjoy the sunshine. If you’re dealing with a shy cat or a new cat, make sure you place the cat tree in the family room, in a secure spot by a window. You don’t want your new cat to continue to isolate itself from you and the rest of the family. Instead, adding a cat tree to the family room will encourage the new cat to be more social with all of the members of the family.
The best cat tree for large cats should work with your budget, but it should also be able to withstand plenty of use and abuse. Durability is crucial for large feline owners or those who have more than one cat in the home. The tree should be able to accommodate the number of cats you have in the home, the space you have to work with, and should come loaded with features all cats need in order to thrive.
