How to choose a cat tree, tower or wall shelves for your space

If you can spare a small square of floor, a freestanding cat tower is the simplest choice: no drilling, and everything your cat needs in one column. If floor space is tight, wall shelves or a climbing set give your cat height without taking any floor at all. Whichever you choose, it has to be rock solid, with something to scratch and somewhere to rest up high.

Why cats need height and somewhere to scratch

Height is how cats feel safe. A high perch lets them watch the room, get away from a dog or a toddler, and keep a polite distance from other cats.

Scratching is just as normal. It keeps claws in condition, gives a full-body stretch and leaves their scent behind. If you do not offer a good surface, your cat will pick one, usually the sofa arm.

Floor tower or wall shelves?

Floor-standing towers

A tower needs no drilling and can move with you. The trade-off is floor space, so footprint matters as much as height.

The Multi-Level Felt Cat Tower is the slim choice: both sizes share a 37 x 37 cm (14.6 x 14.6 in) footprint, so going taller only costs you height. The Multi-Level Cat Tree with Hammock is the big one, with sisal posts, condos, perches and a hammock on a large, thick base.

Wall-mounted shelves and climbing sets

Wall pieces free the floor entirely, a real help in a small flat or apartment. They are modular, so you can start with a step and a perch and add more as your cat gets braver. Renters should check their lease before drilling.

The Floating Cat Wall Shelves are solid wood pieces sold one at a time, from a single wall step to a 77 cm (30 in) sisal climbing pole. The Wall Cat Climbing Set with Tunnel adds curved bentwood perches, a fabric hammock and an enclosed wooden tunnel, so your cat gets a route rather than a row of shelves.

If drilling is off the table, the Sisal Wall Scratching Pad sticks straight to the wall with a self-adhesive mount. It gives no height, but it gives claws something better than your wallpaper.

Height and footprint: measure first

Measure the floor you can spare, the ceiling height and any nearby launch pads, like a bookcase.

For wall setups, plan the gaps between pieces around your cat. Kittens, older cats and less confident climbers do better with small, even steps than big leaps.

Enclosed hideaways for shy cats

A nervous cat wants to see without being seen. A shy cat often ignores open platforms and goes straight back under the bed.

The felt tower has an enclosed chamber on every level, so it works as a den as well as a perch. On the wall, the climbing set's tunnel module and its Cat House A and Cat House B pieces do the same job. Start with an enclosed spot lower down, then add height once your cat is using it.

Scratching surfaces: sisal and felt

Most cats like a surface they can dig into and pull against. Natural sisal rope is the classic, found on the large tree, the climbing set's post and several wall shelf pieces. The felt tower's felt is scratch and wear resistant, so it doubles as a scratching surface.

Plenty of cats like to scratch at full stretch, standing tall on their back legs, and a short post will not let them. The Tall Sisal Scratching Post comes in 86 cm (34 in) for an adult's full stretch or 56 cm (22 in) for a kitten or a low spot, both on a 41 cm (16 in) square base.

Stability comes first

A tower that wobbles once often gets abandoned, so give it a firm push before your cat tries it.

• Large cat tree: the thick base helps, and the anti-tip kit in the box is worth fitting, especially if your cat launches off the top perch.
• Felt tower: the levels stack on wood pegs. Check they are snug after assembly, and again after a few weeks of climbing.
• Scratching post: the wide base is there to stop the wobble that makes cats give up on a post.
• Everything: re-check screws and joints every few months.

Wall mounting, in plain terms

A wall shelf is only as strong as what it is fixed into, and cats land with real force.

1. Fix into the studs of a stud wall, or into solid brick or block. Hollow drywall (plasterboard) on its own is not a safe anchor for a shelf a cat jumps onto.
2. Check for hidden pipes and cables before you drill.
3. Fixings come with our shelves and climbing set, but check your wall will take them first, and use suitable ones if it needs something different.
4. Follow the instructions in the box.
5. Press down hard on each piece before your cat tries it, and check it again from time to time.

Our wall pieces do not list a weight limit, so do not assume one. If you are unsure what your wall can take, ask a handyperson before you drill.

Multi-cat homes

Cats sharing a home do best with choices: more levels, more than one resting spot up high, and more than one way up so a single cat cannot block the route.

The large tree is built for this. It suits 4 to 5 cats, and its stated max load is 27 kg (60 lb) in total across all the perches and condos, so add up your cats' weights and check. With the felt tower, choose the 3-Level for more dens to go around.

Where to put it

Next to a window is the classic spot. A view of birds and passing people is free entertainment for an indoor cat.

Choose a room your household actually uses, keep it away from the litter box and food bowls, and move anything breakable off nearby shelves.

Still not sure?

Email contact@honeyandpaw.com with your floor or wall measurements, your ceiling height and how many cats will be climbing, and we will help you choose.