Indoors cats can climb if you get him a cat tree

If you’ve ever watched your cat outside and watched how fast he climbs a tree you’ll be stunned at how agile he is and how fast he can climb. Cats are natural climbers, just remember those pictures from Africa of the big cats draped in the branches of trees.

But why do cats climb? Of course it is not possible to know entirely without getting into the mind of the cat but there are several obvious reasons which we can deduce. If you ever seen a cat sitting on a branch smirking at a dog barking on the ground below the tree you can reasonably assume that cats climb to get away from predators. And it works very well when the predator is a dog.

And of course if there are predators around a tree is a much safer place to sleep than somewhere on the ground.

And of course cats are predators too and will frequently climb trees, particularly at night, to do their own hunting. It is one of the major reasons why it is highly recommended that cats be kept indoors at night, if not 24 hours a day, because they can decimate small native furry animals that live around the house in the trees.

And whilst it looks like a lot of fun it’s hard to know if cats climb for entertainment.

The bottom line though is that all cats climb, and presumably love to do so. It’s probably instinctual.

So if you keep your cat indoors as you should it is unlikely that he will suddenly learn to ignore his impulse to climb, and in many cases ends up climbing your curtains, which is extremely damaging for the curtains and can be damaging to the cat as well if he falls.

Rather than hoping that your cat will lose his instinct to climb you can cater to it by providing him with some fine cat furniture that actually encourages him to climb by giving him a place to do so where nothing important will be damaged. It is known as a cat tree, or sometimes a cat tower or a cat gym or condo, but whatever name it goes by it is a piece of cat furniture that allows your cat to climb and play to his heart’s content. Read the rest of this entry

An indoors cat can have a longer happy life

We talk on our website about cats and in particular about using cat trees. A cat tree is only useful where you keep your cat indoors. If he lives outdoors he will have plenty of trees to play on and to climb without the necessity of you providing him with one.

But should you keep your cat indoors or outdoors?

There is evidence showing that a cat kept indoors will have a longer lifespan than one kept outdoors. For instance cats kept outdoors are at risk of dog attack where for obvious reasons this will not happen indoors. And they can be run over on the road.

And there are risks for cats in suburban areas which venture outside their garden into the neighbours garden, for example eating something they shouldn’t or even being deliberately poisoned.

But probably the major reason for keeping your cat indoors is that they can be devastating to the local wildlife. Cats are extremely effective hunters and hunt mainly at night. And night-time is when you get the sugar gliders and other small native animals coming out to feed. A cat can be devastating on a sugar glider.

There is no reason why you cannot keep your cat indoors all the time. That is why we have this website, because indoor cats need plenty of exercise and fun things to do just as outdoors cats do, and because they do not have all those fun outdoor things to do such as climbing trees, they need you to provide their exercise and stimulation.

And a cat tree does that superbly. Read the rest of this entry

The range of pet furniture like cat trees and cat condos has increased

It never ceases to amaze us how inventive some people can be. The range of cat furniture just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Some of it is useful and some of it is, ahem, perhaps a little unnecessary.

What’s the difference between a cat tree, a cat gym and a cat tower? Very little as far as we can see. If you look at any of these particular pieces of cat furniture in most online stores it’s particularly difficult to see any differences between them.

Probably just some people like fooling around with names to try and make their products sound a little different.

That’s not to say that a good cat tree (or a cat gym or cat tower for that matter) is unnecessary. In fact we recommend that any feline owner invest immediately in some fine cat furniture. It’s essential furniture to keep your favourite pet happy and well exercised.

We just laugh at the inventiveness of some people trying to sell cat furniture.

Now there is cat steps, or stairs. Now if ever you’ve seen your cat trying to climb something you will know how agile they can be. There’s very little that can prevent a cat getting somewhere he wants to. If you can’t climb up straight away he’ll probably climb the curtains and walk along the curtain rail to get there. Read the rest of this entry

What is the difference between cat tree and a cat scratching post?

What is the difference between cat tree and a cat scratching post?

Cat furniture can often go by a number of interchangeable names. For instance what is the difference between a cat condo, a cat tree, a cat gym and a cat scratching post?

Many people seem to think they all mean the same thing, but there are subtle differences.

A cat tree can also function as a scratching post for example. If your cat loves his tree chances are spend some time scratching on part of it. However a tree is a far more complex structure than a scratching post and allows your cat play, climb, sleep and high in all the nooks and crannies. Generally speaking a cat scratching post is only big enough for him to scratch, not to climb.

And although it’s not totally clear many people refer to a Condo as being the enclosed area on a cat tree where your cat could hide in or sleep.

It’s pretty confusing really.

However the bottom line is that cat owners should take some time to provide their cat with some good quality cat furniture. If you provide them with somewhere to climb and play that’s their own, and provide them with somewhere to scratch where they won’t be punished for damaging the furniture then you’re much likely to have a happy cat, undamaged furniture and a happier household. Read the rest of this entry