OK, So Maybe I Do Spoil My Cats

As Oliver is growing he is in need of constant interaction or he finds other ways to entertain himself.  He recently found a way to climb the shelves in the basement and crawl across the beams and get between the basement ceiling and the floor of the 1st floor.  He broke a lamp climbing the shelves in the livingroom.  He broke a glass cup by trying to play on the counters after we went to sleep. We find his toys on the kitchen table (even though all cats know the table is off-limits). The vet has his chart listed as “Domestic Short Hair” but im convinced he is (at least in part) Ocicat. Next time we go in, I want to talk to her more about him and his possible breed. He is pure muscle. He is sleek and slim but heavy! He leaps and climbs without any effort. He is extremely vocal and seeks constant attention. He is constantly carrying his toys in his mouth and bringing them some place.

I had spent years researching the best cat trees. Yes, years. Long before we had Oliver, I wanted to get a cat tree to try to get Harley to excercise more. Our apartment was TINY so I didn’t have room for anything big.  I kept reading about how sturdy Armarkat Cat Trees were but I went the smaller, cheaper route and got one of those cheap cat trees they sell at Wal-Mart that has 3 levels and goes floor to ceiling. Harley and Jewel were both terrified of it. The base was so small it darn near fell over anytime they got on it.

After a few months, a screw broke and it just all fell apart. So fast forward to present time with acrobatic Oliver. I was watching all the cat trees on Ebay and Amazon and a few other pet retailers.  One thing I kept seeing was that heavy cats made the tower sway and that long cats just couldn’t fit on the shelves to lay down.   I was thrilled when I saw so many user submitted pictures of the  Armarkat Cat Tree (74 inch) .  Many of the pictures had captions that let you know how big the cat  in the picture was so you could compare it to your own cats size and see if the tree would work in your home.  Many users had been impressed with how sturdy the tree was because of the large base.  Some however noted that this large footprint made it too big for their home. We happened to have an empty spot next to the tv in the living room a thought it would fit in.  If not we decided we could always put it by the front window, behind the recliner.  Thanks to Amazon Prime, the cat tree arrived 2 days later while I was at work.  Tony had it together in less than 30 minutes. Oliver had claimed it as his a few minutes after it was together.

Jewel and Harley go on it occasionally, but Oliver uses it as his personal playground.  When Oliver is on it, he tries to chase the other cats off.  Harley tries to fight back by hissing loudly, but as Oliver gets closer Harley will just jump down. Jewel usually fights back and then decides she would rather sleep on the couch anyway. If Jewel happens to be up there first  playing with her toys, Oliver knows to just leave her alone and wait for her to come down when she is done playing.

 

Here are some pictures of the kitties enjoying the tree!
(You can click any thumbnail to view it larger)

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 Disclosure: I paid for the cat tower myself.  I was not asked to write a review. I just wanted to share a great product I found with my readers.