Does your feline pal have a cat tower? If so, that’s great! Fluffy certainly isn’t shy about ‘borrowing’ our beds, couches, chairs, and laps when she is looking for her next napping spot. However, we do recommend giving your feline pal at least one thing that was made just for her. A local Northwest Arkansas vet discusses Fluffy’s favorite piece of furniture—the cat tower—in this article.
Is A Cat Tower Good For Cats?
Yes. Cat towers help keep kitties happy and healthy. They allow cats to exhibit their natural behaviors, such as scratching, and also give Fluffy a place she can go to and look down on her kingdom.
What Is The Purpose Of A Cat Tower?
Cat towers are actually multi-purrpose pieces. They provide spots for Fluffy to do her nails, and also provide her with a jungle gym, a lookout point, and yet another napping spot.
Cat towers are also a great option for families with both dogs and cats, especially as Fluffy and Fido are getting used to each other. Hopefully, this goes without saying, but if you have a cat, you should only consider adopting a dog that is known to be good with kitties. That said, even if you choose the most cat-friendly dog ever, Fluffy may not be happy about it, particularly at first. It’s good for her to have a place she can retreat to, somewhere Fido can’t reach her.
Ask your vet for advice on introducing dogs and cats.
Why Does My Cat Sleep On Top Of The Cat Tower?
Many cats love seeking out high spots. There are a few reasons for this. First and foremost, Fluffy often feels safe when she has a good view of her surroundings. While your pet (hopefully) won’t spot any mice or bears from her kitty penthouse, she will feel more relaxed knowing there are no predators or prey around.
There’s also the fact that our feline overlords just enjoy looking down at their kingdoms and servants (that would be you) with that cute, smug expression they do so well.
Why Do Cats Like Cat Towers So Much?
Kitties are instinctively drawn to cat towers. In the wild, cats use trees for scratching, napping, surveying their surroundings, and escaping danger. It only makes sense that Fluffy would enjoy a tower. It’s the closest thing to a tree she’ll find in your home!
Is It OK To Get A Used Cat Tower?
You certainly can if you choose to, but there are a few concerns to be aware of. For one thing, if the tower’s previous owner was afflicted with something contagious—whether it be fleas or a virus—there’s a chance that your furry pal could become infected. Also, the tower will probably smell like its former feline owner. Even if you can’t smell it, Fluffy probably can. Kitties have scent glands in their paws, which they use to mark things as theirs. This could trigger your pet’s territorial instincts. Best case scenario: your kitty may ignore the tower. Worst case scenario: spraying. (While spraying is fairly rare in fixed cats, it’s not unheard of.)
Where Is The Best Place To Put A Cat Tower?
This will to some extent depend on how much room you have to work with. If you have a small apartment, you may only have a few options. That said, the purrfect situation would be for the tower to be placed against a wall or in a corner, but near a window, so Fluffy can look out.
Your pet will probably feel safest with a wall behind her. Kitties are both predators and prey by nature, so they can naturally feel a bit uneasy in a spot where something could come up behind them. As far as the window, well, that gives your furry little voyeur the chance to look outdoors and spy on birds and squirrels. This is one of Fluffy’s favorite pastimes.
How Many Cat Towers Should You Have?
If we were able to poll our feline patients on this, they would probably politely request that you install a cat tower in every room, as well as a real tree in the living room, catnip gardens, and stocked fishponds.
Fortunately, you don’t have to go that far to please your feline overlords.
We would generally just suggest having at least one tower. If you have more than one furball, get something with levels that are big enough to fit them both at once, so they can snuggle if they want.
Here’s a fun fact: if you have more than one kitty, and you find your pets on the tower at once, the furball on top is the ‘boss’ cat.
How Do I Choose A Cat Tower?
Picking out a cat tower for your feline pal isn’t exactly rocket science … unless, of course, you find one with a rocket theme. That said, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Fluffy’s age is one factor to consider. If you have a kitten, you’ll want to get something that offers lots of fun features, like ladders, tunnels, and dangly toys. If you have a furry, purring senior on your hands, choose something that is lower to the ground and easy for your cat to get on and off.
The other thing we would suggest is making sure that the tower is stable. Cats like to stretch when they scratch. You want to make sure your kitty can stretch to her whole (standing) height. Also, if it wobbles, your pet may become wary of it and decide not to use it.)
Why Did My Cat Stop Using Her Tower?
Sometimes cats get so used to things that they sort of forget about them. Your feline friend may have started seeing her tower as just something in the background, and stopped paying attention to it. Or, it may be dirty.
We would first suggest giving it a thorough cleaning. Vacuuming is fine, but if you have a shampooer or pet spot-steamer, you can use that. If the covering is beyond help, you can recover it. It won’t cost much for a few pieces of carpet scraps. Just make sure not to leave any nails or staples sticking out.
If that doesn’t work, try moving it to a different spot. Or, even just adjust the angle. You can also sprinkle cat toys around it. Another option would be to add a soft folded blanket to one of the levels. Make sure it’s secure enough so your pet won’t slide off if she grabs it with her claws. If all else fails, try just telling Fluffy to stay off it. That usually works!
Can I Make A Cat Tower?
Absolutely! You can find plans and ideas online. Just look for something that suits your skill level. A very simple option would be to upcycle an old stepladder. Put planks on the steps to widen them out. Then, cover the whole thing in carpet or sisal rope. Done!
If you feel up to tackling something more ambitious, you can look up plans for making a tower out of lumber, PVC pipe, or even real trees.
Make An Appointment At Your Northwest Arkansas Pet Clinic
Do you need to bring your feline pal in? Is Fluffy due for a visit? Contact us, your Northwest Arkansas pet hospital, today!
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