Cat Tree Finale

I never did post the conclusion to the cat tree, so here it is! It turned out beautifully and it is a stunning corner piece for our living room, but I have some more work to do on it. If you missed the first post, about the construction, it is here.

The cats use it, but as I suspected when I first put it up, the perches are too precarious, so they are not eager to try to climb it. I still need to add more jute twine to give them climbing purchase and some platforms closer together. Grip on the existing platforms will also make them feel safer when jumping.

They do use the hammock regularly and they definitely use the trunk for a scratching post, but I need to make those adjustments before they will be comfortable in it.

Below are the images of it going up. We mounted to pieces of wood to the ceiling with holes drilled in the center - we used dowels drilled into the top of the branches and inserted those into the holes in the mounting pieces. It is not actually attached to the floor so that it can be easily taken down. The base is simply placed on the floor and the trunk centered in the hole that was cut to the profile of the trunk to prevent spinning.

I wrapped a lot of twine around the trunk, but not enough - the tree is too smooth for them to climb it without. They do like the crystals and hanging decor, I added lights but later removed them because it was just too lit up.

Overall I am pleased with how it turned out, but I am out of energy to make the modifications for now, so it will remain a scratching post for a while longer!