This is the very product I was looking for , for my 2 cats. They love to climb and lounge about in high places. I put this near my living room window and the cats can look out and also enjoy the rays of the sun. It was very easy to put together and is very sturdy. My two cats are both quite hefty and the tree house holds them both confortably.It also keeps them out of the way of our dog.
Most of the structural elements are solid and there is no fear that my cat will cause it to tip or collapse. There is a 3-step ladder leading to a platform with a hole cut in it. My cat wants no part of that ladder and prefers (as most, I suspect will) to jump up to the second story. That happens to be the largest area and my cat would lie on it if it did not have a hole cut into the middle of it. On that level there is mounted a smallish box covered in soft fabric. It seems to be cardboard, but is substantial enough. The fabric was loose around a portion of the circular opening, but I glued easily and it is fine. My now 6-month old kitten looked inside once and has never gone back in.
The next level up is an round 13" diameter platform with a raised, padded retaining border around approximately 2/3 of the circumference. My cat loves this space, but it is small and she cannot get her entire body onto it and she is not full-grown. I suspect she will outgrow this portion, which will make the entire thing worthless, because ...
The top level is a 14" x 14" platform that has an oval cut-out in the center, obviously the area designated for the cat to lie. Unfortunately, the edges of cut-out are sharply cut and insufficiently padded to allow a cat to lie there comfortably. My kitten lasted 5 seconds there and has never been back. Although I have yet to do it, I will need to cut open the fabric, insert a thin piece of wood or Masonite and then try to seal it up again. There isn't much slack in the fabric, so that might be difficult. If I were really handy, I would enlarge this screw-on platform. I am not, so I have to figure out how to make it functional.
I have seen many of these cat condo-type pieces online and in stores and they share some obvious issues of size, accessibility and cost. This product has a very reasonable price, but the manufacturer could have taken it a little further to make the furniture functional:
1. Get rid of the ladder. Sure, it is cute, but also useless and makes the next platform useless, too.
2. Make all of the platforms larger. They are at least 30% too small, so cats cannot stretch out.
3. Ensure comfort by eliminating sharp edges and also padding more generously.
Buy Go Pet Club Cat Tree Condo House, 32W x 25L x 47.5H Inches, Beige Now
Overall I would say that this has been a great purchase. I cannot comment on how durable it is at this point, but it seems to be pretty good quality for the great price I paid.The best part is my kitty loves it, she can now sit up high enough to look outside, and the plush feel to the tree has her 'scratching' and paw-dancing with glee.
Based on other reviews I was nervous, especially about how detailed or not the directions would be. Overall, it is self-explanitory. If you look at what the tree looks like on this site, as well as the drawing...(and going with part numbers) you can figure it out.
The one part where I had personal trouble was getting the little house secured to the second base/pole. My husband was able to get it situated, turns out that I had just not aligned it right. He said even he had issues lining up the screw to the post (you cannot really see where the hole is, instead having to feel around, etc. with the screw itself)
Another area he thought provided a good amount of difficulty was the ladder. Saying he had a hard time getting the screws to lign up with those holes as well.
Personal preference had me take off the dangling mouse. I try to steer clear of anything that looks like it might 'peel' or fall apart. Besides, there is a rope that Bella Mae might or might not play with, and I highly doubt the mouse was that expensive. I think the mouse, out of honesty, is the only thing of 'questionable' quality about this product.
11-4-10 *Update*
Now I have two cats, one of which has claws. So far so good! She's a big-boned girl and tends to have paws and her tail dangling over the edge of the top perch. It is proving to be sturdy and secure enough for her. She does scratch at the sisal posts. My only complaint would be they are not very effective for a large cat. She will sit in the cup and lean over to scratch, or she'll squat on the floor and lean at an angle to scratch. Ironically, she likes the shorter posts vs. her Ultimate Scratching Post. Perhaps the texture.
The covering has also withstood her chewing. She's grown out of her wanting to 'eat' other fabrics (felt is #1) I think she was more or less intrigued with pulling off fur that accumulated on the fabric.
The covering of the tree makes it easy to clean, all you need to do is run your hand along and clump the fur. The cubby is too small for either cat really. It makes a good toy chest. I still stand by my original comment that this is definitely two+ paws up!
Read Best Reviews of Go Pet Club Cat Tree Condo House, 32W x 25L x 47.5H Inches, Beige Here
Very shortly after purchasing this item the top platform snapped in half. I have been trying ever since to get Go PetClub to send a replacement. After several emails, and many months I have a screw sticking out of the post waiting for a replacement. THIS COMPANY DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THERE CUSTOMERS OR CUSTOMER SERVICE. PURCHASE FROM THEM AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!!Want Go Pet Club Cat Tree Condo House, 32W x 25L x 47.5H Inches, Beige Discount?
It took over 3 weeks for this kitty condo to arrive, but it was well worth the wait. It was packed sturdily and my husband put it together in about 30 minutes, just needed a screwdriver because they send you an allen wrench with it. The instructions are not the greatest, but it was easy enough to figure out. The holes were all pre-drilled and lined up OK. The carpeting seems a little thin, don't know how it will hold up with my two active kittens. But I like that it has a big solid base to keep it sturdy, it doesn't wobble at all. I enticed them to get on it with some catnip, they are curious but cautious, but I figure in a couple days they'll be all over it. Lots of places to hide and play, and they have already been using the sisal posts to scratch on. I have been looking for a cat condo for a while locally, and this is by far the best one I've seen for the price. It's high enough so they can get away from the dog, but not so high that they are going to tip it over.Update We've had the condo for a week now and my cats love it. They lay on the top two levels and sleep, or look out and watch the birds. They play on it, hiding on each other and then pouncing, and playing "king of the hill". And they use the sisal posts exclusively, they don't even use their other cat scratcher now. And they love to play with the mouse that hangs on it. This thing is great. Wish I could give it more than 5 stars.
1/03/2012 Another update...
We have had this condo for almost 2 years now, and it continues to be the place where my two active kitties like to hang out most. It is right next to a window, and they both like to lay on it and soak up the sun. My cats are 10 and 12 lbs. and they fit just fine on the two places that are for laying; I have read other reviews where some cats were just too big for it and I can see how that could be true. But my cats have both gotten a lot of use from this condo, and they have scratched two of the sisel posts down to where the sisel is starting to strip away from the condo. Also, the material has become worn in a couple of spots. This was a wonderful investment, because for $80 I was able to keep them away from my expensive furniture for two years. They don't even think about scratching anywhere else in the house. I am going to start shopping for a replacement pretty soon, as it looks terrible now, but I think this was a wonderful purchase. I would just buy another one of these except I want to give them something new to explore. Incidentally, the little cubby hole on the 2nd level is an ideal place to store cat toys if your cats don't go in there.
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