When choosing cat furniture, remember that's it's much like choosing a house. It should have a stable foundation and be built from high quality materials. There are many types and brands of cat furniture out there, but which one is best for your kitty? These are the most important things to consider:
1. Fasteners
Good quality cat furniture is fastened with the use lag screws, which are the strongest, or wood screws. Screws are generally reliable because they have a hard grip on the wood and do not detach. Remember to avoid cat furniture that's only fastened with nails. Nails are strong, but they detach more easily than screws. A combination of nails and screws will, of course, be great. As for glue, there are many of these adhesives out there which are non-toxic, and they works great when combined with screws and nails. However, if it's just glue all over, that furniture is of poor quality.
2. Wood
High quality cat furniture makes use of natural wood products which are generally good for making all kinds of furniture. These are kiln dried and milled lumber and real wood plywood. Forget about cat furniture that's made from landscape posts, cardboard, treated wood or particle board as these are far from durable.
3. Carpet
The carpet used is certainly important as well. Real carpet is far superior than fleece or faux fur-covered furniture. Nylon and olefin are two of the most popular types of good carpet. In quality furniture, you will find that carpet is stapled onto the wood as in quality upholstery. Don't get cat furniture where the carpet is merely glued on, considering that most glues are toxic.
3. Sisal Rope
Veterinarians have always recommended sisal rope for your cat's claws. This is often wrapped around cat furniture's posts and comes in two types - oiled and unoiled. The oiled type is toxic so it's better for you to avoid it. Not that this is a problem as most cat furniture makes use of the unoiled type. Also important is the rope's thickness, where the ideal is 3/8 inches.
5. Weight and Maximum Load
Finally, Two signs of good cat furniture are its weight and the maximum weight it can hold. The heavier the furniture, the more stable it is. That means you don't have to worry about it tipping over when your cat jumps on it. It's also important to consider the maximum weight load, knowing that kids usually like to climb onto cat furniture with their cats. The most important rule here is that if you can't climb yourself on each level, it's not a good piece of furniture.
1. Fasteners
Good quality cat furniture is fastened with the use lag screws, which are the strongest, or wood screws. Screws are generally reliable because they have a hard grip on the wood and do not detach. Remember to avoid cat furniture that's only fastened with nails. Nails are strong, but they detach more easily than screws. A combination of nails and screws will, of course, be great. As for glue, there are many of these adhesives out there which are non-toxic, and they works great when combined with screws and nails. However, if it's just glue all over, that furniture is of poor quality.
2. Wood
High quality cat furniture makes use of natural wood products which are generally good for making all kinds of furniture. These are kiln dried and milled lumber and real wood plywood. Forget about cat furniture that's made from landscape posts, cardboard, treated wood or particle board as these are far from durable.
3. Carpet
The carpet used is certainly important as well. Real carpet is far superior than fleece or faux fur-covered furniture. Nylon and olefin are two of the most popular types of good carpet. In quality furniture, you will find that carpet is stapled onto the wood as in quality upholstery. Don't get cat furniture where the carpet is merely glued on, considering that most glues are toxic.
3. Sisal Rope
Veterinarians have always recommended sisal rope for your cat's claws. This is often wrapped around cat furniture's posts and comes in two types - oiled and unoiled. The oiled type is toxic so it's better for you to avoid it. Not that this is a problem as most cat furniture makes use of the unoiled type. Also important is the rope's thickness, where the ideal is 3/8 inches.
5. Weight and Maximum Load
Finally, Two signs of good cat furniture are its weight and the maximum weight it can hold. The heavier the furniture, the more stable it is. That means you don't have to worry about it tipping over when your cat jumps on it. It's also important to consider the maximum weight load, knowing that kids usually like to climb onto cat furniture with their cats. The most important rule here is that if you can't climb yourself on each level, it's not a good piece of furniture.