Pet merchandise are not all the time good to have a look at. Carpet-covered cat timber and plastic toys do not significantly mix in with decor, and when you stay with a cat, you already know that often you are going to depart rubbish round—like empty packing containers or a balled up serviette—as a result of that is what they like to play with. That is the worth we pay for completely happy cats. However not all the pieces meant for feline enrichment must be ugly or cheaply made.
Residing with three cats in flats and small houses, I’ve discovered that when all the pieces you personal is on show, you need it to look good. I additionally wished them to be constructed nicely, with longevity in thoughts, and naturally, I wanted my cats to really like them. So I began a mission to search out lovely cat equipment. These are my (and my cats’) favorites.
Additionally, take a look at our many different pet-related guides, just like the Greatest Cat Toys, Greatest Litter Packing containers, Greatest Feline Provides, Greatest Pet Cameras, and Greatest Vet Telemedicine.
Up to date November 2024: We have added the Archie & Oscar Henrietta cat tree, Omlet’s Change cat scratcher and Freestyle Cat Tree, and Dagne Dover’s Kyoto pet service. We have additionally eliminated a discontinued product and up to date costs and hyperlinks all through.
Desk of Contents
Do Your Cats Want Fancy Furnishings?
Your cats want a couple of issues: a clear place to go to the lavatory, recent meals and water, and a complete lot of affection. They do not want a $600 litter field enclosure or $300 tree.
Cats are infamous for taking part in with the packaging the very costly merchandise got here in as an alternative of really utilizing that very costly merchandise. In case your cats solely need plastic toys and junky-looking timber, give these trash goblins what they need. And what I personally like in type, chances are you’ll hate—nevertheless it’s a spot to start out if you would like to clean up your area.
Security Recommendation
I spoke with Russell Hartstein, animal behaviorist and founding father of the Los Angeles canine coaching facility Enjoyable Paw Care. He identified that some furnishings, whether or not low cost or costly, might doubtlessly be held along with poisonous supplies like formaldehyde glue. The place attainable, I requested every of the businesses to verify the supplies used and have supplied their responses under.
When searching for merchandise for cats (or any pets!), preserve an eye fixed out for small components that may very well be a choking hazard in the event that they got here undone. Ensure that all the pieces is connected correctly to carry weight, particularly for items that require at-home meeting. Regulate issues which might be glued on, just like the rope usually connected to scratchers, to verify items of the dried glue aren’t uncovered. Even when the glue is unhazardous, you don’t need your pet consuming that.
Cat Bushes
Reasonably priced and Stable
Fortunately, you do not have to spend a ton on a cat tree to get one thing that appears fairly good. My cats lounge on Catit’s small Vesper Field ($90) whereas I work (I preserve it subsequent to my desk). It has a backside semi-enclosed space for some privateness, a center seat with a scratching submit and toy, and a prime mattress. All three ranges have furry pads that Velcro in. They arrive in a number of totally different configurations and colour choices.
The Vesper furnishings is created from fiberboard with a laminate end. My cats have been utilizing it since 2020 with out something degrading—it made it forwards and backwards throughout the nation in packed U-Hauls too. Catit does supply substitute components to increase the furnishings’s life. I’ve used a bunch of issues from Catit now, together with totally different water fountains, and it is a usually well-regarded model. It additionally provides a 30-day return window in case your cat finally ends up not liking it, and you could find merchandise at Chewy and Amazon too.
Catit assured me all of the Vesper furnishings is made with toxin-free supplies, and it follows the formaldehyde emission requirements (TSCA Title VI compliant) for composite wooden merchandise put forth by the EPA.
Runner-Up
The Mau Cento Tree obtained essentially the most compliments of any furnishings I’ve owned. Past being fairly, my cats liked it. I usually discovered two of them quick asleep in every basket, or my little lady Eely slumbered within the fuzzy cave. They leap on and off, scratch the designated scratchers, and play with the pom poms. It is very costly, although components are replaceable.
Every bit is created from actual wooden (sourced ethically from timber that “now not bear fruit,” in accordance with the corporate), and the model donates 5 % of earnings to animal welfare and environmental conservation organizations and vegetation a tree for each order. Mau shared check outcomes with us that confirmed no lead, cadmium, or formaldehyde was detected within the merchandise examined—this included plush bedding, sisal ropes, metallic frames, particle board, tree trunk, plywood, and different woods and fillings. We have been completely happy to see this, although the model didn’t explicitly state that the furnishings was unhazardous.
For Cats Who Want They Have been Outdoors
As really useful by PETA and the Humane Society of america, my two cats are indoor-only. Nevertheless, they nonetheless get pleasure from chattering and lunging at birds that go to our window chicken feeder, and the Archie & Oscar Henrietta, a 5-foot-tall, three-tiered fake tree, checks two packing containers—it permits them a excessive place to sit down, and it satisfies their intuition to hide themselves from each prey and potential predators (young children, vacuums). Although meeting isn’t precisely a breeze, the tree seems nice in a room stuffed with houseplants, and the person branches could be popped in or out relying in your or your cats’ preferences—there are sufficient to cowl the entire tree, or simply partially, as my cats Circe and Scylla desire.
Circe enjoys hanging out on the underside stage, concealing herself among the many leaves, and Scylla loves hanging out on the highest with a few of the branches eliminated, in addition to rubbing her face everywhere in the “stems” and “leaves.” Word that producer On2Pets confirmed that the tree elements are fabricated from unhazardous, pet-safe supplies, although cats shouldn’t be permitted to chew on the greenery. —Kat Merck
A Customizable System
There are cat timber, after which there’s the Omlet Freestyle cat tree, which has extra in frequent with an erector set than it does the everyday carpet-and-sisal quantity. Sturdy sufficient for even the most important of cats, this modular assortment of metallic poles and solid-bamboo platforms is akin to Barbie’s DreamHouse for cat fanciers—you should buy as many platforms, steps, beds, scratchers, and add-ons as you’d wish to create something from a single pole in a nook to a maze that spans a complete room. There are pots for vegetation, rings for treats, scratchers, and pads.
For those who can’t resolve construct your personal set, Omlet’s website provides a number of predesigned options. Poles taller than 8 ft should be bracketed right into a wall for stability, however in contrast to related merchandise, Freestyle can accommodate ceilings as much as 12 ft excessive. My cats spend at the very least a part of every day on a set that comes with two poles, scratchers, and beds (costs differ relying on what number of elements you add). Nevertheless, convey your persistence—even my wholesome marriage was threatened over the meeting of two poles’ value of equipment. For those who do construct your personal, although, be sure to embrace the tipi. My cats struggle over theirs. —Kat Merck
Cat Beds
A Delicate Cave
Catenary’s Moon Cave provides two mushy mattress choices. In case your cats like small areas for napping, depart it as a cave. If they like some headroom, push down the highest to show it into a conventional pet mattress. There are tons of two-in-one beds like this that you could find for affordable, however I respect that the impartial, mushy design right here blends into the nook of my lounge as an alternative of standing out like a brightly coloured toy. Possibly I used to be influenced by images on the web site, however I am imagining this wanting completely cozy beneath a Christmas tree this winter. The bouclé—aka looped yarn—can also be machine cleanable.
Window Beds
Cats love lounging within the solar, so beds that sit on the window make excellent sense. I have been utilizing the Okay&H Pet Merchandise Kitty Sill Fleece beds for years. It is not fancy, however the beige fleece blends in fairly nicely. In case your home windows haven’t got sills for them to sit down on, there are alternatives with suction cups to stay proper on the glass.
Suction cup cat seats all the time make me nervous, particularly as a result of I’ve a pair hefty boys right here. However Tuft and Paw’s Cloud 9 Window Hammock is safe, so long as you completely clear your home windows and provides the cups time to essentially stick. I’ve additionally used the Kitty Cot ($45), which is extra reasonably priced although not as aesthetically pleasing. I might suggest including one thing mushy to each—each supply blankets or pads for an additional price, however I want they may very well be connected even with snaps or velcro, so they do not slip round if a cat leaps onto it.
Scratchers
The Greatest Scratcher
Not every bit of good cat furnishings must price a number of hundred bucks. I’ve used a couple of of PetFusions’s loungers they usually held up rather well beneath ferocious cat claws. Additionally they look cool and are sturdy sufficient to assist my weight (generally ya gotta attain one thing up excessive, you already know). Cats can scratch one facet to oblivion and then you definitely simply flip it to a superbly clear facet.
Higher Cardboard Slabs
Corrugated cardboard scratchers are nice as a result of most cats love them, they usually’re simple to interchange. Except for the big PetFusion lounger above, most are simply skinny rectangles. They do their job however do not appear like something particular. Catenary’s Bloom scratchers, although, take it up a notch, utilizing pet-safe dyes to create a wonderful, pure design mimicking wildlife. It has no impression on whether or not or not my cats will scratch them (they’ll), they usually actually look good on my flooring. For $60, you get a set of three, and each is reversible.
Haven’t got that a lot area to spare? The Boots and Barkley Wave Scratcher ($15) from Goal shouldn’t be as cute, however my cats like it.
A Stunning Aspect Desk Scratcher
Typically you see a product on Kickstarter and rely down the times till it is out there—that is what I did with the Hilde & Phil Cat-e-Nook. It is an actual wooden facet desk for you, a scratcher on your cats, and a protector on your furnishings arms. The sisal scratch mats are replaceable and fix to the wooden with sturdy velcro, so it is a long-term funding for you and your pets.
Relying on the peak of your furnishings, chances are you’ll want so as to add a riser. The web site has precise measurements, but when it is taller than 25 inches, you will want a 2-inch riser. If it is taller than 27 inches, get a 4-inch riser. Using risers additionally means you may swap them in or out when you change furnishings as an alternative of getting to get a brand new desk altogether. I like that the model is named after the founder’s cats—it is my dream to open a enterprise named after my beloved buddies.
A Scratching Publish With ~Vibes~
UK-based Omlet is thought for its predator-proof rooster coops just like the Eglu Professional (8/10, WIRED Recommends), however prior to now few years it has expanded its choices for different pets, together with cats. One of many heaviest, sturdiest cat scratchers I’ve ever seen, the Change is a 33-inch-tall, sisal-wrapped tube on a 16 x 16-inch bamboo base weighted with a big water bottle. It incorporates 12 totally different LED gentle reveals of curiosity to each cats and folks, from the traditional crimson darting laser to coloured pinwheels and Tetris-like patterns, all with adjustable brightness, colours, and speeds. (My cats aren’t particularly fascinated with chasing the lights, although they do watch them.) Set it up in a darkish den or gaming room for a twin cat toy and dialog piece, or use it in a bed room as a nightlight.
Neither of my 10ish-pound home shorthairs might knock this over regardless of my waving a toy on the highest of it to check their full leaping weight, so it may very well be a superb choice for bigger or extra energetic breeds like Maine coons or Bengals. The sisal sleeve can also be replaceable ($45), so in contrast to cheaper scratchers, the entire thing doesn’t should be tossed when spent. Be forewarned, nevertheless, that this tree requires a prolonged and considerably sophisticated meeting, so be sure to have a few hours and a stable provide of endurance put aside. —Kat Merck
Sofa With Scratch Pads or a Cushion
The Work in Progress Cat Sofa is lovely and can be utilized as a scratcher, a mattress, or each. The bottom value features a cardboard scratcher that may be flipped over after which changed (then you may recycle the previous one). Or you may get a actually fairly cushion for an extra $110. One in every of my cats instantly scratched and lounged on it—cats usually lounge straight on cardboard scratchers, so you do not have to get the pillow immediately.
Like a few of the different merchandise on this checklist, I believe it is costly given its simplicity. Nevertheless, Work in Progress (WIP) is a small enterprise. For those who can afford it, it is good to assist small companies like this, somewhat than a significant firm like Petco or Walmart. The Cat Sofa is manufactured from Baltic birch wooden in Arizona. It is completed and sealed, assembly the Greenguard low-emissions certification, so it must be secure for pets. The cushion is crammed with polyester and the duvet is a linen-cotton mix.
A Service/Mattress Combo
I’ve tried fairly a couple of carriers throughout the worth spectrum, and I used to be impressed by Tuft and Paw’s Porto Cat Service (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It is mushy however sturdy, and would not collapse beneath the burden of a cat. It has transported my cats to vet visits and saved them snug within the automobile throughout a cross-country transfer. Some cats will sleep in any service when you depart it out, however I like that this one could be remodeled into a bit of mattress by unzipping one facet and unfolding the fake shearling pad. Your entire factor is framed in zippers, so it may go from a structured service to fully flat. That offers you extra choices for getting fussy cats in or out.
An Upscale Service/Mattress Combo
My cat Scylla is unusually choosy about the place she sleeps, however she is obsessive about snoozing within the soft-sided Dagne Dover Kyoto pet service. (It’s additionally in style amongst our workers with canines—WIRED reviewer Julian Chokkattu makes use of it to tote his pup to the seaside.) The bag as a mattress is smart from a cat perspective—it’s principally a field, which cats love, with opaque sides to make them really feel secure and mesh screens on the back and front to allow them to keep watch over issues. Not like many precise cat beds, the Kyoto’s mushy sherpa mattress insert additionally has a zip-off, washable cowl.
I additionally love that it opens from the highest, which makes it a lot simpler for wrangling and inserting noncompliant animals, and that it’s each TSA-compliant (it may match beneath an airline seat) and permits Scylla to have a secure and acquainted area every time I have to take her someplace. I’ve the big dimension, which inserts pets as much as 20 kilos, however there’s additionally a small choice for pets 15 kilos and beneath. Seat belt loops add a layer of security for automobile rides, and your complete bag collapses flat for storage. —Kat Merck
Litter Packing containers and Enclosures
A Nice Primary Litter Field
My cats are completely tremendous utilizing plain previous litter packing containers, and yours in all probability are too. You may class it up a bit with packing containers disguised as vegetation or hidden inside facet tables, however Tuft and Paw’s Cove litter field takes a easy litter pan and elevates it.
It is hefty, so it will not transfer round in case your cats wish to kick. Talking of kicking, the removable shelter retains litter and pee inside—simply in case your cat has a excessive stream. The field has a devoted area for the included scoop and dustpan. Nevertheless, I want you may buy the shelter individually. Weirdly, this field would not match into the model’s litter field enclosure, however the model launched a brand new Cubby model ($69) that does work with its fashionable Haven Enclosure ($699)—we have not tried the Haven, however we have been coveting it from afar.
The Greatest Litter Field Enclosure
Placing a litter field inside a chunk of furnishings meant to hide it can provide your cats some privateness, conceal odors, and conceal little turds out of your company.
Tuft and Paw’s litter field enclosure is without doubt one of the most lovely items of furnishings I’ve seen, nevertheless it’s pricier than quite a lot of us can afford. WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe has tried this Rena Litter Field Enclosure from Wayfair although, and you may usually discover it for round $120ish (and often even much less). It merely is not as fairly as Tuft and Paw, nevertheless it would not appear like a poop receptacle both, and there is ample area on prime for some decorations to additional mix it in with your own home.
