The more I learn about cats and how they work, the more I grow in favor of wall mounted cat trees (and you should be too!). The only thing is that there aren’t many good kits and plans out there, so one of my goals on this site is to write a series of posts to help anyone interested in building or buying some of these for their kitties.
But before we get into that, let’s discuss the different models of wall-mounted cat trees that are commonly available to choose from. I don’t really know the technical names so I’m going to make up different headings as I write this, lol.
Feel free to correct me by letting me know in the comments box below. And if you are wondering what a wall-mounted cat tree looks like, here is a cool home that does a good job at showing you!
Wall Mounted Cat Stairs
Basically, these are shelves or any sort of flat platform that is put on the wall as a single unit. The unit is not stand alone but instead consists of multiple duplicate platforms that go up the wall staggered in a stair-like pattern.
Sometimes they only lead up alone and sometimes they might lead to a larger platform that can house food bowls, treats, or just be there for them to relax on. They are also great additions to larger designs that can include other parts like scratching posts, condos, etc.
Wall Mounted Scratching Posts
Although technically not a tree, this is a great option for your cat to scratch on safely off the ground. Some are designed to be ceiling to ceiling while others range from starting at the floor or only being on the wall.
This is great if you have cats that like to scratch the drywall. I’m not sure about yours but mine love to do this.
Installing a wall mounted scratching post has been quite effective in my household to save the drywall. One problem I had also was that I had little vertical scratching areas for my cats.
If either is the case for you, one of these is an awesome option!
Wall Mounted Cat Trees
Wall mounted cat trees are just as the name suggests. They are quite literally a cat tree designed to be mounted on the wall.
Ok, if you got the visual of that then maybe it’s not exactly like that but pretty much the same concept. Depending on the kind you get some can have very intricate pathways like this one by CatastrophicCreations.
I’ve seen others that are like a cat tree taken apart with posts mounted separately from platforms. Either way, these ones will have everything your cat needs in a cat tree like:
- scratching surfaces
- walking platforms
- sleeping and eating area
- etc!
Wall Mounted Cat Shelves
Wall mounted cat shelves are pretty much the same thing as cat stairs but bigger. Your cat might be able to lounge around halfway up the cat shelf whereas that might be difficult on cat stairs especially if you have a large cat like a Maine Coon.
That’s all I can think of for now, if you can think of more to add to this, please leave your suggestions in the comment box below. If you have any questions or other comments please don’t hesitate to reach out either 🙂
Thanks for readin’!
Marlinda
Thank you very much for this informative post! I have been looking for different ways to really stimulate my cat to have more exercise, especially because we live in an apartment building and because our apartment is fairly small.
I could not live without my cats so I am trying as much as I can to play with them, to let them out on the balcony, take them for walks within the hallways of the building.
But the shelves are a whole new concept. By adding shelves to my apartment for them, I can make sure that they don’t get bored even when I am away at work. Definitely will follow this website.