Folding vs. Modular Cat Wall Shelf: A Comprehensive Comparison
Enhancing your cat’s indoor experience with a cat wall shelf not only provides them with a vertical space to explore but also serves as a
- 🌻 50% OFF + FREE SHIPPING 🌻
If you share your home with a cat, you know that one of their favorite pastimes is perching up high to survey their kingdom. As true climbers at heart, cats love having elevated spaces where they can relax, play, look out the window, and just generally keep an eye on things.
Providing suitable cat shelves, towers, and perches allows your cat to indulge their climbing instincts and satisfies their desire to be up high. With so many options for cat furniture and cat towers on the market, what do you choose? What features should you look for when selecting shelving and perches to keep your cat happy?
There are many benefits to providing cat perches and shelves around your home:
Cats have powerful leg muscles geared for climbing, jumping, balancing, pouncing, and more. Cat trees and shelves provide them with opportunities to stretch those muscles and get exercise through play. This helps keep them fit and prevents obesity.
Perching up high appeals to a cat’s instinct to get elevated so they can survey territory for threats or things that need “hunting.” Having shelving spots sprinkled around rooms allows them to comfortably view the goings-on and feel in control. This can lower stress.
Cats love looking out windows and a well-placed cat perch by a window can provide them entertainment, mental stimulation, and sunshine for napping or just hanging out. Be sure to choose stable shelves for window spots so they don’t fall!
By adding cat furnishings on the walls and shelves on bookcases or cabinets, you effectively increase the territory in your home. More places to climb, scratch, perch, and play make for a happier, healthier cat.
When evaluating cat furniture, shelves, and perches, there are several things to consider regarding design and features.
Think about your cat’s favorite spots in your home and their common movements when placing shelves and perches. Near windows where they can look outside, above doorways where they can watch people come and go, and adjacent to your work-from-home spot are good choices.
Wall shelves mount right onto the wall while freestanding perches rest on the floor. Sometimes a combination works best – a tall cat tree by a window with a wall shelf nearby for additional lounging. Measure the area to ensure the cat tree or shelf will fit.
The number of platforms provided will depend on your cat and space. For smaller areas, a single or double perch mounted on the wall could suffice. For larger spaces or multiple cats, consider taller cat trees with several platforms and hammocks.
Durable, cat-safe materials that can stand up to scratching are vital. Look for solid wood, sisal rope, thick pressed cardboard, or molded plastic construction. Ensure any fabrics or carpeting are tightly woven and not easily shredded.
Your cat’s safety is priority #1. Carefully assess the structural design and ensure the shelf or cat tree is stable and securely put together. Freestanding units should have wide, heavy bases that don’t easily tip. Wall structures need sturdy braces and mounting hardware.
Since cat shelves and perches will need to be cleaned occasionally, simple construction from non-porous materials can make maintenance easier. Check that carpeting is removable and assemblies come apart easily so you can reach all areas for cleaning.
Beyond basic platforms, many cat shelves and trees provide extra amenities to please your furry friend.
Scratching is an innate feline behavior that helps them shed nails and stretch those climbing muscles. Be sure shelving has scratching posts integrated or has a standalone post nearby. Sisal rope or corrugated cardboard work well.
Offering nooks, tunnels, and semi-enclosed hideaways provides cats security and privacy when they want to relax or sleep. Cubby holes, dangling tunnels, and hammocks encourage play and appeal to their instinct to seek safe havens.
Many perches feature dangling feather toys, rustling bell balls, and laser pointers to bat at. Others have built-in treat dispensers or catnip sachets to motivate cats to climb and explore. These extras promote activity and make the shelves even more enticing.
When selecting cat furniture, prioritize construction from feline-friendly materials built to handle scratching, chewing, and years of cat activity:
Durable solid wood like oak or birch resists scratch marks well. Lower-cost pressed particle board is more affordable but still sturdy. Be sure wood is safely finished and toxin-free.
Both sustainable sisal plant fiber and coir coconut fiber tightly woven onto cat furniture withstand scratching and shredding. They also satisfy cats’ need to dig claws into a rough natural texture.
Recycled corrugated cardboard makes very sturdy, eco-friendly scratching surfaces at lower costs. Multi-layer or reinforced cardboard assembled tightly resists feline destruction better than basic cardboard.
When used strategically in high-wear areas only, nubby and tightly woven carpet or fabric stand up well to pawing, scratching, and kneading. Natural un-dyed fibers are best.
Injection-molded PVC plastic is extremely durable and easy to sanitize. Low-cost, custom-molded shapes like houses, turf, and tunnels encourage play when used along with other CAT-approved materials.
With an eye on ideal design, dimensions, and quality construction, here are 6 top-rated cat perches and shelves well-suited to bringing vertical space to your favorite feline:
These innovative wall-mounted shelves offer a unique vertical playground for your cat. Designed with multiple levels, they provide ample space for climbing, lounging, and observing. The sturdy construction and sleek design make them a perfect addition to any cat-loving household.
Features
Dimensions
Materials
SkyPaws Cat Wall Shelves are not just a piece of furniture; they’re an investment in your cat’s happiness and well-being. Their sleek design ensures they’ll blend seamlessly into your home, providing your feline friend with their own special space.
This spacious 6-level cat tree features sisal posts, plush platforms, hidey holes, dangling toys, and more. Multiple kitties can climb, scratch, perch, and play together here with room to spare! Sturdy wood construction ensures safety.
Features
Dimensions
Materials
Available in sets of three, these simple but sturdy wood ledges easily mount onto walls with included hardware. They’re covered in soft yet durable pet-safe faux fur fabric available in three neutral colors to blend with any decor.
Features
Dimensions
Materials
This modern free-standing white shelving unit does triple duty as a scratcher, hideout, and perch for one lucky cat or small dog up to 25 lbs. Wave-patterned scratching surfaces and lounging platforms satisfy play and nap urges alike.
Features
Dimensions
Materials
This heavy-duty cat tree supports up to 55 lbs and is covered in super-durable Tiger Tough woven sisal fabric built to handle scratching, biting, pouncing, and everything crazy kitties dish out. Easy to assemble and budget-friendly!
Features
Dimensions
Materials
This comfortable hanging bed mounts onto walls safely with sturdy metal braces. Made from soft plush, it allows a cat to lounge and look out windows or just survey the room. Folds flat for convenient storage.
Features
Dimensions
Materials
So there you have the scoop on some of the best cat shelves, perches and trees to give your favorite feline vertical space to climb and lounge the day away in comfort and safety. Offering them spots tailored to their natural abilities and instincts keeps cats content…and keeps them off your kitchen counters!
Beyond basic construction and materials when choosing cat shelves and perches, stylistic preferences are key. Evaluate available design aesthetics and decide what best fits your home’s decor.
Prefer a contemporary minimalist look? Many cat furniture makers offer models with:
These elements embody understated modern design popular lately. For district shapes, check out Armakat’s architectural towers or modern lucite pod beds.
Want cat shelves and trees sporting natural wood hues and textures paired with sisal, seagrass or coir fibers? Rustic, eco-friendly styles employ:
Purrfect Posts’ annoyed cat towers or On2Pets’ seagrass scratching posts sport these earthy design features.
Seeking something more playful and whimsical to appeal to kitty sensitivities? Many companies offer feline furniture sporting:
The wide-eyed tree tower from Furhaven or multicolored Ziggy houses by Armakat adds a touch of whimsy!
Prefer classically styled cat trees mimicking fine antique furniture with elegant design details like:
New Cat Condos’ majestic floor-to-ceiling cat towers or the Hampton Cat Tree model from Go Pet Club demonstrate this premium ornate aesthetic nicely.
Want to save money and build your own custom cat shelves? With a trip to the hardware store, some simple tools and free building plans, you can create designer cat furniture tailored to your space and cats!
For quick-to-construct wall ledges, connect a wooden board to metal brackets securely anchored into studs. Cut shelving from pine boards or plywood. Paint edges for a finished look. Add a carpet tile, small cat bed, or scratcher.
Give old windows new life as cat shelves! Hunt thrift and antique shops for unique discarded windows. Affix securely to the wall, attach sturdy brackets underneath, and then add a padded cushion atop the ledge. Voila – kitty napping nook with a view!
For the industrial edge, pour concrete into basic wood forms propped on braces until hardened, then mount the custom concrete plank onto a wall, anchor with brackets, and top it with a washable mat or towel. Stash toys underneath in built-in recesses.
Construct stepladder-style shelves using four trimmed wood boards of varying lengths to create tiers. Connect together using wood joints and glue or L-brackets on the underside. Top with short carpet or fabric and hang toys from underneath for whimsical custom cat steps!
So unleash your inner DIY designer! With some easy construction know-how and imagination, you can build beautiful bespoke cat furniture that fits your space perfectly.
As you evaluate the array of cat shelf designs and models available from pet stores and online, keep these key tips in mind:
By keeping these tips and priorities in mind as you browse options, you’ll zero in on quality cat shelving that enhances your home decor while keeping your beloved cat comfy and safe.
Soon, you and kitty will both be lounging contentedly – you on the sofa and the overhead on their new perch watching the birds outside the window. Purrfect!
Copyright © 2024 catwallshelf. All Rights Reserved.
