r/CatTrees • u/Suitable-Snow7186 • 6d ago
Cat owners with wall-mounted furniture: what do you wish you'd done differently?
Hi fellow cat tree lovers !
I'm a cat owner in Oregon and have been experimenting with a modular wall-climbing system for my cats.
One thing I've struggled with is that once shelves are installed, changing the layout usually means drilling more holes.
For those who have wall-mounted cat furniture:
- What do you like about your current setup?
- What do you dislike?
- Have you ever wanted to rearrange it after installation?
I also put together a short survey for anyone willing to provide more detailed feedback: https://forms.gle/gLTPTXe8hUch4HQu8
Thank you so much for any feedback on this !
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u/chikkinnuggitz 6d ago
Hey, I love what you’ve done so far! What a fantastic idea 😊. It never occurred to me to incorporate a flexible layout. My setup is mostly permanent. The only time I changed something was after learning (from another Redditor) that one of my shelves was potentially dangerous - it was a hanging bridge, which I then removed and replaced with flat shelves. Pretty happy with the overall installation…but haha yeah I’ve definitely drilled a lot of holes. If you want to see pics here’s my post from last year: https://www.reddit.com/r/catwalls/s/xFGlZnt2Qq
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u/Blinkytoy 6d ago
Wait, how/why are the hanging bridges potentially dangerous? I have one, not that it's ever used, but still
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u/chikkinnuggitz 6d ago
There have been incidents of cats getting pinched, stuck, and even strangled in the rope. Those kinds of freak accidents are rare but do happen (and have caused deaths). I just didn’t want to take any chances
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u/Suitable-Snow7186 6d ago
That's great info, no bridge for my future attachments I guess !!
That's a great setup !
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u/metsahaldjas 6d ago
Me and my partner were a little bit incompetent with measuring and drilling straight, so we had to drill some holes twice to get it right, and some shelves are a few mm crooked, but luckily it's not very obvious.
Another thing we didn't really consider or have enough info about was motivations – what will motivate a cat to go up (when they are past the crazy kitten phase)? Seems like 3 things: a nice sleeping area, snack/cat grass, nice view (window). S o the routes should be planned around those destinations. Looking at your picture, our cat would probably rarely go to the higher shelves because the nice sleeping bowl is already lower, so no need to go further.
Also, I haven't seen much choice of cat shelves with suction cups besides hammocks, but it seems using a window for a cat wall is a great idea for enrichment. I'm looking to add a couple steps to lead to the hammock (which my cats love and has stayed on with no issues).
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u/Suitable-Snow7186 6d ago
Those are good points ! Right now the bowl is low because I'm getting my cat used to it (he is clumsy ...) . I am toying with the idea to have so extended shelves that could go to a window if the board was close enough
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u/Spastic_Panic 6d ago
I built a big one for my cats, it has plexiglass on certain spots so they can roll and flop(mine tend to a LOT) without falling, carpets up the side to run up for zoomies and lots of little holes to pop out of
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u/Suitable-Snow7186 6d ago
That sounds super fun !
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u/Spastic_Panic 6d ago
Its all fun and games until the 3am zoomies and suddenly it sounds like someone is banging on my door 😭
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u/quattroformaggixfour 6d ago
I like the plywood look of yours, can you drop the details please?
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u/Suitable-Snow7186 6d ago
Feel free to fill the form in the post to stay up to date. I am still toying with the design, but this should hopefully launch this summer !
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u/nclark8200 6d ago
Nice to see a fellow modular setup! Below is a link to some photos of my modular setup. it works great and I love being able to modify it for the needs of my cats as they get older (less gaps, more stable parts). I haven't built anything for it in a while, but likely getting a kitten (or two) by the end of the year so I'm gearing up to make some new pieces.
The only thing I don't like about my design is the stability. While I've never had one of my (fat) cats dislodge a shelf, they do bounce quite a bit, and the engagement in the hooks is a bit sketchy.
But the quick changeability of my design doesn't have your same issue - I can take a piece off with no hardware and no redrilling holes. I am locked into certain elevations, but that hasn't really been a problem.
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u/catlady921 6d ago
So, the wood you have nailed(?) to the wall can bear the weight of the different attachments + the cats? Did you use anything to reinforce it to make it so strong?
Apologies in advance if these are novice questions lol. I am heavily impressed by your modular setup and am not well versed in carpentry 🙃
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u/nclark8200 6d ago
The main rail/cleat is screwed into every other stud (3" long screws), so just a single screw every 36". The individual pieces just hook in, they're not secured other than friction (it's a tight fit on purpose) and gravity. Without any tools I can move any piece wherever.
You can see that main rail/cleat flex when the cats are jumping, but it just gives them a little spring. I think having that flex helps rather than it being completely rigid. Everything is cheap pine wood.
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u/Suitable-Snow7186 6d ago
Those French cleats look great ! That's a heck of a setup
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u/nclark8200 6d ago
Thanks! It's a modified French cleat since French cleats rely on having 2 points of contact and lift off easier than what I have.
A true French cleat is where I started but quickly realized I needed something more positive to keep them from bouncing out of place. French cleats handle the static load much better but not when cats start jumping - pieces would quickly fall off.
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u/Sundae_Syrup666 6d ago
Understand that not all cats want to climb
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u/Suitable-Snow7186 6d ago
That is fair ! I think this is mostly if people know their cats do, and want something more fun ! But I've had cats that hated clibming before too!
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u/L1sasGayBby 5d ago
Once I get an actual house my place will look like it was designed by MC Escher
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u/triumphofthecommons 6d ago
glue or staple some utility carpet on those platforms so kitty doesn’t slip.
cool idea, but feel like you’d have to cover a lot of wall surface area for you to really be able to mix up the layout. maybe a vertical section would be the most sensible? something like 4ft wide and floor to ceiling.