Cat Towers & Dog Beds
This post may contain affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase, I may receive a small compensation. Please read my disclosure policy here.
The cats and dogs in KiKi’s Zoo made out like bandits during this Christmas holiday. All I can say is Cat Towers & Dog Beds…….See what was given as presents and who liked or disliked the present. But more importantly, see what KiKi thought of each of Cat Towers & Dog Beds.
Cat Tower
Old Tower
First on my list was replacing the oldest pet item in the house, the huge cat tree. I’m not actually sure of its age, but I know we purchased it one Christmas. Pictures of it go back to 2011, so I’m guessing we bought it for our four cats on Christmas 2010. I remember providing my husband with the following logic. We owned four cats at the time, so purchasing a large cat tree at approximately $100, is the same as buying each cat a $25 present.
This tower lasted 8 years and 2 house moves. It is a simple tower by today’s standards, but it was the biggest one around in 2010 that I could purchase for $100. My reason for replacing it is only that it’s old and dirty. At some point in every cat tower, the ability to remove the cat hair from the crevices and the stains just can’t be accomplished. It was a great cat tower for my crew. Alex loved the box compartment with the window. Nomay loved the high perch. And my deceased Gabe used to sit on top of the box and bat at whoever was sitting in the box.
New Tower
For my new tower, I wanted one that wasn’t quite as tall. Shorter towers make for easier cleaning on the higher levels. The basement cat room was the designated place for this new tower. All my girls enjoy sitting in a basket that we have on our 1st-floor cat tower, so at least one basket was needed. I also wanted a flat surface able to place a bowl of dry food. Placing the dry food on a higher level prevents the dogs from storming into the room (even though they are not allowed) to grab a little nibble.
After much deliberation, I bought the Go Pet Club Tree 62 Inches High. It fit all my criteria and it was less than $100. Since this cat tree resided in the basement, I felt guilty in not getting the boys something for their room on the 2nd floor. Alex and Sam don’t venture down to the basement or 1st floor as much as the girls. Buying this for under $100 left me the ability to buy something for my boys to place in their room. The cat tree I purchased had a paw print pattern that doesn’t seem to be available now, but that is the only difference.
New Tower Assembly
Quinn assisted me in putting it together on Christmas Eve. Instructions were simple. It took me 45 minutes to put together only because I stopped many times to watch Quinn check it out. I found one flaw, although that may be a flaw in the intelligence of my cats rather than the tower. The 3rd flat level is almost the same size as the 2nd flat level. Quinn was unable to climb from one level to the next even though she tried many times. My stubborn girl! The design is based on the cats jumping into or on the basket that hangs out over both edges and then turning to jump onto the higher level. It seems simple and yet not one of my cats has done it yet. My issue would be that if a cat was already lounging in the basket, the other cat would need to jump onto it in order to make it to the higher level. My solution is to move a chair that was already present in the room, closer to the tower, so that my cats can jump onto the chair and up to the higher levels.
Analysis of Tower
Ham took to the tower with no issues. Her food gets placed on it and Ham doesn’t let much get between her and her food. Nomay has just started to visit the basement cat room to check it out. It’s been 4 weeks since it’s been placed there. Cats are cautious and mine are no exception. She made sure that it was stable and not going to eat her prior to placing one paw on it! But now she is rubbing against all the poles and looking for food as the other girls do.
Cat Lounging Set
New Set
My boys, Alex and Sam do not visit the basement cat room as much as the girls. So I was feeling a little guilty that the girls received a new cat tower and the boys have a very small used tower in their upstairs cat room. I loved this lounging set I found while looking for the first tower. It attaches to the wall and provides sleeping spots for both cats.
Getting used to the parts
Deciding how to mount it on the wall & which wall was the most difficult part. Luckily, I took time to decide. I placed all the parts of the lounging set into the upstairs cat room a day or so after Christmas. I wanted the boys to get used to them before placing them on the wall. Alex and Sam loved the new pieces. They hid in the box and lounged on the flat hammock every day until we mounted it on the wall.
After installation
Once we placed the items on the wall, the girls took control of the situation. The boys were curious, but still a little leery. I placed each of them on the pieces so that they would figure out how to get down and hopefully remember and jump up to it. Nomay loved the hammock as you can see in her video. Not being a 2nd-floor cat, Ham took no time at all to jump down. I did not introduce Quinn to the new features since she’s having issues with her leg. The boys stood and watched the girls in awe, but didn’t attempt to jump up. I placed Alex on the hiding box and he placed his head into the box but didn’t go in for fear that I would do something to him.
After a week of being mounted on the wall, I bought up the boys wet food and I caught Alex napping in the box. He emerged as soon as I entered the room, but it still took him a little while as he’s a big cat and moving around in the box isn’t easy. Sam will learn to jump onto it. He will need to visit it in the middle of the night when no one can watch him or attempt to pick him up.
Analysis of Lounging Set
Overall I am very happy with this lounging set. It took some planning to mount it on the wall. Each piece is recommended to be placed in a wall stud. Since Alex weighs 20 lbs and Sam weighs 15 lbs, I decided placing it into the studs was imperative for these huge boys.
My one complaint with this lounging set is there should be additional what I’ll call pegs. There are only two sisel based perches that are the stepping stones to the larger pieces. Placing the items as high as possible pleases the cats more than something low. But because there are only 2 pegs for them to jump onto, it makes it difficult on its own to mount the things high. We used an old discarded ladder on the bottom so the cats could use this to get to a higher level. But also the older used tower that had already stood near their water fountain was a good way for them to jump over. If buying this set, make sure you have something else for the cats to jump onto if you want to make it higher on the wall. Otherwise, this little collection of four items would be very close to the floor.
Dog Beds
Inside Bed
Elliot’s Current bed
Presently, the dog bed in our family room is a simple one that we picked up at Walmart. Elliot loves it and sits in it all the time. I’ve always considered it his bed. Lexi never really wanted her own bed, preferring instead to sit near or on us, on the couch. When we handed out long-lasting treats, Lexi began claiming Elliot’s bed. When she received her treat first, she walked it right over to Elliot’s bed and proceeded to lay down and knaw on her bone. Elliot paced the floor looking for a place to sit down with his treat. Sometimes he sat down on the floor for a few minutes, but then started walking again. He continued this routine until we pulled out a blanket for him to sit on, on the floor. Lexi likes to prevent Elliot from doing things. She only sits there because Elliot wants too.
Lexi’s New Bed
For Christmas, I decided to get Lexi her very own bed. After extensive looking, I found this plush Donut Cuddler. The pictures of dogs and cats sinking into the bed looked very cozy and warm. I debated whether to get a 30” round or 36” round. The 30” bed was rated for medium dogs up to 45 lbs. Lexi weighs 50 pounds, but she is long and lanky. I ultimately decided on the 30” because of the cost and the space that I had available to place it in our family room. When it arrived, I almost sent it back for the larger one. The vacuumed sealed dog bed looked even smaller than I had anticipated. But my husband convinced me, the size was correct.
Turned into – Everyone’s Bed
Once opened up at Christmas time, the bed expanded. However, no one felt interested enough to check out the bed at all. Unlike cats, dogs usually take control and try whatever is presented to them, with no questions asked. Over the last month, I have convinced, Lexi & Elliot to take a rest in it. Elliot seems to like it better than Lexi. But I have caught both of them resting in it, while we were not looking. Ham enjoys it as much as the dogs. In fact, Ham might have been the first to spend any amount of time in it. Lexi fits in it perfectly. Elliot, who weighs less but is larger fits into it also. When Elliot goes into deep sleep, he rolls over and has his legs and paws in the air. He does come off of the bed, but that doesn’t seem to bother him too much.
Outside Bed
My purchase for Elliot this Christmas was an elevated outside bed. Many shelters and groomers possess these types of beds. The price really surprised me. I think it will be great for Elliot to dry by the pool without getting dirty. It is made of mesh material and polyester. The canopy was just a bonus. Hopefully, the bed with the canopy can be placed by the pool on the grass where he can stay cool and still dry off. Elliot has very thick hair and doesn’t dry very easily. Lexi’s hair is quite thin and she dries in very quickly after leaving the pool.
Unfortunately, he won’t be trying this out too much until summer. But if he likes it and Lexi uses it, I will purchase enough one so they don’t need to fight over it. Elliot was kind enough to pose in the bed for me.
