Is it time to stop tripping over cat toys?

Explore how Karen used Woods for Cat’s compact cat trees to save space in her multi-cat (& multi-animal) household

THE CUSTOMER

Karen and her daughter Kire share their home with a menagerie of furred, feathered and scaly pets.

Alongside two dogs, one Macaw parrot, two Amazon parrots, a snake, shingleback lizards, ackie monitor lizards, centralian knob-tailed geckos, and a blue-tongue lizard, live five cats.

There’s Ila and Perrey, the two Bengal cats. There’s Tati, the Devon Rex. And, since the passing of Karen’s mum, they’re also custodians of her two rescue cats, siblings Lilly and Snitch.

So, with a multi-animal and five-cat household, this is one busy home that needs access to enough space and stimulation to ensure their cats feel relaxed, and to reduce cat-to-cat conflicts.

Through the addition of Woods For Cats cat furniture and scratchers, cat netting, and a designated feeding space, Karen and the family have established a safe and ‘catifying’ environment for their cats, without compromising on space.

Compact cat trees for a multi-cat household

Compact cat trees for a multi-cat household Australia

large cat tree for Multiple cats Australia

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THE CHALLENGE

Finding safe, enticing and compact cat trees for a multi-cat household

In any multi-animal household, managing vastly different needs is a normal part of everyday life. There are different physical needs, different needs around stimulation, different feeding and care routines, and different individual personalities and preferences.

For their five cats, Karen and Kire wanted to set up functional, aesthetic and sturdy cat furniture that would give each cat plenty of space to play, climb, scratch and sleep.

“If you’re going to have animals you have to give them enough stimulation, and with the cats that usually means letting them climb.

We had already set up our outdoor porch to be cat-friendly, with cat-netting, bushes and shrubs they can hide in, as well as areas to scratch, climb and watch the world go by. We wanted to be able to give them indoor options as well.

However, we’d been down the path before, of buying a cheap cat tree, only for it to wobble around whenever the cats would jump on it. It wasn’t safe for our cats, and it didn’t last.

So we spent some time searching specifically for sturdy and compact cat furniture in Australia. We found Woods For Cats, and they helped us to get everything we needed for our indoor setup.”

Using a variety of eco pieces from Woods For Cats, Karen has created an amazing cat paradise that runs along the walls of the living space. This includes:

- - The Tok Tok Basic
  - The Tok Tok Pole Dancer
  - Hammocks
  - A DIY Tok Tok Bridge using the Woods For Cats bridge brackets
  - wall cat shelves (not available anymore)
  - Cat Head Floor Mat ~ wood brown

Compact cat furniture for a multi-cat household

THE SOLUTION

Versatile cat furniture that saves space, handles five cats and adapts to the changing needs of the home

“Living in a small house, it was important that the furniture we bought would tuck away neatly. And, that’s exactly what the pieces from Woods For Cats do. We’ve set them up against the walls, running around the edges of the room, and I’m happy to say, we’re no longer tripping over cat toys!

Even better – unlike a lot of the large and flimsy cat towers you find cheaply, these pieces are easy to move around. They attach from floor to ceiling through spring loading, meaning we can simply shift them as needed and this keeps the cats interested in them over time – making them like new again.

We have set up the Tok Toks and Pole Dancer with hammocks for sleeping. The cats LOVE them. We have 3 hammocks to five cats and it’s definitely a case of first in, best dressed. Two of the hammocks are on the Tok Tok itself, and one is mounted onto the wall.

The bridge that runs between the two Tok Toks was a bit short for our space, so I asked Livia to help me to work out a solution, and she was able to provide the fittings and we sourced a beautiful piece of board from the hardware store, added some marine carpet on top so the cats don’t slip, and it’s been perfect for them to run across.

Access to climbing is particularly important for the health and happiness of cats. Many love to climb and to perch up in high places. These pieces have solved the problem, providing our cats with indoor access to climbing and high perches, without having to change our whole house in the process.”

Functional cat furniture Australia for large cats

Tok Tok cat tree Australia for large cats

THE RESULT

Happy, satisfied cats and no more tripping over cat toys

“From the moment the cat furniture arrived, it was a hit. The cats took to it straight away. Perrey likes to lie up high and bop people on the head as they walk by – he thinks it’s brilliant!

Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for anything better! It’s all worked perfectly both for our space, and for the cats. The quality is beautiful – and whilst you might pay a bit more upfront, it’s furniture that LASTS. Plus, each piece can easily be moved around and adjusted to keep the cats interested over time. And, they look great – the poles and fittings coordinate with the beachy coloured timber and carpets.”

Karen describes the whole process of purchasing, receiving and setting up the furniture as “easy as!”.

“Livia made it so easy. And everything arrived beautifully packaged with no damage. How Woods For Cats work is faultless. They are so passionate about cats, about the quality of their products, and they’re always there to answer any questions we have.

People can do so much more for their cats without too much effort, and adding in some of these pieces can make a difference to a cat’s level of stimulation and activity. “

To anyone thinking of buying from Woods For Cats, Karen says:

“Reach out to Livia and the team. Talk to them about your needs. They can offer support and advice to help you set up just the right space for your home and your cat(s).

In case you’re curious (we certainly were) about what it’s like managing the routines of five cats in one house, we asked Karen all about it…

“We’ve got a really good system in place. There’s sometimes a few challenges around feeding time. After all, trying to feed five cats at once can be hard!

We have everything lined up in the laundry, and use a table with five bowls. It’s then a case of getting the biscuits into each bowl quickly!

Ila in particular is so fit and active that she burns a lot of energy and needs regular bits of food throughout the day. So, we have to manage giving her enough food, without overfeeding the others.

It’s all doable though. They are all eating the same diet and a few of the cats enjoy some raw meat occasionally, too. They get the best quality biscuits, some occasional raw meat, and tinned tuna, sardines…a good variety.

They’re all in such a good routine now that they know the times of day they get fed, and if I take the dogs out for a walk before food time, when I get back I’ll have five cats waiting at the gate for me.”