How Fat Cats Benefit from Cat Trees

 

 

Today the cat tree that we bought at Chewy arrived and my husband is putting it together.  We bought the tree for our 4 older and fat cats.  The cat tree will benefit all of our fat cats because it will stimulate them to move, play and jump around.  An increase of movement will burn calories and aid in weight reductions.

 

Cat Tree for Large Cats

Any movement is better than no movement. All of our cats are rescues that were abandoned when their people moved away.  We tried to find them homes but because of their older age nobody wanted them. 

My 3 rescued cats

We ended up keeping them and we love them very much. However, as soon as these cats got comfortable they stopped being active. Its as if their purpose in life is to eat, sun themselves on the windowsill and sleep.  The sluggish behavior has caused them to put on weight so we bought them a cat tree to stimulate them to want to play and exercise.

 

Sally my calico seems happy about the cat tree

Our one cat Sally the Calico has been watching from afar and she seems generally interested in the cat tree. Our other bored cats have not moved from sleeping on the bed.

 

Sally and sibling Larry being lazy fat cats

We are hoping that after we cover the tree with spray on catnip that our fat cats will stretch to climb on the tree, rub on the tree and scratch their nails on the tree.  This activity would be much needed exercise and would benefit their shoulders, hindquarters and back.

 

All activity is exercise for a Fat Cat

This cat tree comes with a toy that is dangling from one of the ledges. This toy will encourage the cat to stretch their paw to play with the toy.  Another way to exercise.

 

The location of the cat tree matters.  My husband set it up in the laundry room next to the large window.  The placement will entice the cats to climb to the top post so they can look out the window at the birds and the squirrels.  This location should keep them interested.  Nothing better than a cat tree with a view or nature.

If you have a cat that is putting on weight, or has a slow metabolism you can stimulate the cat to be active with a cat tree. Exercise along with low carbohydrate diet is best for a fat cat.

 We bought ours at Chewy but you can find cat trees at many online and offline stores like Pet Smart, Amazon, Walmart and I think eBay has cat trees also.  Do check the product reviews before you buy to make sure that its quality made, and if the size is right for your cats.  Some trees are made for kittens or small cats other trees are made for large cats.

Cat Trees at Chewy Product Review

Over the years I have bought many cat trees, some were great and others fell apart quickly, some fell down when cats climbed to the top. So I was hesitant to buy this cat product online until I shopped for cat trees at chewy.com

My FIV cat Sam loves his cat tree

Shopping for a cat tree takes time because not all of these products are quality made. Know that the selling cost is not a guarantee that the product will hold up under daily cats playing. So when I saw that Chewy carried cat trees I knew they must be quality because this website is highly respected for offering the best products to their customers.

Here is a photo of my FIV cat scratching on the post on his cat tree. We bought this tree at a local pet product store, it was very expensive but it did not hold up and the wood is showing on a relatively new tree. 

Scratching posts on the tree are good for cats.

Know that you can't go wrong at Chewy, there are verified customers that review the products and give the product a rating. You can trust what 1K customers say about the cat trees. I always buy products that have many reviews and 5 stars. ed this product with a 5-star rating. They confirmed that the cat trees sold at chewy were very good and all were satisfied. 

Cat tree I bought from Chewy 

So I shopped until I found the right size tree for my cats. I liked that the tree had five scratching posts, a toy for them to play with and a hiding space for napping. I bought a quality cat tree, that was on sale with free shipping because I added it as a one-time purchase to my auto ship. Chewy does ship all pet products with two-day delivery free of charge as long as you spend $49. It is easy to do because they have discounted prices on all their pet products.

Do you shop at chewy.com?  

Here is another chewy.com cat tree review

 

Choosing the Right Scratching Product for Cat

For the last couple of days I have been watching the rescue cats to determine their individual scratching needs. I found that they all scratch different. One of the kittens likes to lie on their back and scratch under the sofa, then the other one likes to sit in front of the sofa and scratch, the smallest kitten likes to scratch with paws stretch to an object above her head like the wood trim that goes around the doorways or my drapes. All of the kittens claws have been clipped so they have not damaged anything, but my observation was needed to determine their scratching habits.

Once I figured out my kittens scratching needs, I knew that a single sisal post was not going to entertain them and a cat that lies on back will not use the upright scratching post. I needed to shop at PETCO.com and choose the right scratching post or tree for the cats. 

I have also found quality cat trees and scratching posts at Petsmart.com and Bizrate.com and overstock.com  If shopping online pick out a tree with many stars and read the reviews.

TIPS

1. Getting the right scratching post is a way to provide the cats with entertainment for hours, tons of fun for the felines. They can scratch according to their needs and play in the carpet covered cubes.
2. Know that cat trees can be expensive but I think they are worth it because once you set up the tree the cat goes to the tree without hesitation. It is their special place where they can climb, scratch and sleep. 
3. If you buy a less expensive cat tree that is not sturdy, then I would recommend that you attach it to your wall and to the floor so that it is permanent. Make the cat tree a permanent structure that does not move around and your cat will be safe and happy. 
4. Buy a quality tree that will not fall over and may hurt your cat, especially if they are older and cannot move fast.