Modifying cat furniture for Maine Coons

**mcguy** · 29th August 2010, 03:55 AM

Been having some "fun" recently modifying and building furniture that is suitable for our two boys as they get larger. Unfortunately, it seems quite difficult to find furniture suitable for large MCs (without spending a small fortune). However, we have found ways to improve some of the furniture to make it acceptable. Thought I might post about our experiences in case this is of interest to other MC owners...

One of the cat trees that we have is a large Amarkat unit: Classic Cat Tree - Classic Cat Tree B8201 - Armarkat.com - Cat Furniture, Cat tree, Dog Bed, Cat Bed We got this a few years ago for a young male MC we had that was big into climbing as this unit has lots of things to climb on (sadly, he died suddenly of a rare condition between the time we ordered the unit and it was delivered). That boy was not terribly heavy (long and lean), but our two males now are both quite large and heavy (22 and 18 lbs at 2 years and 1year). As they have grown we have been gradually modifying this unit. We have removed the house on top as it had became too small for them to go into and too small even to lie down on top of. This has worked well as now the large top level is a favorite place for the two year old to sleep. The three raised platforms also became too small for the big boy to relax in so he rarely went up there any more. I took two of the platforms and used metal brackets to tie them together and changed sisal supporting posts to allow them to work that way. Both of the boys now often use this single larger platform. Recently we got concerned about unit's stability and capability to support the boys jumping around as it wobbled greatly. Luckily, Armarkat sells replacement parts for fairly reasonable prices, so we ordered additional posts and added more supports. Unit is now considerably more stable, and should continue to be usable. Without these modifications, we would have ended up taking it down and having to buy something larger and more expensive.

The other project we just completed today was to build a new and larger tube platform. One of the frequently used parts for cat furniture are the heavy cardboard 4' tubes that are cement molds for posts. A number of years ago I used one of these to build a scratching post and perch for the cats, and it has continued to be their favorite piece of furniture. The tube stands upright, has carpeting wrapped around it and stapled, and a round piece of wood inserted in the top to provide a platform for them to sit or sleep. Unfortunately, the largest cardboard forms that are sold around here are 12" in diameter, and while the girls still love to sleep on top of ours, it has become too small for the boys. Doing some searching on the Internet, I was able to find a company that makes plastic versions in much larger diameters: Ceme-Tube HDPE Plastic Concrete Forming Tubes. Ordered two of the 18" diameter tubes and built the first one today. Ended up being quite a bit of work, but looks like the cats will love it, and plenty big for the boys. Cost was around $110 for all material for one, which seems fairly reasonable given how much they like these and how durable they are. If anyone is interested in more construction details, let me know. Though I intended it for the boys, our girl Allie seems to have decided it is hers:

**harrymc** · 29th August 2010, 10:49 AM

This is great and you are right the cost of such items are phenominal to purchase from the shops. It sounds pretty straightforward to make as well. Love the pictures of Allie too, she seems to have taken to it.

**FreyjaRoMaine** · 29th August 2010, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by harrymc

This is great and you are right the cost of such items are phenominal to purchase from the shops. It sounds pretty straightforward to make as well. Love the pictures of Allie too, she seems to have taken to it.

Have you tried Tigga Towers? They're not the cheapest climbing towers but they're also not the most expensive, and they are designed with MC's in mind as Sam is also a MC breeder. The great thing about Tigga Towers is that they are modular design, so you can extend bits to it when your budget permits. I've just extended Freyja's by half a meter so she's now got two separate posts to climb up, an interim level platform she loves to sleep on (comes with a detachable hammock) and a private little igloo at the top. She absolutely loves it, and I'll add more height and a second platform in due course.

I don't know about anyone else, but I really don't like the ones you find in pet stores that are covered in paw prints and plush - I want my cat to have a good climbing tower, that gives her privacy, exercise and fun, but isn't an eyesore in my office, and the tigga tower keeps us all happy. Check out Tigga Towers Cat Scratching Posts

Sam couldn't be nicer to do business with either, and if you give her an idea of what you're looking for she'll make some great suggestions. I wouldn't go anywhere else now.

**mcguy** · 29th August 2010, 02:45 PM

Have you tried Tigga Towers?

No, as not in UK.

Really like that they are modular, but I am not clear on how they stay upright with 20+ lbs MCs jumping on them. This is a problem for many cat trees, where the manufacturer claims they have a heavy enough base, but this turns out to be true only for "regular" cats. The Armarkat unit we have for example is very heavy and is fine even for our girls, but when the 22lbs male jumped on the cantilevered platforms or the raised platforms it was not OK (before our mods).

One of our breeders has some of this furniture: Great Lakes Cat Furniture, Cat Trees, Cat Houses, Cat Condos However, check out the sizes and prices, e.g., Luxury Cat Beds and Furniture for Large Cats (plus shipping for a 240lbs item).