Comments on: How to Buy a Cat Condo

on 8/8/2006
Independent pet stores usually purchase cat condos built by local merchants. Usually they are more expensive, but they are built better. If cost is a factor (as it was with me) ask when the store sells their "floor models" and what the discount is.

on 2/7/2006 When shopping in a store, look very carefully at the Kitty Condo for urine stains. Some pet stores allow dogs to come into the stores and the dogs mark their territory.

on 11/22/2005 When deciding to purchase a scratching post, bear in mind that it must be balanced and reasonably heavy. Think of the "Pyramid Principle" - wide at the base, narrow at the top. All the weight is at the bottom, so the post cannot tip over. Choose the design as if you were the cat.

on 11/22/2005 Be sure that the cat condo you purchase will last for a long time. My family bought one over 20 years ago, and it has survived five cats and two small children (who would use it for everything from a coffee table to a chair to something to launch matchbox cars). Amazingly, it is still in one piece! Be sure that if you have multiple cats and/or small children, the condo will withstand many years of being knocked around.

on 11/22/2005 I paid a lot of money for a tall cat tower (7 feet.) that my cats used for about a week. Once they became comfortable enough, their climbing got a little crazy and tipped the tower over. Both my cats jumped off before it hit the floor and weren't hurt, but neither one has gone near it since. I recently bought another one that attached to the wall, so I know it won't fall down. They really go crazy on this one, and so far it's working out great. The first one was an expensive lesson.

on 11/22/2005 I purchased a 3 story cat condo which was large, beautiful and well-constructed. My cats loved it. They had their own room with a porcelain tile floor, and they never had fleas until a few weeks after I gave them this condo! Now, they are infested, the house is crawling, I am itching, and they are sick!

Pet stores encourage customers to bring pets in. While the pet is in the store, their fleas jump on things in the store (like cat condos, because they are carpet-covered). The larvae wait until you get the condo home and the cats warm it up, and you have an infestation.

Be aware of this!

on 11/22/2005
Independent pet stores usually purchase cat condos built by local merchants. Usually they are more expensive, but they are built better. If cost is a factor (as it was with me) ask when the store sells their "floor models" and what the discount is.