Assembling a Cat Tree: Not be as Easy as Pie

There are many things to which a dyed-in-the-wool cat lover can become addicted, especially in the "spoil the cat" arena. I have to admit that I am an inveterate shopaholic when I find items with which our cats are apt to become intrigued.

However, sometime I wonder if I am more excited about new products than our cats. Since I have had some sobering experiences opening a box containing something that I consider will bowl our kitties over with delight, only to find that the carton in which the item was packaged was far more appealing. I hope I am learning to be far less impulsive and more discriminating.

A few weeks ago I got an email advertising a huge sale, which included free shipping, on cat trees which piqued my interest. While our living room is already adorned with a rather attractive and sturdy tree that has sadly become a bit threadbare, tattered and torn in places, (just the way cats really love them, actually), so it was easy for me to succumb to the wily advertisement.

With three platforms and two tunnels, and an inviting and easily accessed hammock, hanging near the bottom, with its very reasonable cost, my credit card flew from wallet all by itself. In two easy steps, the cat tree was mine!

But buyer's remorse set in immediately. Needing assembly of course, and with my two left thumbs useless in this operation, I vividly recalled some rather testy moments in just putting a desk together with my husband. I immediately began to feel rather inadequate to the task. To assuage my discomfort, I immediately lassoed Jerry, our across the street neighbor, to lend a hand in setting the tree up when it arrived. He agreed immediately; after all he is very skilled in things mechanical.

The box arrived within the promised ten day delivery window. I immediately rang up Jerry to come on over. Shortly after he had a chance to examine the pieces, Jerry felt it would be a rather easy procedure and would be assembled with dispatch. Tools were provided but the instructions consisted only of a schematic diagram which one needed to have an engineering degree to translate. Jerry wasn't intimidated at all!

However, shortly into the task, beads of sweat started pouring down his forehead as he attempted to connect one of the bolts. Cursing softly under his breath, Jerry rushed home to gather more appropriate tools. It appeared that one of the pre-drilled holes was filled with glue and required reaming. This "no brainer" project was beginning to be alarming. Happily, after a couple of hours, Jerry was able to connect all the nuts and bolts and erect the cat tree. However, it was quite humorous to have two feline supervisors who remained in the room for the entire event, testing the tree during all the stages of its construction. After it was finished, they claimed it as theirs! Mercifully this is a top number on their hit parade of cat accessories.

All cat trees are not created equal. It is important to make sure that the cat tree is safe and secure. The base must be broad enough so it does not topple over when feisty felines hurl themselves upon it. If shaky, the tree can be a real danger to an unsuspecting kitty. I recently learned about a 12 week-old kitten that knocked over a tree, resulting in a serious injury. It is wise to place the tree base as close to a wall as possible for added balance and stability. I was thrilled that we were able to fulfill all these requirements with our new cat tree.

Would you believe that shortly after we finished this project, I discovered this short instructional video posted on You Tube by the company, Spoilmykitty.com, which gives step by step directions on how to assemble their cat trees? It was rather anti-climatic to say the least!

Did you ever assemble a cat tree? If so what was your experience? Please share with us by leaving a comment.