Cat Tree Tower for Multi-Cat Homes: A Photographer’s Real-Life Perspective
How I Ended Up Obsessing Over a Cat Tree Tower—Thanks to Three Cats
— A Photographer's Diary of Daily Life at Home
Let me start with some context.
I'm a photographer. I work from home and my working hours are irregular. My sleep time is even more unpredictable.
And in my house, there are three cats.
If you also live in a multi-cat household, you’ll probably understand what I’m about to say—
When there are too many cats, the problem is never a lack of love, but rather a lack of "space".
And what I’m talking about here isn’t floor space—it’s vertical space.
1.cats are different from humans. They inherently assume that the world is "three-dimensional".
When a person enters a room, they first look at the floor.
When a cat enters a room, its first reaction is to look up.
This is one of the clearest things I’ve learned after years of photographing animals.
To cats, it’s simple:
Sense of security = I am above you
So if your cat always likes to jump onto the top of the cupboard, the refrigerator, or the very top shelf of the bookcase, it's not because it's being "naughty", but rather because it's seeking a sense of psychological balance.
It was only later that I realized the significance of the "cat tree tower" was not to provide the cat with a toy, but to give it a legitimate elevated position.
Otherwise, they will create it themselves.
2. Conflicts in Multi-Cat Households Are Mostly About Movement Flow
There are three cats in my family, and they have completely different personalities.
- Boss: Stay alone, don't let anyone get close.
- Second son: Likes to patrol, wants to see everything everywhere.
- Third one: A social media expert, everyone wants to follow him/her.
If all the activities take place on the same plane, you can imagine how lively the scene would be.
Later I discovered that as long as the space "grows upwards", many conflicts would automatically disappear.
The multi-level structure of the cat tree tower essentially serves to divert the cat's movement paths:
- You go up there.
- I'm in the middle.
- You are sleeping below.
No interference, world peace.
3. Why I Started Paying Serious Attention to Tree-Like Cat Tree Towers
To be honest, at first I was attracted by its "looks".
As a photographer, I am highly sensitive to lines, proportions and spatial perception.
The traditional cat climbing frame gives me the feeling of being a piece of fitness equipment, while the tree-like structure is more like a piece of furniture.
Later, it was discovered that this structure is particularly friendly to cats as well:
- There is no direct conflict path.
- There is always a way out in every direction.
- The cat can choose to "avoid" instead of engaging in a direct confrontation.
Like the mewzoom modern tree-shaped cat tree tower, I prefer to view it as a re-planning of the cat's movement patterns rather than simply adding more functions.
4. When It Comes to Stability, Cats Are Pickier Than Humans
Many people judge whether something is stable or not by shaking it with their hands.
Cats are not like that.
A cat judges stability by one simple standard:
At the moment I jump on you, have you "hesitated"?
As long as there is any jitter in the first landing point, they will make a note in their minds.
And they will keep this note for a long time.
I witnessed a cat myself. Due to a failed jump, it didn't touch that climbing frame for an entire month.
So a reliable cat tree tower may not be overly flashy in appearance, but it must be:
- Low center of gravity
- Solid structure
- The cat won't "try a second time" when it jumps up.
5. Platform Count Matters Less Than Height Differences
This is a mistake a lot of people make.
A large number of layers ≠ easy to use
Reasonable height ≫ Quantity stacking
What cats need is rhythm, not a maze.
Platforms of different heights can naturally distinguish the usage rights:
- Cats with larger body sizes tend to prefer lower positions.
- Sensitive cats prefer the highest points.
- The observant cat prefers the middle position.
The three cats in my household almost never fight over positions, but each of them has a very clear "territory" they consider their own.
6. Enclosed Cat Beds Aren’t as Popular as You Think
I used to think that cats preferred "holes".
But later I discovered that what they really liked was a sense of control.
A completely enclosed space actually made many cats feel uneasy.
They preferred to stay in:
- Be able to see around
- Can leave at any time
- Places that won't be blocked by obstacles
This is why many current cat tree tower designs are beginning to reduce the use of large enclosed structures and instead adopt open platforms.
7. Let’s Be Honest: This Thing Has to Live With Humans Too
The cat climbing frame is not just for cats; it is always right in front of you every day.
As a photographer, I simply can't ignore the "presence" of an object in a space.
When the cat tree tower functions as a piece of furniture rather than an awkward pet installation, people will feel comfortable and the cats will be more relaxed.
This is also the reason why I was able to accept the design style of mewzoom later—
At least it doesn't disrupt the overall rhythm of the space.
8. After All This Time, I Only Care About Three Things
In the end, no matter how many parameters there are, they are of no use.
Now when I judge a cat tree tower, I only consider three points:
1.Will the cat go up there on its own every day?
2.Do multiple cats naturally divide up the territory for use?
3.Have any other areas of the house been "liberated"?
If the answer is "yes", then it is worth it.
The Final Truth
Cats can't write reviews or tell you if they like it or not.
But they do vote with their bodies.
Where it stays, where it sleeps, and where it regards as the "highest point"—
That is the real answer.
And a good cat tree tower actually has very little presence—
So low that you forget its existence and only notice that the house has suddenly become much quieter.