Supermarket Clerk’s Guide to Choosing a Stable Cat Tree Tower That Actually Works
The moment of breakdown for me, a supermarket clerk: When I realized that my cat needed not only love, but also a decent Cat Tree Tower.
I have to admit one thing first.
I used to be the kind of person who would say:
"Sure, just give the cat some food and provide a litter box, and that's all you need."
Now thinking about it, it was quite naive.
Just like someone told me:
"Basically, all one needs is a bed to sleep in."
-- You can survive, but you won't be comfortable.
The problem with cats is:
When they are not feeling well, they make you feel uncomfortable too.
That fateful early morning that completely woke me up
That day was a typical morning after a late shift.
I just came out of the supermarket, and in my mind there was still that sound of
"Beep - Scan successful".
There is still a sour taste left from the loading operation on my hands.
I haven't taken off my shoes yet, but I'm already thinking about whether there are any edible items directly available in the refrigerator.
I remember it very clearly. I didn't even have time to sit down.
"Snap."
The sound was not loud, but it was very destructive.
I turned around and saw my American Shorthair, Buddy,
standing on the refrigerator, with an expression that said "This is my territory".
Then it jumped down.
By the way, I accidentally knocked over the lunch box I prepared yesterday.
Chicken, rice, and soup all lie on the ground.
I stood there for about three seconds.
Then I said something that I would never say in front of customers:
"Are you crazy?"
It doesn't.
It's just that...
There's nowhere to go.
It was only later that I realized: The cat wasn't "making a mess", but was "going to work"!
This idea occurred to me suddenly while I was doing the inventory checking one day.
That day, a customer was walking back and forth in front of the shelves.
It seemed that he was looking for something.
The colleague whispered:
"Why is he so obsessed?"
The store manager glanced at it and said a very simple sentence:
"It's not that he was struggling; it's just that the things were not placed in the right position."
At that moment, I suddenly thought of my cat.
Buddy doesn't like parkour.
It just has no energy to use.
Cats are animals that "patrol".
They need:
Climb up high
Observation
Claim territory
Sharpen claws
If you don't give it, it will arrange it by itself.
And its "arrangement" is usually:
Your furniture.
The first time I bought the Cat Tree Tower, I had the mindset of "it shouldn't be too expensive".
The result was soon taught a lesson by reality.
When that thing was first installed, it did look pretty convincing.
Soft and fluffy, with nice colors.
I even took a photo and sent it to my friend.
A friend replied to me with the following words:
"Does it seem stable?"
At that time, I said:
"Probably so."
-- Pay attention to this word, "should".
Three months later, I wouldn't say that anymore.
The sound of that Cat Tree Tower collapsing still rings in my memory to this day.
Two o'clock in the morning.
I had just fallen asleep not long ago.
"Clang!"
Not the kind of quiet noise, but the kind that would make you jump out of bed.
When I rushed out, my mind automatically entered the working mode:
What fell down?
Was it pushed over by something?
Do we need to clean up?
(Yes, I feel the same way about cats too.)
Buddy jumped out from a pile of crooked boards, looking completely confused.
I crouched down on the ground and watched it. It had an expression on its face that said, "What are you doing?"
At that moment, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Then I looked at the fallen cat tree tower, and in my heart there was only one thought:
This thing will definitely go wrong sooner or later.
Since then, the way I choose the Cat Tree Tower has completely changed.
I no longer care about "whether it's good-looking or not".
I'm only looking at one question:
Will it tip over?
It sounds extreme, but you should know that:
I walk back and forth between the shelves every day.
The thing that worries me the most is -
The objects are not placed stably.
Because once you fall down,
it's not a problem, but an accident.
So I have a bit of a fixation on the matter of "stability".
My current choice is very simple and quite "like a supermarket clerk".
I will do something very ordinary.
I will push it.
Really.
Just like checking whether the shelves are stable or not, push them with your hands.
If it keeps shaking, I'll just give up.
There is no second chance.
There was another point that I had completely overlooked before: the higher the height, the better it is not necessarily true.
I know that nowadays many people prefer those very tall cat tree towers, which look very "luxurious".
But have you ever thought about this question:
How old is your cat?
Buddy is no longer a kitten now.
When it jumps, it is a little slower than before.
Just like those regular customers who come to our store frequently.
They just can't walk.
Just walk a little slower.
If the distance between each layer is too great, it will actually be a burden for the cat.
It's not a challenge.
It's stress.
Once I almost made another mistake in purchasing. It was because I was tricked by the "appearance".
That cat tree tower looks very nice.
The color is clean and the lines are beautiful.
It looks like a display item when placed in the living room.
I was almost going to buy it.
But later I did something:
I stopped to see what my cat was doing.
It was by the window at that time.
Sitting.
Watch the birds.
Still motionless.
Like an old retired man.
At that moment, I suddenly understood:
It doesn't require to be "attractive".
What it requires is:
A high point by the window.
Later, I began to notice some details.
For instance, some cat tree towers come with hammocks.
But the positions are different.
Some are at the top.
Some are in the middle.
At first, I didn't think it mattered.
Later I realized that it was actually much worse.
The hammock in the middle layer is safer for the cats.
It won't be too high, nor will it be too spacious.
When I see certain designs, I feel:
"Well, this person must have actually owned a cat."
Not just people who are only thinking about selling things.
It's the kind of person who has actually observed cats.
If you have more than one cat at home, I sincerely suggest that you think a little further.
A multi-cat household is really like a shelf.
If there is not enough space, it will get crowded.
If there isn't enough space, people will fight for it.
My friend has two cats. At first, there was only a small platform.
The result was that they were "taking turns to keep watch" every day.
Like snapping up discounted goods.
Later, she replaced it with a multi-level cat tree tower.
Each cat has its own place.
The conflicts have significantly decreased.
Nothing is magical.
It's just that there is enough space.
One thing that many people underestimate: Location is more important than what you buy.
Where you place the cat tree tower determines whether the cat will use it or not.
I tried putting it in the corner of the living room.
Buddy won't go.
I have tried placing it at the entrance of the bedroom.
It passed by.
Finally, I placed it by the window.
It climbed up that very day.
Then he sat there and watched for half an hour.
I stood by its side and watched it.
It looks outside.
At that moment, I felt a little amused.
Because I suddenly realized:
I spent so much time on this research, but actually it already gave the answer.
Regarding cleaning, I might have gone a bit too far (warning from a professional perspective)
I couldn't ignore the fallen hair and dust.
Really.
After spending a long time in the supermarket, you will develop a certain obsession with the concept of "orderliness".
My current habit is:
Vacuum the hair once a week
Tighten whenever you see a loose spot
Clean it up when it gets dirty
It sounds very troublesome.
But compared to being woken up by a "clanging" sound in the middle of the night, this is nothing.
Life now is much quieter.
Not the kind of "perfect life" as shown in the advertisements.
There will still be cat hair.
There will still be occasional mischievousness.
But there will no longer be parkour at three o'clock in the morning.
There will no longer be any sofas that are damaged during transportation.
And there is no longer that kind of -
"I'm already very tired. Could you please make things a little easier for me?"
I came home from work and sat on the sofa.
Buddy will jump onto its cat tree tower.
Make a full circle.
Lie down.
Sleep.
The world fell silent.