How to configure a cat tree: layouts for every home and every cat

A cat tree is not one object but a layout: where the posts stand, how high the platforms sit, and where a cat can rest, hide or look out. Get the layout right and the tree becomes the favourite spot in the house. Get it wrong and it turns into an expensive scratching post that nobody climbs. Here is how to plan a configuration that suits your cats and your room.

Think in three jobs: scratch, climb, rest

Almost every cat uses a tree for three things. A good layout gives each of them a place:

• Scratch: at least one tall, uninterrupted post so a cat can stretch to full length.
• Climb: levels staggered at different heights, like a staircase, so the top is always within one comfortable jump.
• Rest: a soft platform or a wool cave, ideally at mid height where many cats prefer to sleep.

Five layouts that work

1. The single post

A tall post on a heavy base, nothing else. Ideal next to the sofa a cat already scratches, and the simplest start. Our Simple Scratcher stands 95 cm tall.

2. Post with a lookout

One post with a platform on top: scratch at the bottom, watch the room from the top. Compact enough for a small flat, like the 84 cm Mini Meow Tower.

3. The side perch

A platform held out to the side of a post, so a cat can scratch and settle in the same spot. A platform holder sits on top of any post and carries a platform sideways, as on Petite Perch.

4. Low and wide

Two platforms at easy jumping height on a broader base. Best for senior cats, kittens and two cats who like to stay close. See Kitty Carnival.

5. Floor to ceiling

Several levels staggered up to 215 cm, so multiple cats can each claim a height. Leave room above the top platform for a cat to sit up. Our tallest is Adventurer's Atrium.

Plan for the room, not just the cat

• Next to a window is the single best position. The view is the main attraction for most indoor cats.
• Measure the ceiling and the floor. Our bases range from 60 × 60 cm to 100 × 100 cm.
• Short on floor space? A wall-mounted column such as Skyline Scratchers takes none at all. Give the cat a place to step down too, like a platform within reach.

Several cats? Add levels, not height

Cats share space better when there are more places to be. In a multi-cat home, add platforms at several heights and a hideaway, so a nervous cat has somewhere to retreat that is not the top. Every Kikska tree is built to hold several cats at once, even mid-play.

Try it before you buy it

Our cat tree configurator lets you build a tree part by part: choose a base, stack posts of 20, 40 or 80 cm, add holders, platforms, fur pads and caves, and pick the wood, rope and fur colours. The tree is drawn to scale in a room, and the parts list underneath updates as you build, so you see exactly what you are ordering.

A layout is never final

Because every part fits every other part, you can change the configuration whenever your cat does. Start low for a kitten and add height later, move a platform to the other side, or add a second post when a new cat arrives. You never need to buy a whole new tree to change the layout.