Cat furniture is a general term that defines a variety of scratching posts, cat clawing trees, climbing furniture, sleeping furniture, litter furniture or cat condos. If indoor cats really have a need for all those specialized items of furniture or not, can be an endless debate, as cats won’t come to tell us what they think. We are not discussing here must-have items like cat litter boxes, water bowls or food dishes. This article is about all the rest a cat can get from her human protector.

This is a personal classification of various types of cat furniture:

Must Have Cat Furniture

Scratching Posts

Taught by their own experience, many cat owners admit that a cat scratching post is an obligatory purchase, otherwise sharing the apartment with a cat can lead to yearly purchases of human furniture such as couches, armchairs or cupboards. Some people even advise that there should be a cat scratcher in every room of the house where the cat has access. Some others, on the other hand, say that no matter how many scratching posts they’d buy, their lovely felines would rather scratch the real furniture.

Cat Trees

Cat trees are cool for cats that enjoy climbing a lot. Breeds like the Russian Blue, Cornish Rex, Peterbald, Sphynx, Bengal or Egyptian Mau are very active, so they need to be entertained with lots of toys and games. Persian cats, on the contrary, would rather sleep all day long than climb cat trees, so in their case, maybe it’s better to get a cat bed and a set of pillows.

Average Necessity Cat Furniture

Cat Tunnel Toys

Tunnels will provide you and your cat an excellent basis for crazy games and fun. However, you can achieve the same level or adrenaline rush with some old paper bags. Cats won’t tell the difference anyway, but your wallet will feel it. However, if you’re not exactly financially challenged, you could consider buying a cat tunnel made of tent fabric which can be folded and stored when not in use. Another version of tunnels, more expensive and less fun are the ones that come as a big piece of furniture including various functionalities such as scratching posts, sleeping platforms, tunnels and mini-rooms. I don’t know how other cats are, but mine used that tunnel less than 10 times, then she decided it’s not fun to go down the hole, so she never used it again. The same cat furniture model, but without the tunnel, would have cost about $60 less, so I paid $60 to see my cat using the tunnel ten times and take two photos of her big butt which refused to fit down the pipe.

Cat Houses

Not really necessary, but if the cat decides to use it, such a house can offer you great moments of entertainment. However, there’s no need to spend money on a cat house, because you can achieve the same effect with a big cardboard box from one of your gadgets.

Useless Cat Furniture

Cat Beds

I still remember that before bringing the kitten home, I was very concerned with where she’s going to sleep. It never occurred to me that she might want to sleep on the carpet or on the sofa or everywhere else. Taking a pet to sleep in the same bed with me was out of the question, as I would have never imagined myself closing an eye while being in the same room with a cat. I was so wrong! First of all, the kitty refused to use the bed I’ve prepared for her, in favor of an old tee-shirt of mine. Then, after she’s been neutered, I felt sorry for her and I was afraid she’d jump on the furniture at night and get injured, so for the first time in my life I agreed to share the bed with a non-human entity. It seems that I’ve survived, so since then, she’s sleeping with us.

Should Humans Overcome Pet Shopping Addiction?

Merchants take advantage of cat owners’ weakness and offer such a variety of products, toys, widgets, nuggets, moving toys, vibrating mice, sparking balls and so on, that one can hardly refrain from buying at least one or two of those things each time they enter a pet shop. Isn’t this shopping for pets very much like smoking? It’s just one more addiction to overcome for people like you and me. I'd say that if some piece of cat furniture makes you feel good for having it, then go ahead and buy it. Your cat's opinion doesn't matter that much, as if she won't like it, she simply won't use it. No hard feelings. Cats are nice creatures and good roommates.