Is there anything a cat loves more than the security of a high place? From leopards to house cats, our feline companions never feel safer than when they are watching it all from above. As cat owners, it’s our duty therefore to provide the next closest thing inside our houses. A cat tree with hammock, provides a safe, soft, interesting environment that will help your cat’s physical and mental health, and give your furniture a much needed rest from their sharp claws. In this article, we will be looking over why you need a cat tree, and assessing the best cat tree with hammock on a market.
Our selection at a glance
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70 to 75 inches | 60 to 70 inches | 62 inches | 20 inches |
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In this article:
- What are cat trees
- Why do cats need cat trees
- The best cat tree with hammock (our selection)
What Are Cat Trees?
Cat trees are typically a multi-branch (hence ‘tree’) structure supporting by posts wrapped in sisal. This hemp-like rope provides a rough surface that cats will love to scratch their claws on. In fact, most surfaces on a good cat tree will provide an opportunity for scratching at all angles, whether horizontal or vertical, or anything in between.
Cat trees are often multi-layered, and some contain platforms at various stages of the climb, others have ‘house’-like buildings which they can get into. You can get a cat tree with a hammock somewhere along its structure run, or one with soft toys like mice dangling from the posts. Cat trees come in all shapes and sizes, rather like cats themselves.
Why Do Cats Need Cat Trees?
The simple fact is this: cats must have a place on which to scratch their claws. As an owner, this is helpful in protecting your couch, or even your carpet, but for a cat the reasons are more psychological than that. Cats use body language to signal happiness, stress, or that they are in distress – the motion of scratching is one of the many ways in which they convey their pleasure or displeasure.
On a physical level, it also helps with their joints and muscles, and in shredding the outer layers of claws they maintain the health in their most valuable assets. Even without a cat tree, a cat must be able to scratch something, somewhere.
On an environmental level, it is beneficial for a cat to have a cat tree. As mentioned before, they are very keen on maintaining the high ground, where they feel safe and secure. A vertical post will allow them that luxury. An interesting environment is also beneficial to them; a cat tree with all kinds of extra features can keep them entertained and stimulated as well, no more so than a cat tree with a hammock.
The Best Cat Tree With Hammock
Cat trees with hammocks are fairly unique contraptions, and not as common as the bog-standard cat tree. In terms of features, a hammock is rarely found on a cat tree on its own, but as part of a varied climbing environment. Far away from human hammocks, these are more like swinging pouches than netting, and are totally secure but provide the same relaxing vantage point. These are some of the best cat trees with hammocks on the market today
Armarkat Cat tree Furniture Condo, Height -70-Inch to 75-Inch
This fairly elaborate, charmingly named “condo” cat tree is a 4-storey structure (with a couple of extra platforms in between), featuring a little house in the middle. The most interesting feature by far is the soft, pouch-like hammock swinging between the bottom two platforms – just above the hammock is a dangling rope with which they can play while sitting there. Easy to assemble, it could provide hours of enjoyment, although due to its top-heaviness, it might not be suitable for larger, or heavier cats who are a bit more reckless in their climbing.
Armarkat Cat tree Furniture Condo, Height- 60-Inch to 70-Inch
This sturdy cat tree, again by Armarkat, contains their mark of quality as well. Containing faux-fur platforms, supported by strong wooden posts covered in the aforementioned sisal rope, this is a cat tree with a hammock strung between four posts for maximum security. According to some owners, this sisal rope can wear off after a while as it is thinner in some places, but can also be replaced easily. The overall weight of the tree is a little light, so larger cats may find themselves wobbling it. It is overall an ingenious invention, very unique in look, and likely to keep one or more cats entertained easily (and provide them with their own, individual places to sit!).
World Pride Cat Tree Furniture with Hammock and Platform 62 in. High
We challenge you to find anything more adorable than a little, soft ladder that cats can use to get in and out of the cat tree. This contains less space for scratching, and is more for the cat looking to explore. The multiple, varied surfaces are all incredibly tactile and shapely, and the quality is far higher than most cat trees. The hammock is a little smaller than some of the other examples, but most owners find that cats love it just the same.
TRIXIE Pet Products Baza Cat Tree
The simplest design of all four of the products, this cat tree is a simple two-post configuration, with a hammock at the top. Containing equal amounts of soft furnishing with sisal rope, the hammock itself is made of an incredibly plush, cream faux-fur that will keep them snuggled up after a hard day’s climbing and scratching.
Final thoughts: the best cat tree with hammock
Cat trees are an absolute necessity for the owner looking to provide the full experience for their pet. As a place for exercise, they also are stimulating, and allow a cat to work off any of their stress and anxiety. They protect your furniture, and make your cat feel secure by providing them with their own perch, their own territory. A cat tree with a hammock is a way to keep your pet entertained in a unique way.
The best cat tree with hammock is the one that suits your cat’s personality; are they sleepy or inquisitive? Do they need to be close to the ground because they are old, or are they a couple of young kittens who love to bounce from platform to platform? Whatever the case, there are so many suitable products out there, allowing you to really get the best cat tree with hammock.