Damn it damn it damn it damn it....(no furkids hurt in the making of this post)

[badgerpup]

After much perusal and consideration, ordered a cat tree from Armarkat.
This one:
http://www.thecatandkittenstore.com/servlet/the-1809/cat-furniture%2Cdiscount-cat-furniture%2Ccat/Detail

Cat tree arrived yesterday via UPS, as promised.

Tools (calibrated 'allen drive' and 'wrench') as well as necessay nuts-'n'-bolts all present and correct.

Pieces correctly drilled for easy (well, fairly, considering it was 2AM when I finally got to it) assembly. :hangover:

All the pieces called for present and correct.

Cat tree assembled...it's all good, right?

WRONG. :nuke:

The monsters don't like it. :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown:
This lovely, many-leveled, sisal-wrapped piece of 'cat furniture' is waaaaay too small for them. :banghead:
'Perches' are indeed perches. There is barely room for ONE CAT to even sit, none for them to turn around, let alone lay down, stretch, lounge. Playing on it is RIGHT outta the question.

Don't get me wrong; it's a nice enough tree and would be GREAT for kittens and Singapura cats (they is bitty little kitties; even the males rarely go over 7 lbs), but for what seems to me to be 'ordinary sized cats'...well, Riktor is the smallest of the bunch at not-quite-10-lbs...even HE is crowded.




Hope I can return this for credit. The dissassembly won't be too much problem; it's the repacking and the return shipping I'm dreading. Thing weighs a good bit.

Has anybody dealt with this company? I tried to call them, and they appear to be on lunch break..."Away from the desk" in the middle of the day would seem to denote a small company rather than a large one (to my way of thinking at least).

Not casting asparagus OR nasturtiums, just making a statement.

:banghead:

Edit to add:
15% restocking fee.
I am responible for shipping. :grr:

[japple]

1. I had a similar experience with another company. When I

ordered it, I had one plus-size male (Oscar) one normal size male (Tiny) and one smallish female (Lola). None of them would have anything to do with it. When I had a screened-in front porch put on my house 2 yrs. ago, I put it out there. Oscar is still with me, Tiny passed away, and Lola is still with me. Now I have another female (Mildred-very small) and she loves to sit in the little "cup" on the top of the post. Lola also decided that it might be okay to sit on it, but only because Mildred likes it.

Maybe you could list it for sale on craigslist or in your newsapaper.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. It looks cool -- too bad it's too small. My Gang of Fur has this one:

They love it. It's available here: http://www.purrrniture.com/store.html

Fortunately for me this is a local company so I was able to buy one and just stuff it in the back of my car, all in one piece.

[badgerpup]

3. That looks good...

Thank you! :hug:

Looking at some of the other ones, they've got some REAL cats in them so you get an idea. :thumbsup:

My cats aren't fat...on all of them you can see a waistline and palpate ribs and spine...but Wimsey and Esme really ARE 'big-boned'. You can see it in the sturdy bones of their leg structure, broad chests, and (in Esme's case) football-player shoulders.
I think there's some of the big northern-type genes contributing to Wimsey's thick bones, extremely dense coat (he's a short-hair, but he's got a down coat that'd make TWO cats envious), and the musculature visible beneath it (as well as his -for the most part- easy-going temperament).

Riktor's 7 years old, so at not-quite 10 lbs he's done growing (and he's MAINTAINED his weight, give or take about a half-pound depending upon the season since he was three).
Finnegan (still hasn't come home :cry:) at 20 months old had just gone through a growth spurt, but hadn't filled out into it yet. He was 11 lbs at his last weighing about a month ago. Eight month-old D'Artagnan isn't far behind; haven't weighed him, but he feels heavier than Riktor.
(read: THEY...ARE...STILL...GROWING :hide::yoiks:)

I need to find or make a cat tree that will accomodate SEVERAL big, strong, stretchy, playful, loungy cats. At the same time.

Think I may need to go to "Plan B" after all...
I'm good enough with tools...can use a hammer without cutting myself...it's just getting STARTED that's hard.

[badgerpup]

4. The verdict is IN...

I'm gonna keep it.

After their restocking fee and recouping their shipping charges, I get about $92 back (I shelled out $157).
This is BEFORE I pay to ship the sumbitch back to them, which will probably cost me at least $40.:banghead:


This means I'd be out about $105, with NOTHING to show for it except a bad taste in my head.:grr:

So, I'm gonna keep the cat tree (I caught Riktor sitting on it, so I guess it won't be a total loss) for a while until I can afford a GOOD one (thank you, Velveteen Ocelot! :hug: ), and then I'll donate the ones I've got now (the old one and the new one) to my local Cat Sanctuary.

Still not 100% ecstatic, but I'm happier about it this way than I would be about getting the shaft (however 'legally') for $105...:shrug:

[Sanity Claws]

5. Did you spinkle catnip on it?

That might entice them to use it.

[badgerpup]

7. Yup...

The boys are now using it for hide-n-swat.

Still haven't managed to get Esme's furry little mind around the idea of "Steps, see? Now you can get up HIGH!"
Her hips are kinda creaky and she doesn't do 'jump-and-climb' very well...although she's much more active since I switched their food from 'Maintenance' to 'Active Cat' and she lost all that weight.

Funny...the 'Active Cat' is supposed to be for pregnant queens, nursing mothers, and kittens, but my VERY definitely adult (and not pregnant/nursing) cats are doing splendidly on it. :shrug:

[Kali]

8. test

see http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x9241564

[tango-tee]

6. *Woo-hoo-hoo, hiccups, wiping eyes*

Yes, indeed. Those were the days when I thought that one of those damn sisal-wrapped thingamajigs would be a great investment. As tall as the room, with a couple of little caves for hiding, branches for lurking, etc. Yes, indeed.

Assembled the blasted thing. Result: None of the three cats would even get close to it. Until 3 a.m. the very next morning. That's when they knocked it over. On my bed. With me in it.

On edit - CLARIFICATION: With me in the bed, not in or on the thingamajig.

I must say I much prefer having teh kittehs right there in the bed with me to begin with. Purring. Pawing. Snuggling. Life is great with kittehs. BTW, my 15 year old tomcat loves to chew my hair. Is he strange, or what?