5 Cat-Friendly Ways To Add Vertical Space To Your Home

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Cats love to climb and to watch from a height. It’s part of their hunting instinct, and a home with a few high spots suits them far better than one with only a scratching post and some toys.

The trick is fitting that climbing into your home without losing too much floor space or style. Here are five ways to do it.

1. Cat Towers

Cat towers are the most popular way to add vertical space. Many include perches, beds and toys, and they come in all shapes, sizes and styles, from minimalist to themed to ones that look like a tree.

Ask yourself:

How tall should it be?
How many cats does it need to accommodate?
Where in the house should you put it?
What materials should it be made of?

Kimmel Cat Tree by Archie & Oscar (Wayfair)

Henrietta Cat Tree by Archie & Oscar (Wayfair)

If you’re handy with tools, you could build your own.

2. Window and Wall Shelves

A window shelf suits a cat that likes lounging in the sun, and it takes up less room than a tower. Cats like watching what’s happening outside, especially if birds visit your yard.

Ozbourn Cat Window Perch Seat by Tucker Murphy Pet (Wayfair)

Wall shelves also give your cat a spot to sit and look over the house.

Lotus Leaf Cat Perch by The Refined Feline (Wayfair)

3. Bookcases

A bookcase you already own can be made cat-friendly with a few small changes. Clear some books from a shelf so your cat has somewhere to sit.

Remove any valuables or fragile items, since cats love to knock things off shelves. Add a scratch-proof covering where they climb up to prevent damage.

If you don’t have a bookcase but want cat furniture that looks like one, these are worth a look:

Drawer Mobile File Cabinet With Charging Station by Tucker Murphy Pet (Wayfair)

4. Climbing Walls

A climbing wall gives a cat the most room to explore vertically. The best ones are customizable, and if you’re good at DIY you can build almost anything.

Armarkat Wall Series: Natural Wood Wall Tree Additions (Set of 2) by Amarkat (Wayfair)

Some people cover entire rooms in platforms, ropes and tunnels so a cat can go everywhere.

Wall-mounted Cat Tree Shelves by Tucker Murphy Pet (Wayfair)

This one is hard to beat:

5. Door Trees

If a cat tower doesn’t fit your home’s look, a door tree is a handy alternative. It is similar to a tower but hangs on the back of a door, so it is less visible and takes up less space.

Use a door that stays securely shut or can be held in place, so it can’t swing and injure your cat.