Cassie liked her old cat tree better than the new fancy one This beautiful cat tree ordered from Little Whiskers of London, Ontario was less functional for my kitty than I had hoped. An adorable video from Sunshine Kitty Rescue of Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, showed elaborate cat trees with multiple levels and places for active kittens to jump or hide. Two tall trees stood in front of a window while rambunctious kittens raced around playing with cat toys. A Facebook friend explained that the video showed her own “Kitty Korner,” a room dedicated to foster kittens. She had ordered the Toronto and Mississauga models (same style, different colours) from Little Whiskers of London, Ontario. Free shipping was included! I was interested!
Earlier I had learned that most of Little Whiskers’ products are made in China. Undoubtedly that kept prices down, but as I prefer to showcase listings with more local flavour on this website, I didn’t add Little Whiskers until I learned that they serve nearly all of Canada. They ship everywhere except very remote communities where the cost is prohibitive. Corner Brook, NL, might be called a remote community, but received products there. Images of happy cats enjoying trees were posted throughout Little Whiskers’ Facebook feed and on their website, and online reviews were overwhelmingly positive. I ordered the Gatineau model, a 62” (157.5 cm) Mocha-coloured tree with four levels. A cute cat-sized ladder rose to level two, where a small barrel-shaped enclosure provided a resting spot. A hammock hung from below, accessed via a round opening in the floor. Suspended to the side was a small round hammock. Rising from the third level was a resting spot at level four, with a tiny tunnel hanging from it. All levels were supported by round poles covered with sisal rope. The overall effect appeared cute and practical. The purchase went through PayPal easily, with the order shipped the next day by UPS. It arrived at my door just one week after ordering it. The enormous box took some effort to haul up a few stairs, but was exciting to dig into. Assembly instructions were sketched on a single sheet of paper. Quantities of each part and its measurements were shown in metric. I placed everything on the rug with sticky labels identifying the five types of screws by their assigned letter. A photo would have helped near the end, but an online image was available to consult when needed. Perhaps an experienced assembler could complete the task in the 35 minutes suggested, but it was over an hour for me. I got stuck at one point when mistaking screw F for a G. Another sticking point was when attaching the small tunnel to the top level with a screw that seemed impossibly small. As the drilled hole went through a fabric seam, the fabric’s double thickness prevented attachment. When I tore the seam apart on the inside, the screw finally held. The entire structure had an odd odour. In summer, I would have aired it outside, but not in the rain. I sprayed Feliway all over, but the odour persisted. Feliway is believed to be calming to cats, offering a synthetic scent similar to that left by cats when rubbing their face on things to mark them as their own. A diffuser was already plugged in near the tree for Cassie’s benefit. I added some dry catnip as an enticement, and kept the window open when I could, but nothing removed the odour. Most troubling was the instability of the base. The tiny ladder at the front prevented it from pitching forward, but it swayed dangerously to the back, and somewhat to either side. I set an old cat tree to one side to stabilize that side. The new tree only stayed in place when propped against the wall. That required moving it each day before and after closing the drapes, not a task I relished given the product’s weight. A safety feature I missed was a ridge around each surface. On my older scratchers, a cat could safely doze at any height without falling off. The Gatineau tree only had such a ridge at the highest level, but my cat never made it to the top. Most of the resting places seemed sized for kittens rather than adult cats. Cassie only went into the barrel-shaped enclosure—once. Approximate dimensions are shared below. Another issue was the style of covering. Expecting carpet that my cat loves to scratch, it was actually a velvety fabric. The only scratching surface was sisal rope that entwined the support poles. Cassie tentatively scratched one of these, after a few days, apparently just once. The day after the tree was up, Cassie urinated outside the box—three times. She was still recovering from her most recent cystitis attack, so her illness may have been a factor, but the timing and behaviour pointed to the tree. After days of inappropriate peeing and little interest in her new tree, I consigned it to storage with my cat foster supplies. One day a different cat might enjoy the tree. Cassie’s medical condition is still unresolved. After her urine became bloody again, I took her back to the vet. The earlier diagnosis of idiopathic cystitis meant there was no known cause. It wasn’t believed to be a bacterial infection as her urine had been free of bacteria, but the latest recommended treatments weren’t working. In my experience with Cassie’s four previous attacks (in less than a year!), antibiotics were the only treatment that resolved them. I asked for the pills even though the treatment seemed counterintuitive, and thankfully the vet agreed. The next day, blood work came back showing evidence of a bacterial infection in a high white blood cell count. We were glad that Cassie was already receiving antibiotics. Our next step is an appointment with an internal medicine veterinary specialist in Vancouver. We want to know more about what is causing her repeated attacks to better prevent them in future. She seems to have recovered for the time being and is back to her playful self. After placing my order for the Gatineau, I learned about a local cat tree maker in Abbotsford, The Cat’s Meow. Their trees aren’t as fancy, but appear sturdy and are made of carpeting that many cats love to scratch. Not every level has a safety ridge all the way around it, but they build to order and could provide ridges if requested. My brother made his own carpeted scratching post that his cat, Ted, adores. Anyone who knows a bit about woodwork and installing carpet can make their own as a do-it-yourself project with carpet scraps. The rescuer from Sunshine Kitty Rescue was surprised at my disappointment with the Little Whiskers product. She has had nothing but good experiences, with no complaints about odour or instability. She has bought them for her daughter's home as well as her home, for her own cats and her fosters. The Toronto and Mississauga models (larger than the Gatineau) sit safely on flooring in front of a window in the Kitty Korner. Her cats have also enjoyed the top-of-the-line Vancouver model. - Irene Plett Approximate size of resting places in the Gatineau tree:
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2/29/2020 03:15:09 pm
So sorry the cat tree was not suitable. The cat trees I have from Little Whiskers are older, sturdy, no smell. I thought they were Canadian made. Maybe the manufacturer has changed since my purchases.
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