Our Favorite Cat Products

Mewla here.

Ginger asked me to write this article, because our family has tried tons of products during the many years that cats have shared our home. Below are a few of the products we have liked the most, including a scratching post, cat feeder/puzzle toy, interactive cat treat dispenser/puzzle game, cat tree, and our DIY cat play house.

Some of the items we describe are free, DIY projects. Other items were bought, and occasionally companies send us products in exchange for our unbiased review. Know that this website is a labor of love. We are not aligned with any particular company and will mention whenever we’ve received a product for free.

Regardless of the source, we provide our impartial feedback, mentioning both the pros and cons of each product. We only recommend to you, our dear cat community friends, those we have liked the best.

Of course, sometimes you just have to try different products before you’ll know whether your cat will approve, but these are some that have worked the best for Kwazi, Uli, and Ginger.

Cat Scratching Post

We’ve tried many different cat-scratching posts over the years. Our fave so far is the Dimaka 29″ (74 cm) Tall Cat Scratching Post Adult Cat Scratcher for Big Cats ($26 on Amazon). The handmade post is tall enough for the cats to fully stretch and scratch, which is similar to the way they would scratch trees if they were outside. The cats love the weave of the natural sisal rope around its post, and the base is made of heavy wood.

The base is stable enough to prevent tipping (although it wobbles at times). The only disadvantage is, like any beloved scratching post, the rope became shabby after more than a year. We simply bought some more rope, wound it around the post, and secured it.

Our homemade job didn’t look quite as attractive as the original, professional weave, but the cats still love the post. Big thumbs up!

Cat Feeder/Puzzle Tree

We love the Catit Senses 2.0 Food Tree – Interactive Cat Tree (about $25 on Amazon). Kwazi & Uli have had their food tree for five years now. The tree has three levels, and the cat must stick her paw in the find and pull dry food out. As the cats get better, we can decrease the size of the holes to increase the difficulty level.

We originally bought the tree to stimulate the furkids cognitively, especially since they are 100% indoor cats. However, we also liked that the tree slowed down their eating. Both Uli and Ginger Grrrl rush when they eat which sometimes causes them to throw up after dinner. Uli also suffered from hairballs.

We now own two food trees which prevent Uli and Ginger from scarfing down their kibble too quickly. And big plus: The trees seem to make them think, problem-solve, and increase their paw dexterity.

The feeder/puzzle is made of sturdy, BPA-free materials and is easy to disassemble to wash. Each time they eat, the cats use sight, smell, and touch senses, all of which stimulate them cognitively. In fact, we think that Uli eating from his feeder/puzzle three times daily for the last five years helped him to master the Yummy Buggy cat treat dispenser toy, described next.

Watch the video below to see the cats in action (when they first received the feeder).

Interactive Cat Treat Dispenser/Puzzle Game

Is your indoor cat becoming lazy now that he is a mature adult? Cat food puzzles are especially helpful for indoor cats since they draw on cats’ innate urges to work for their food. Because cats’ urges to hunt are primal, offering a delicious ‘prey’ may motivate your couch potato kitty to get up and play.

Uahpets sent @Cuddlingcats a Yummy Buggy Cat Treat Dispenser Toy in exchange for our unbiased review of the product. We’re always looking for new ways to cognitively stimulate the furkids and so were happy to oblige. With the Yummy Buggy toy/treat dispenser, the cats have to work for their prey. A little ‘bug’ runs around in an erratic pattern, sometimes hiding in the ‘burrow’ as they go. When the cat stops the bug with their paw, and treat drops into the tray.

Our cats—particularly 9-year-old Uli—rarely played anymore. However, he loves this toy! The Yammy Buggy is solidly built. It was easy to put together and simple to use. Our only suggestion would be to make the bug either a little softer or easier to catch. Overall, we like that the cats have a fun new challenge. Big thumbs up!

The Yummy Buggy Treat Dispenser Puzzle was easy to use, and the cats had a contest to see who could win the most.

Short on cash? Try our homemade puzzle! All you’ll need is a sturdy shoe box and a pair of scissors. Simply cut holes on the top and sides of the box. Make sure the holes are a bit wider than the cat’s paws. Tape the box and drop some treats in.

The advantage here, of course, is that boxes are free (and human scores a pair of shoes at the same time). The main disadvantage is that cardboard shoe boxes are not washable. But no worries–just toss the box after a while and make another.

Check out how ours worked the first time we made one for Cuddling Cats Kwazi and Uli.

Great Thing About Cats #259: Many of their favorite toys and games are free.

Cat Tree

We searched for a long time to find a cat tree that blended with our living room furniture décor a bit, and so were happy to purchase a Vesper Cat Tree, High Base, in walnut color (#52045, about $160 on Amazon). The tree has a solid 22 x 22 inch base and is 47.9 inches tall.

This cat tree is put out by Catit, a brand that we’ve had success with. We love the furniture-like clean lines of the tree. A main disadvantage is that it is not quite as comfy as cat trees that are covered in carpet. Therefore, the cats can’t go all-out crazy on it, which may slightly impede their fun. The tree also had an attractive toy dangling from it. Still, we ended up removing the toy because the toy was held in place with a metal bar that the cats could possibly hurt themselves on.

We placed the tree at our big window, and its top perch is our cats’ favorite spot. The soft memory foam cushions had nice lines (as shown in the video, below). But we noticed the cats couldn’t quite relax on the perch, for fear of rolling off, especially when two wanted to cuddle together and enjoy the view. So we purchased a 22-inch Double Bolster Pet Bed to fit over the top (about $9 on Amazon). The advantage of this pet bed is its perimeter wall, which provides a comfy bumper to prevent the cats from falling off. The cats also enjoy the bed’s soft fleece material.

Since Kwazi, Uli, and Ginger are adults now and not as wild as they once were, they seem very happy with the tree. With the minor modifications I mentioned, we are very happy with the Vesper Cat Tree and would buy it again.

After our cats grew out of their crazy kitten stage, we wanted a nicer-looking cat tree.

If we were seeking a tree for kittens or young cats, we’d probably go with the ‘carpet all over’ route again. When we chose our carpeted cat trees, we liked the Go Pet Cat Tree, which is very sturdy and comfortable to play on. The carpet and sissle began falling apart after a year or two. In this vid, we had just bought our second Go Pet Cat Tree, because the first had become shabby.

Carpet-covered trees are best for younger cats’ wild antics.

Cat Play House

We’ve seen fancy cat houses, but guess what? Our cats don’t care about fancy. And nothing excites Kwazi, Uli, and Ginger more than a new box. When the box is the right size, we have a cat house. AND, adding some strategically-cut holes, we have a DIY cat paradise.

The advantages here are that we use free boxes and the cats LOVE them. The only con? Well, it is a box. Humans think those fancy boxes are a lot prettier, lol.

Check out the creation of Kwazi’s long-time fave cat play house/box in this video: