I try not to lie in headlines, but I figured it would be preposterous enough that a reasonable person would immediately recognize my fib. To clear my conscience, I’ll come clean here: I do not have special powers that allow me to peer into the mind’s eye of cats. Heck, I have trouble telling when they want me to stop petting them until they scratch me up real good. So, this review is going to rely heavily on my interpretations of my cats’ actions while enjoying the Songmics Cat Tree.
They Got Their Cat Tree for Free
We recently moved into a new house, and our cats get really pissy about change. To make matters worse, they were transitioning from indoor/outdoor cats to indoor cats. So, I knew I would need to butter them up for the big move. I contacted the good people at Songmics to see if they could hook me up with a cat tree for free. They were more than happy to give one to our cats, Sonar and Judar. And, they didn’t even care that I might drag their name through the mud. They sent the kitty-kitties the Songmics 67” Multi-Level Cat Tree.
What Makes the Songmics Cat Tree so Special?
Songmics describes the tree as “exclusive luxury for cats.” And, I’ve found this to be true. Not only is the cat condo luxurious, but it is also clearly for cats exclusively. Bucky, our preschooler, regularly tries to play on the cat condo with disastrous results. I also have not been able to fit into many of the prime hangouts on this unit.
The entire activity tree has 15 sisal-covered posts, 3 perches, 3 dangly ball things (with or without bells), 2 condos, and there is no partridge and pear tree: the cats would kill the partridge immediately and a pear tree would be superfluous.
Songmics makes several other different cat trees, but my cats opted for the largest one. The company’s products tend to be more expensive than the competition, but this is because they use better quality materials. Plus, Songmics backs their cat trees with a 30-month warranty.
Performance
Here is a video review of the Songmics Cat Tree:
And, if you’re having a video day, you can watch me take the components of the tree out of the box:
What We Liked about the Cat Tree
There are three main PROS we found with the Songmics Cat Tree:
- No concern about it falling over
- Plenty of play surfaces for two cats
- Made of high-quality materials
One of the biggest concerns about cat condos is that they will fall over sending cats flying. I have had zero concerns about this with the Songmics Cat Tree. The sturdy platforms are hard to push over: I’ve tried. Of course, I am able to push the tree over. I’m a big, strong man. But, it takes some effort.
What if Judar and Sonar both wanted to chillax in a cat condo or on a perch? No problem. There are enough perches and condos for both to have a place to hang out without having to fight for territory.
All of the materials are high quality and are recommended for meow-meow use. For instance, the posts are covered with natural sisal rope, which is designed to withstand nonstop scratching while satisfying your mouser’s compulsive behaviors. The perches, platforms, and condos are covered with a super soft plush that is also resistant to wear. The posts have compressed cardboard cores, and the platforms are made of premium particle board. You won’t see karatemen chopping this activity tree to bits.
Sonar and Judar lounging about. Make sure to place your cat tree by a window so your furry friends can easily look down on the outside world.
What We Didn’t Like about the Cat Tree
There are three main CONS we found with the Songmics Cat Tree:
- Took 75 minutes to build
- Could not get one of the perches to attach securely
- Pet store odor that was slow to dissipate
I am pretty slow when it comes to assembling just about anything, but this cat tree was a beast to put together. It took me an hour and 15 minutes. Part of the issue was that I didn’t realize the first platform I was attaching posts to was the bottom, so I didn’t know which side to put the posts on. Jerome the Teenager corrected me. Also, there were a couple brackets that were angled incorrectly which threw me off. I just bent them to attach the ramp correctly.
Despite my best efforts, though, one of the perches wobbled. The posts that the perches rest on are attached to the tree by double-sided screws. As you turn the post, both ends of the screw should go deeper and deeper into the post and the tree. Unfortunately, this did not happen. The threads on the post weren’t the best so the screw got caught and mostly just entered into the tree. I tried to fix this but to no avail. So, I have a wobbly perch, but the cats don’t seem to mind.
The cat activity tree smelled like a pet store coming out of the box. This is a known problem, and they recommend airing out the tree thoroughly before putting it together if you notice an odor. However, the odor was still slow to dissipate.
How to Get Your Cats to Stop Worrying and Love the Cat Tree
I should also mention that our cats weren’t that interested in the cat tree at first. This probably had something to do with Bucky terrorizing the place, but eventually, they warmed up to it after we put their food in one of the condos and got Bucky to settle down. If your cats don’t immediately take to the activity tree, consider spraying some catnip on it. They’ll go there if it gets them high!
The little terrorist keeping the cats away from their new plaything. We had to move the cat tree to a spot Bucky couldn’t get to.
Should You Buy the Songmics Cat Tree?
If you love your cats and want a way to give them a little slice of happiness (and you have the room), I strongly recommend picking up the Songmics Cat Tree. The upfront hassle of assembling and potentially airing out the condo is minor compared to the joy the cats will have. Right now, Judar is taking a little nap in the lower condo. He’s a cute little guy. Check him out in the review video above.
See the Lowest Price for Songmics 67” Multi-Level Cat Tree on Amazon
