What's the right cat tree for kittens?

When choosing a cat tree for kittens, aim for one under a metre tall, with levels around thirty centimetres apart and a wide base. Height isn't the point at this age: what matters is that they can climb up and get back down on their own, without a risky jump. A kitten who botches a descent once will be wary of it for weeks.

At what age can kittens use a cat tree?

Kittens start using a scratching post of their own accord at around 10 to 12 weeks — roughly when they come home with you. Nothing stops you setting the tree up before then: it'll be a playground long before it's a scratching post, and it will already be part of the furniture the day the urge to scratch kicks in.

In fact, setting it up early has a big advantage: a kitten who learns to sharpen their claws on sisal in their first weeks doesn't pick up the sofa habit. Correcting that habit later takes far more effort than preventing it.

The four criteria that matter at this age

A sensible height

Under a metre for a kitten aged 2 to 6 months. It's not that they can't climb — they climb very well, often better than they come down. That's exactly the risk: a young cat confidently climbs to 1.50 m, then finds themselves stuck, and ends up jumping clumsily onto a hard floor.

Closely spaced levels

About 30 cm between two levels. A kitten has neither the strength nor the coordination of an adult: they need a staircase, not springboards. Models with a ladder or staggered platforms are ideal, because they create a way down as well as a way up.

A wide, heavy base

A kitten climbs in fits and starts, clings on at odd angles, lets themselves drop. The tree is under constant sideways strain. A narrow base tips over — and a kitten who has brought a piece of furniture down on themselves won't go back to it. Always back it against a wall.

Sisal along the full height of the posts

This is the age when the “scratching = sisal” association sets in. A decorative 20 cm patch at the bottom of a post teaches nothing at all. For more on materials, we explain why carpet teaches the wrong lesson in sisal or carpet for the scratching post.

Sisal from their very first scratch
Its posts are wrapped in sisal along their full height, proper vertical scratchers, and its two raised-edge baskets hold your kitten in place instead of letting them slide. See the wooden cat tree →

A small tree now, or a big one for later?

The question comes up all the time, and the answer depends on one thing only: how gradual the climb is.

A big tree with platforms 50 cm apart is unsuitable for a kitten, now and for a good six months. They'll only use the bottom level, and your money sits idle. A big tree fitted with a ladder or staggered platforms, on the other hand, works from day one and keeps pace with them as they grow: it's the better buy of the two if your budget allows.

In other words, don't look at the total height. Look at the gap between two consecutive levels and whether there's a way down. Full guidelines by age are in how tall a cat tree should be.

Safety mistakes people make without thinking

• Dangling cords and small toys. Kittens chew everything. A swallowed thread means a blockage. Remove anything that dangles, or swap it for a toy you only bring out during play sessions.
• Glued-on pompoms. They come loose within a few weeks and end up swallowed. Check them regularly.
• A tree on a tiled floor. For the first few months, put a rug underneath — falls happen, and they're normal.
• A tall piece of furniture nearby. A kitten will use the tree as a stepping stone to reach the top of a bookcase. Anticipate the route they're going to invent.

How to teach them to use it

There's almost nothing to do, and above all nothing to force. Three simple steps are enough:

1. Put the tree in the room where you spend your time, near a window. A kitten wants to be where things are happening.
2. Play around it and on it. Run a wand toy along the posts and across the platforms: they'll climb by themselves, giving chase.
3. Never lift them onto it by hand. A kitten hoisted onto a platform learns that height is a constraint, not a reward. That takes a long time to undo.

If they still ignore it after a few weeks, the cause is almost always where it's placed: the seven possible causes are reviewed in my cat won't use their cat tree.

Our cat trees for kittens

• The wooden tree with woven rattan baskets — 60 × 40 × 100 cm. The low, wide design, with raised-edge baskets a kitten can snuggle into for a sleep.
• The tree with hammock and house — 55 × 38 × 132 cm, on a squat base, designed to absorb jumps. It's the model a kitten graduates to once they're more confident, with an enclosed house and a hammock for naps.

Our three cat trees suit different profiles; to choose between them, our guide to choosing a cat tree goes through the criteria in order of importance.