There’s no question that cats love to climb. Vertical space in the form of cat trees and cat shelves is critical to providing an enriched environment for indoor cats. The Cat Ladder addresses this need in a way that’s creative, functional, and beautiful – and most of all, it lends itself to endless possibilities in any home of any size.
About Cat Ladder Feline Furniture
The idea for the Cat Ladder came to creator Joe Koziol when one of their cats couldn’t climb the ladder to their loft. “Their first introduction to the prototype ladder was priceless,” says Joe. “They knew it was for them. They immediately understood what to do and were proud to show us how to use it. We could see their natural instinct to explore and claim high spaces in the house as their territory.”
When Joe and his partner Damon Knopf began thinking about making these ladders for sale, they knew they didn’t want to make a cheap version. The ladder needed to be stable, and they also believe that there is no reason to cut corners in craftsmanship, or that cat parents should have to sacrifice beautiful design for function. These ladders are pieces of real furniture and are made to complement real furniture. In fact, they fit so well next to people furniture that you might not even recognize them as being designed for cats.
Every Cat Ladder is made to order. From the hand selection of the wood components all the way to the thoughtful details in their packaging and instructions, Joe and Damon take pride in the care that goes into each ladder.
Joe considers the joy these ladders bring to cats one of the great perks of his job. “We often hear that the ladders bring new joy to the relationship between cats, their people and their homes,” he says. “We love to share these stories and pictures on our Facebook page.”
These beautifully designed ladders come in six different sizes, with three to eight steps. They come in six different wood finishes and are also available unfinished. You also have a choice of three different carpet colors as well as a sisal covering. The carpet pads attach with velcro strips and can be easily replaced if needed. The steps come in two different widths.
A solution for behavior problems
We previously had a cat ladder when I had to solve the problem of bratty little Ruby trying to chase Allegra off the dining room cabinet. The only way for Allegra to get off was to jump to the dining room table. It was doable, but it’s quite a distance, and I worried about the landing on the hard surface being too hard on her joints, especially as she gets older. A cat ladder on the right side of the cabinet solved that issue. Eventually, Ruby stopped her shenanigans, and I gave the ladder to a friend who was trying to solve a similar problem.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I recently made over my living room by painting the ugly dark coffee and end tables a nice, bright white. In what I call the “decorating ripple effect,” I found myself wanting to make some more changes to brighten up my space. My eyes kept going to old cat tree in the dining room, and it increasingly seemed like an eye sore. Allegra uses it to get to the top of the dining cabinet. I keep two beds up there, and she likes to occasionally sleep in one of them.
She hasn’t used the cat tree for anything else in years, so I knew that as long as I could find a way for her to still get to the top of the cabinet, she wouldn’t miss it. And to go with my theme of “light and bright,” I chose an antique white cat ladder. Unfortunately, after measuring the space, I realized that a standard ladder wouldn’t quite fit. Joe worked with me to design a custom ladder that fits the available space perfectly and hits just below the top of the cabinet.
Assembling the Cat Ladder
The Cat Ladder does require some assembly, but the instructions are incredible detailed with clear photographs for each step. With my history of panicking when I see the words “some assembly required,” I’m proud to say that I manged to put it together all by myself in less than 15 minutes! The rails come with the screws already drilled in, so all you have to do is push the steps into the groove, tighten the screws with a screwdriver, attach the second rail, and you’re done!
I initially simply leaned the Cat Ladder against the side of our dining room cabinet, but even though the ladder seemed completely secure this way, especially for a lightweight like Allegra, I still attached the Grippy Stick that comes with the ladder. The Grippy Stick uses a “stretch release” adhesive that won’t harm furniture (and I can attest to the fact that it doesn’t, because the first time I messed it up and didn’t attach it in the correct spot and I had to remove it and reposition it.) The Cat Ladder also comes with a mounting block that can be drilled into a wall for placement.
Happy cat, happy human
Allegra was intrigued when I started dismantling the old cat tree, and then skeptical when I put up the ladder. But a few minutes later, she was marching up the ladder like she had been doing it all her life, and settled in for a nice long nap on top of the cabinet.
I absolutely love the look of the ladder. I feel like my dining room got bigger overnight!
And this is what catification is all about: providing solutions that keep cats happy and entertained while also being pleasing to the human. Each ladder is a gorgeous piece of furniture, and since there are so many wood and carpet choices, they will easily blend in with any decorating style.
For more information about the Cat Ladder, please visit their website. You can also purchase the ladders from the Cat Ladder Etsy Shop.
For a limited time only, get 10% off every order
Joe and Damon have been extremely busy with orders since the coronavirus pandemic began. Increased pet adoptions coupled with a shift to many people working at home has led to an increased awareness of the need to keep our cats happy and active in our homes. The Cat Ladder works well in a home office and in small spaces. Plus, it’s easy to move from place to place, unlike most other cat trees or climbing elements that attach to walls.
“We’d like to thank all of our wonderful customers (and their cats) for helping us make Cat Ladder such a loved brand,” says Joe. However, “as most people are finding out, the cost of wood (along with most other things) has gone up considerably in the past few months,” he adds. “We will be increasing our prices mid to late June, but until then and for about one month after the price increase takes effect, we’d like to give interested customers 10% off the entire order.” Use coupon code ILUVCL.
*FTC Disclosure: We received our ladder at no charge. Receiving the complimentary ladder did not influence our review. All reviews on The Conscious Cat will always reflect my honest opinion, or, as the case may be, Allegra’s honest opinion. The Conscious Cat is a member of the Etsy affiliate program. This means that if you decide to purchase through any of our links, we get a small commission. We only spread the word about products and services we’ve either used or would use ourselves.