Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Armarkat Cat Tree Model A7802, Silver Gray

Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2023

Size: 36"(L)X31"(W)X77"(H)Color: IvoryVerified Purchase

I've had this cat tree (Armarkat Cat Tree Model B7701, Ivory) since July 2016. I have 3 cats and they all love it. I had a cat tree prior to this one but the fabric that covered the platforms was very slick and my cats didn't care for it and never used it. I got this Armarkat Cat Tree because of the good reviews and it was an immediate success. It has a lot of parts because of all the tiers but it was pretty straightforward and easy to assemble which I did by myself. The fabric is thick and the kind that cats love to scratch but is still soft. It gets frequent daily use. They scratch on it, play on it, and sleep on it. It is very sturdy. It's also nice and tall so the cats sit at the top and love to look down at everything going on around them. Nothing has ever broken except the dangle toys. The toys were such a hit that the cats eventually just chewed through the little elastic cord but that's not why I bought the tree. My cats are finally starting to wear through the fabric in some areas but it's just starting to thin out and is still holding up. Since my cats are constantly running up and down it, I will occasionally have to tighten down the bolts which loosen over time but not a big deal, and, again, it has never come apart or ever failed. The only unfortunate thing is that this tree has doubled in price since I bought it. I suppose that's what happens when you have this kind of inflation but it is a shame it is so expensive now. It was very reasonably priced before and now, not so much. That being said, if you are willing to pay the money, you will get a high-quality cat tree that will last you many years. The picture I included I just took so this is what it looks like now after 7 years of heavy use.

3 people found this helpful

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lacey

lots of pros, a few cons; all in all good value for the price, would buy again :-)

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2017

Size: 42"(L)X26"(W)X78"(H)Color: Silver GrayVerified Purchase

UPDATE after 1.5 years: This cat tree is still holding tight, and is a family favorite!

We have to tighten the screws every few months--especially the one between the top pole and the box that it rests on, both because of the cats scattering up it, and because of my daughter spinning it to get the cats to face her (no, she is not supposed to do that)--it tends to loosen over time.

It has lived through our beautiful stripey cat becoming full-grown and quite gloriously tough and pudgy, AND through the adoption of a new lil black kitten--which means LOTS of fierce up and down and aroundness and swats and jumps and knocks.

They use the top spots the most--the top plate is the favorite napping spot in the house; the brown "cat scoop" is the second favorite--but they do use all parts of it, disincluding the ladder (which I love for its adorableness). We do still keep toys in the hammock for the most part--they get in that the least.

Oh, and our stripey cat eats every string that she can find anywhere, so we had to trim the fray from the hanging rope so that she would stop ingesting it--it is bone-straight now and looks sad, but your cat is probably less ridiculous than ours.

The screws not screwing flush to the surface has never seemed like an issue. The cats never sleep in the box (that has the protruding screw), but maybe they wouldn't anyways--they like being up high.

Amarkat never sent me a replacement box for the one that was burned (just a sightly problem; no functional issues) during manufacture/shipping! :-(

It does sway when they play vigorously--we thought about bolting it to the wall, but they seemed to like it just fine like this, and it's never come close to falling--I figure it's like that Ani song about buildings and bridges being made to bend in the wind because what doesn't bend breaks. <3

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Ours is Model A7802 in Silver Gray. We're one night and one morning into this purchase!

Like others, I obsessed over this purchase and read a million reviews. I went with this one because our 3.5-month old kitten is a tiny dynamo who's all over all our shelves, the kitchen counters, all the plants, the screen door (all the way to the top!), etc., and this cat tree had the most things for her to "do" when balanced with quality and price. If anycat is gonna try the swingy hammock, it's her. And if not, well, we do need a place to put cat toys.

THE PROS: We think it's absolutely beautiful in a silly way. It's not tan, thank goodness, and it makes our living room more visually interesting. The fabrics are absolutely luscious, even if they do look a little bit cat lady / middle schooler. The fabrics and ropes are all firmly attached to the boards and poles with no gaps or frays. The boards are all solid--some are solid wood and some are particleboard, but everything feels heavy and all stuck to itself, if that makes sense. The screws and tools (a tiny wrench and tiny allen wrench) were all included and none were missing, and my daughter was charmed by the little soft drawstring bag that they came in. <3. It took the two of us about an hour to put together, with her being super driven and delegatey. :-) You do have to push the screws through the fabric, like others said, but the holes in the fabric are started for you, and the implement that you're screwing in (a pole or whatever) covers the spot and will thus prevent any fraying. It was a fun family project. After assembly, it still seems solid and pretty.

The kitten likes it! So far her main activity is to stand on top of the box and bat at the rope. She has also explored the rest and chewed on the rope ladder a little. She hasn't ventured into the brown "cat scoop" (daughter's term) or hammock, or slept in any part of it yet--she still prefers sleeping on top of our mouse's cage (super fun for the mouse) or curling into our potted plants SIGH--but my fingers are crossed.

It was easy enough for me (alone) to push across our (carpeted) floor after assembly--it doesn't require you to get a moving crew if you want to rearrange your living room.

THE CONS: It's a little wobbly--the structure itself is sound, but just tall, and with maybe a narrower and lighter base than would be completely ideal. When our energetic baby frolics around, it jiggles a bit. We wonder whether she'd feel more secure, and more likely to sleep on it, if it were more stable? We're going to look into bolting it to the wall and will get back to you. :-)

There was visible glue (like hot glue) at many junctures--mostly at the places that the thick rope attached to the red-orange rubber stoppers. I was able to pull the worst of it off--you know hot glue--but a fair amount remains, which seems not entirely safe, especially since the kitten chews on the ropes.

The box part (third level down from top) came with a brown streak across its outside, maybe half an inch wide and 4 inches long, that my daughter said "looks like feces," lol. Upon further inspection, it did not appear to be feces, but rather a place that the fur was burnt / melted during the manufacturing process. I trimmed it off with haircutting scissors, which worked--the pile of the fur is shallower there now, and that is visible, but because the fur is velvety / changes color when wiped from side to side, the mark looks normal/natural, and isn't noticable unless you get up close. Still, it happens to be on the side that faces the dining room and hallway, and if Armarkat wants to send me a replacement box, I won't fight them. :-)

A few of the screws don't screw in flush to the surfaces--notably the two at the top of the ladder, which protrude above at about the height and size of a pencil eraser (slightly wider) and worry me a little--what if the kitten happens to hit her head on them or something? Can I cover them with something? Putty and fabric? Taking recommendations. Most of the other screws that show have wide flat tops like little dinner plates, so there isn't this problem, BUT the one in the far corner of the box (a dinner plate type) wouldn't go flush no matter how many times we tried. Maybe we weren't getting it into the hole straight--it's a very tough spot to reach and to manipulate within--but we tried SO many times. In the end, it remains about 4mm above the surface, and the little dinnerplate of it is about an inch across, so I worry that it will be uncomfortable if our kitten tries to curl up in the box. But maybe I'm being too precious.

So far, a solid purchase! We'll update after some time has passed. :-)

8 people found this helpful

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L. Morgan

Great Product-Kat Luvs it...

Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2012

Size: 36"(L)X31"(W)X77"(H)Color: IvoryVerified Purchase

My wife found a nearly dead little kitten (the size of a hamster at the time...) all alone under a car. The vet said it wouldn't live. It did. Now the Kat needs a Kondo. (Lucky dog...)

I will post pictures later, but we just received and built this cat tree today, and I wanted to post an immediate comment on the product. We spent a couple of weeks shopping all the various sites and reading reviews, and FINALLY decided on this one.

The value for the money is excellent. The product was delivered very quickly and was packaged well. The color is kind of a creme. The two little "cat houses" are already built for you, all you have to do is screw the posts to the platform, and then the houses to the platforms, then attach the perches. The design is well thought out and the construction is sturdy. The directions were excellent. They obviously have read the feedback and fixed the problems mentioned in previous reviews. All the parts have little stickers on them for identification. It took me just under an hour, and I took my time...

I oriented the house the way it is in the directions as I built it (I'm spatially challenged :). Do yourself a favor and buy yourself a decent hex wrench. The one provided is adequate, but I found it really helpful to have the leverage of a good wrench to torque the bolts into place. Be very careful to get the bolts started correctly. There is carpet all around the holes for the bolts and a stray carpet fiber could cause you to get the bolt started improperly and strip it. Pay attention to the lengths of the bolts and their placement, and it's a snap to put together.

I built the bottom part first, as they suggest in the directions. I found it easier to put it on my dining room table to begin with so I wasn't stooping over, especially to tighten the bottom posts to the platform. After you have the first level done, you can then put it on the floor before it is very heavy. DON'T build the thing on its' side and then try to tilt it up, you will trash it! I don't want to give the impression that this is not built well, it is! But it is also tall and the bolts aren't meant to have lateral pressure put on them...

The quality of the hardware is quite good, and I was able to tighten the bolts very tight without having any of the bolts strip or having the heads strip-out on them. The fit and finish of the other parts is excellent. The covering is very well attached and wraps nicely around the edges. The finished product feels very sturdy and looks very nice. The general design for the cat's usage is well thought out. The spacing between the platforms is just right. I took one user's suggestion and flipped the platform that the ladder rests on around, so that the longer part is inward-toward the house. This makes it a little more stable, but also gives the a cat a place to sit under the ladder. My cat seems to like this. The top of the lower house is right at the bottom sill of our window (just over 33" from the floor), purrfect sun-deck for watching birdies. The cat took to it's Killer Condo right away and is sleeping right now in the lower house. We are looking around for another rescue kitty to give it a "roomie".

I'm very impressed with this product. There is a ton of crap out there. I have bought my fair share, lured by price or clever marketing. This is not that. It is very sturdy and designed well. I consider the bang for the buck to be quite high. I would not hesitate at all to buy again from Armacat, and I highly recommend this product. Cheers!

5 people found this helpful

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Eurica E. Gheen

Sturdy and tall!

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2024

Size: 36"(L)X31"(W)X77"(H)Color: IvoryVerified Purchase

This is the second cat tree we have purchased by this brand. Made well,nice color,sturdy and easy to put together. Nice and tall for those cats that love height!

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ejw2010

Has restored some peace to our house.

Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2014

Size: 36"(L)X31"(W)X77"(H)Color: IvoryVerified Purchase

Purchased for an insecure scaredy-cat living in a world of large dogs and unsympathetic humans. She seems to have taken to it just fine, though does tend to be hesitant to get onto or linger on the top perches - it's early days, I'm confident once she figures out that the top purchases are where she can reliably find treats, catnip, and toys (to be enjoyed unmolested by dogs) she'll be less reluctant. She was very keen on the little dangle toys until she realized how high up they were, I hope as she learns more confidence and sheds some fear she'll play with them more. It has provided her with much needed escape perches that all the humans in the house agree are acceptable and the dogs can't access, and thus has brought some much needed tranquility to our home.

A note on assembly - if you can handle Ikea, you can handle this thing. The series of exploded diagrams show order of assembly but not how to assemble, it is fairly straightforward. The part that threw me off the most were the headless bolts that held posts on either side of a platform - it doesn't look like there's any way to tighten them down. But once you thread it in to the bottom post through the platform, just keep spinning the top post - it will tighten itself down eventually, squeezing against the platform for stability. The little ladder could have been designed to be assembled easier, but it wasn't, and while mine looked like it would not at all fit, it eventually did (I had to assemble the "ladder" bit to the platform first, then fit the platform on the posts, not the other way around).

A note on quality - I paid an extra $30 because Armarkat seemed to have better reviews in terms of quality than the two other major brands of large cat trees and offers replacement parts for when things break (a big selling point for me). The platforms are sturdy enough, the hutches are composite board (actually quite strong), the fabric covering things is a sturdy fleece, but nothing screams amazing, lifetime warranty, indestructible quality. It's not cardboard, and not threadbare, but it's not made with love by an Amish grandfather to be passed down the cat loving generations, either. I suspect it will outlive my cat, which is all I want.

A note on wobble - I've got one cat, who is scared of everything, including jumping and climbing. But I also have two sixty pound dogs who are not afraid of anything, including jumping and climbing (and the one dog has decided catnip is a dog treat - I don't know why, she just likes it). I've got this up against a wall and beside a piano, and the cat and dogs haven't tipped it yet. Yes, it occasionally wobbles when someone larger than intended gets curiouser than I'd like and tries to pull it down, but they don't succeed. So if you're looking for stone-steady for your own peace of anxious mind, don't get this, or anchor it to the floor/wall if you do, that's easy enough. If you're looking for "not likely to hurt the cat or other creatures in the area, probably will never fall over anyway", you're fine.

A note on color - my husband has declared the Ivory to be "pink". I think he's colorblind and it's a decently neutral off-white color that in some dimmer lights and with our brown colored walls, can look a bit pinkish sometimes. But if you're extremely finicky about colors, there it is, I suggest turning on another lamp or buying a stronger color (I preferred the gray but it didn't come in the B7701 I wanted).

A note on offgassing - I did notice as I was assembling it and had my face rather close to it that it had that chemical new carpet smell. I suspect that either the fleece, glue, composite board, or plastic in the posts (or some combination) does have some kind of VOCs in them, and they will offgas for a while. I also suspect they manufacture a big batch of these all at once, and if you purchase one from a new shipment very soon after manufacture, it will stink much stronger than if you purchase one when there are "only 5 left, order soon" and the shipment offgassed in an Amazon warehouse for a few months. If you're pregnant or there's an infant around, have a porch or somewhere to stash it for a while just in case, until the VOCs are gone, like the old paints a few weeks should be enough.

I like it well enough that I'm thinking of getting it as a gift for a friend with more cats. The missing fifth star was for assembly frustration, and the doorways to the hutches are a little too large - I guess it makes cleaning easier but my cat prefers more privacy.

Update 3/20/2015: The cat loves it. She rolls around and lounges on all the platforms, even the top, and races up and down and plays with the dangle balls - she's built up so much more confidence and is so much more out-going everybody thinks she's an entirely different cat. The dogs are no longer curious and ignore it. It still hasn't fallen. The cat has puked a few times on it, and it cleaned up about how carpet/upholstery cleans up - well enough, but not perfect. It's pretty awesome and well worth the floor space and strange looks first-time guests give us. If you've got an anxious cat in need of some special space and confidence, this is a pretty ideal solution.

9 people found this helpful

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Chrissy B

Impressed with Quality for a Large Stand for Cheap

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2017

Size: 36"(L)X31"(W)X77"(H)Color: IvoryVerified Purchase

I was quite impressed for the quality of stand this was for the price. I researched a lot of large stands on Amazon, and the Armarkat brand got the least comments about easily breaking.
The houses and platforms are made of thin plywood and fluffy cotton blend material. The posts are cardboard tubes wrapped in sisal rope. If you have a cat that is a shredder of all materials, the cloth won't last long.
The instructions were easy to read. All picture directions, like putting together legos. It only took me an hour to assemble by myself. When assembling the base, I noticed that the screw heads were large enough to possibly cause scratching on my laminate floor. I placed three pieces of masking tape over the tops to cushion friction. The tape will be easy to remove if I need to tighten them in the future.
As for the chemical smell people mentioned, yes, mine has a slight glue odor. It wasn't overbearing, but I always smell this when I get new furniture direct from a warehouse. It just takes a few days to air out. Nothing that will make you gasp for air being around the stand.
You can't tell from most photos, but I was happy to see the top 3 platforms have a 1 inch border so my clumsy cat doesn't roll out of it too easily.
I have two 13 pound adult cats, and they were able to comfortably fit inside both houses. Yes it does wobble a little. I believe it's because it's so light weight for the height. Toki has raced up it several times, but it doesn't rock enough to tip over. If you do have cats over 15 pounds, I suggest placing this stand in a corner and anchoring it to the wall. I didn't put the toys on, the elastic isn't durable, and the cats would probably rip them off instantly. Depending on how rough my cats treat the stand, I give it 2-4 years of durability. The posts may need tightening throughout use.
As for the pink hue, depending on the color of your walls, time of day and lighting, it may look like it has a slight light pink hue. They may use some red dye to give it that ivory color. But it's not bothersome. I only notice it in low lighting, on gray days.
I gave this stand 5 stars because I needed something cheap and fast to help ease 2 tension riddled cats. If you compared this stand to a stand made of real wood with carpet and rope, I would give it a 4. This stand won't last as long as an expensive quality one. But because it's so inexpensive, I was still impressed with the quality I got for less than $100 and free shipping with Amazon Prime!! Extremely satisfied purchase.

2 people found this helpful

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Mary JK

Armarkat cat tree

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024

Size: 32"(L)X27"(W)X78"(H)Color: AlabasterVerified Purchase

I love this brand! Easy to put together! Cats love it! Wonderful to put in front of window so they can see outside at different levels. Nice for privacy too! Would definitely buy again!

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Kiiyo

Great quality! Great deal!

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2012

Size: 36"(L)X31"(W)X77"(H)Color: IvoryVerified Purchase

I've had this pole for a few months and I LOVE IT!!! It was well worth the money! I bought this because our family was getting another cat, a kitten, and I wanted to dissuade him from destroying my furniture. My cats think it's the greatest thing in my house! Even my older cat took to it immediately. It comes ready to assemble and the only tool you need is an allen wrench, which is provided. This pole is very sturdy if you are sure to tighten the bolts securely. We have ours against a wall, but it would be just fine standing alone. It is nice and tall which gives our cats a great height to watch what goes on in the house. The fact that there are multiple boxes and platforms keeps cat tension down because everybody can have their own space!

Assembly was easy! The instructions have pictures and are very easy to understand. I put this together myself in 30 minutes, although I did have my husband double check that the bolts were tight enough. We actually decided not to attach the highest tower until the kitten gets bigger.

I did a lot of research about these ready to assemble cat trees. I looked over every one on Amazon and through their reviews. This one is a little more expensive than a few similar ones out there, but my decision was based on the fabric and the pole rope coverage. Some of the other trees have poles with only the middle section roped and the top and bottom few inches are fabric. Cats will rip that to pieces in no time flat which is why I like that this one is fully roped. Secondly, all of these RTA poles are fabric instead of carpet to save on cost. The fabric on this one is a white artificial-wool type fabric. Some of the others are more faux fur-like. This fabric is easy to clean with a vacuum and is great if you have cats with lighter fur like I do! So far the fabric has held up very nicely to my cat's clawing torment. They seem to like the rope better for scratching anyways.

The shipping on one of these big tree kits is not very nice, but I did the Amazon Prime trial and got free two day shipping which was amazing and saved me so much money!

4 people found this helpful

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Sharon

We now have three kittens they all LOVE it!

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024

Size: 32"(L)X27"(W)X78"(H)Color: AlabasterVerified Purchase

This cat tree is great. I've adopted three tree dwelling kittens who love to sit up high, and this does the job. They can even give our dog their evil glares from up above, which is constant. It fits perfect in the spot we pre-chose for it, so I'd look at the measurement before purchasing to make sure it can go where you wish. Overall, a great purchase I'll never regret.

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KAV

Great purchase! Fun for the cats!!

Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2010

Verified Purchase

I bought this for my two 6-month old kittens and installed it in the den of my small apartment before I brought them home for the first time. I assembled this on my own and didn't experience the problems like some other reviewers had. When I was building it, I could tell this Armakat was well-constructed and very sturdy. Plus I had a great feeling that my cats would absolutely love this thing. And man, I was right! My kittens took the tree and were climbing all over it during the first day of their new home, which gave a huge sense of relief since I plucked down over $100.00 on a cat tree. And I have to admit that it was the perhaps the best purchase I could've made for my cats. They loved hanging out in it and sleep there every night. The highest perch, little basket, and "clubhouse" are their favorite places since they can look out the window from there. They haven't quite figured out the tepee and lower hammock. But they love scratching the sisal and take up their respective favorite positions when I say "time for bed". (My wife and I can't tolerate sleeping with our cats).

We haven't yet given the kittens free reign of our apartment when we're gone. But knowing that they love the cat tree in their "safe room" and play and sleep on it certainly makes us feel better about the situation. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS!!

I bought this for my two 6-month old kittens and installed it in the den of my small apartment before I brought them home for the first time. I assembled this on my own and didn't experience the problems like some other reviewers had. When I was building it, I could tell this Armakat was well-constructed and very sturdy. Plus I had a great feeling that my cats would absolutely love this thing. And man, I was right! My kittens took the tree and were climbing all over it during the first day of their new home, which gave a huge sense of relief since I plucked down over $100.00 on a cat tree. And I have to admit that it was the perhaps the best purchase I could've made for my cats. They loved hanging out in it and sleep there every night. The highest perch, little basket, and "clubhouse" are their favorite places since they can look out the window from there. They haven't quite figured out the tepee and lower hammock. But they love scratching the sisal and take up their respective favorite positions when I say "time for bed". (My wife and I can't tolerate sleeping with our cats).

We haven't yet given the kittens free reign of our apartment when we're gone. But knowing that they love the cat tree in their "safe room" and play and sleep on it certainly makes us feel better about the situation. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS!!

I bought this for my two 6-month old kittens and installed it in the den of my small apartment before I brought them home for the first time. I assembled this on my own and didn't experience the problems like some other reviewers had. When I was building it, I could tell this Armakat was well-constructed and very sturdy. Plus I had a great feeling that my cats would absolutely love this thing. And man, I was right! My kittens took the tree and were climbing all over it during the first day of their new home, which gave a huge sense of relief since I plucked down over $100.00 on a cat tree. And I have to admit that it was the perhaps the best purchase I could've made for my cats. They loved hanging out in it and sleep there every night. The highest perch, little basket, and "clubhouse" are their favorite places since they can look out the window from there. They haven't quite figured out the tepee and lower hammock. But they love scratching the sisal and take up their respective favorite positions when I say "time for bed". (My wife and I can't tolerate sleeping with our cats).

We haven't yet given the kittens free reign of our apartment when we're gone. But knowing that they love the cat tree in their "safe room" and play and sleep on it certainly makes us feel better about the situation. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS!!

7 people found this helpful

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