So you might just got a Maine Coon or you are planning to get a Maine Coon and you are wondering what might be a good cat tree for this breed. I mean, Maine Coon cats get huge and the normal cat trees are probably not stable enough for a Maine Coon, right? However is this really true, or can you simply get a normal cat tree like for any other cat breed? Here is your answer.
The Maine Coon is a very large cat breed, if not the largest. That´s why they need a very stable cat tree. Female Maine Coon cats do not get as big and heavy as male Maine Coon cats. That´s why it is okay to use a normal cat tree until a certain age. Male Maine Coon cats get very big and heavy, so a very stable cat tree is needed earlier. The best cat tree for Maine Coons is definitely the Cat Empire Beige from CatTreeKing. Why? It is very stable, there is a lot to do for your Maine Coon, meaning that there are three lying places and you can easily place toys on the various platforms of this cat tree. Further the very big and sturdy poles are perfect for your Maine Coon climbing.
That´s the short answer for people who do not have that much time to read the entire article. If you are one of those people who do their research very thoroughly and you want to learn why the Cat Empire Beige from CatTreeKing is the best cat tree in detail and why Maine Coons even need a cat tree, you have come to the right place. Simply continue to read this article to learn everything about your Maine Coon and cat trees.
The Best Cat Tree For Maine Coon Cats
Have a look at the four different cat trees I have listed for you here. All cat trees have the exact same quality, but they come in different sizes, forms and prices. You will definitely find something awesome for your Maine Coon.
1. Cat Empire Beige by CatTreeKing
Looking at the image, you might already be able to tell why this cat tree is so great, especially for large cat breeds like Maine Coons. This cat tree is huge. I mean, look at the image. There is a woman standing right next to the Cat Empire Beige and the cat tree is taller and wider than her. The exact measurements are 72x47x24 inch and it weighs 143 lbs.
Just have a look at the poles. Those are the poles you are going to need if you want to get a cat tree for your Maine Coon. Maine Coons can weigh 15 to 25 lbs and some get even heavier. When they are jumping from platform to platform, or from pole to platform, there will be even more weight the cat tree has to hold. A normal cat tree will not do the job in this case.
Further all poles are completely covered with sisal, which means that your Maine Coon can climb up this cat tree from every side instead of just jumping on the platform. This will make the cat tree more attractive, more entertaining to your Maine Coon and because the cat tree is so sturdy and the poles are so big, you never have to worry about your Maine Coon breaking the cat tree or that it is going to fall over.
The sisal is directly glued to the pole, so your Maine Coon will not be able to roll off the sisal from the pole. Unfortunately this happens with a lot of cheaper cat trees. The same goes for the plush. The plush is glued to the wooden base stand and other parts, making it impossible for your Maine Coon to rip the plush off. And we are talking about a strong Maine Coon here.
It is very important that a cat tree for a large and heavy cat has a very sturdy base stand, otherwise one or more Maine Coons would be easily able to knock the whole cat tree down.
Great Lying Places
This cat tree has three lying places, making it a great cat tree for even more than one large cat. Further all lying places are very stable. The little hammocks of 18 inch Ø are tested up to 44 lbs, you won´t be able to find a stronger hammock anywhere. Besides that, the hammocks are very soft because of the plush. This makes it very comfortable for your Maine Coon.
The bed at the top is very large and comes with two removable pillows that can be attached with velcro. This prevents your Maine Coon from falling down together with the pillow when dreaming very wildly, lol. The measurements of the cat bed platform is 24x17x6 inch.
Why I Personally Like The Cat Empire Beige
The word “personally” might sound like I am biased, but this is not the case. I just know from my own experience and from friends who also have Maine Coons that going with a low quality cat tree for Maine Coons can end badly. Normal cat trees simply wobble too much and often the poles break and this can hurt your cat and also other furnishings in your house.
Choosing a very stable, high quality cat tree like the Cat Empire Beige is making sure too avoid any (bad) surprises, too avoid injuries and too avoid additional costs in the future. Trust me, even if you buy a smaller cat tree now, you will eventually buy a cat tree like this one.
Further this cat tree is big enough for multiple Maine Coon cats. So you do not have to buy more cat trees than this one by all means. Considering the price for this cat tree, this is definitely a good thing. Check the price for the Cat Empire Beige here on Amazon.
Any Cons?
This cat tree is absolutely amazing for Maine Coons. You can tell that the company CatTreeKing really knows what type of cat trees Maine Coons need. The product is absolutely stable and of high quality. The only con is that the price for this cat tree is pretty high. All I can say is that quality has its price and you are definitely not going to need to buy another cat tree after buying this one. It will last forever.
2. Tiger Beige Cat Tree by CatTreeKing
This is another huge cat tree, absolutely perfect for Maine Coons. It is very large and comes with three lying places and I am not even talking about the other platforms your Maine Coon could lie on here.
As you see, this cat tree is also taller and wider as the woman standing next to it. The measurements are 69x39x24 inch and the cat tree weighs 137 lbs. This cat tree has the exact same quality like the Cat Empire Beige that I have recommended above.
The poles are very sturdy with glued on sisal, the hammocks are huge and very plushy and the cat bed comes with two removable pillows that can be attached with velcro.
Tiger Beige vs Cat Empire Beige
You might ask yourself now what is the difference between this cat tree and the Cat Empire Beige that I have recommended above. First of all the Cat Empire Beige is a little bit taller than this cat tree. This means that your Maine Coon can climb higher and jump higher for which they need more energy while playing. This is great since you want your Maine Coon to get as much exercise as possible.
However is this really the reason why I picked the Cat Empire Beige over this cat tree, the Tiger Beige? When it comes to cat trees for large cats, my thinking is: the bigger the better. However that doesn´t mean that one of these cat trees is better than the other. Both have the exact same quality, the cat bed and the hammocks have the exact same measurements.
Really the only difference is that the Cat Empire Beige is a little bit taller than the Tiger Beige. And the Tiger Beige comes with a very sturdy ladder and this cat tree also has a very large center which is perfect for placing or attaching toys on it.
What About The Price?
As you know, quality has its price and that´s just what you have to expect when looking for cat trees for large cats like Maine Coons. However the Tiger Beige is a little bit more favorable than the Cat Empire Beige, which probably makes it a little more attractive, even though the Cat Empire Beige is a little bit taller. Check the price for the Tiger Beige Cat Tree here on Amazon.
3. Corner Cat XXL Beige
The Corner Cat XXL Beige is another awesome cat tree by CatTreeKing the perfect alternative if you are on a budget. Cat trees can be pretty expensive and I can totally understand if you don´t have the money for a massive, giant cat tree like the ones I have recommended above.
Luckily the Corner Cat XXL Beige comes at a more favourable price. Check the price on Amazon here.
What Is Different About The Corner Cat XXL Beige?
As you can see on the image, the Corner Cat XXL Beige is significantly smaller than the two cat trees that I have recommended above. However it is still pretty tall and it is still okay for two Maine Coon cats. The exact measurements are 59x24x22 inch and it weighs 105 lbs.
This cat tree also has two hammocks and one cat bed with a removable pillow. The quality is absolutely the same as with the two cat trees above. The only difference is that there isn´t so much space as with the both cat trees above. If you wan´t to learn more about this cat tree in detail, have a look at the description on Amazon here.
4. Low On Money? Get The Queensplace XXL Beige
Not everybody can afford huge cat trees like the ones I have already recommended. So if you are saving up for a huge cat tree, but you still need a good cat tree for your Maine Coon at the moment, have a look at the Queensplace XXL Beige.
This cat tree is more like a scratching post, but it also has a cat bed on top with a removable pillow and it comes with a big rope your Maine Coon can use for climbing and playing. It is a very good alternative to one of those huge cat trees, but only if you only have one Maine Coon or if you have a couple of other cat trees in your house.
As you can see the 8 inch Ø pole is pretty stable and the cat tree was tested up to 88 lbs. I mean, there is a woman sitting on this cat tree comfortably. The sisal and the plush are directly glued to the material beneath, which makes it impossible for your cat to destroy this cat tree while playing. Check the price on Amazon for this cat tree here!
Why Do I Always Recommend The Same Brand?
You might think now that I have some special deal with them to promote their product or something like that. However this isn´t the case. I have never had any contact with the guys from CatTreeKing. The reason why I recommend their cat trees is that it is very hard to find any cat trees that are especially made for Maine Coons or other large cat trees.
Simply browse through Amazon and look through the cat trees you can find there. There are hundreds of different cat trees, many of them have a very high number of reviews with a very high rating. If you have a closer look at those ratings though, you will find a lot of people who are claiming that the cat tree broke or that they are not happy with the quality.
Also, a lot of cat trees might be huge and make the impression that they are perfect for a Maine Coon, but if you have a closer look at them you will see that most of the elements of the cat tree (like boxes with holes, platforms, lying places) might be okay for a Maine Coon kitten or for a regular sized cat, but they will be way too small for an adult Maine Coon cat.
Besides all that, most cat trees will break under the weight of a Maine Coon. A Maine Coon will not only lie on a cat tree, they actually play a lot on the cat tree and this means that the cat tree has to hold a lot of weight. I see this a lot with our Maine Coon, Maze. Whenever we sit in the living room, she jumps on the cat tree next to us and starts to play happily for at least 20 minutes.
So far, the cat trees from CatTreeKing are the only, really high quality cat trees that I could find, that are absolutely perfect for Maine Coons in every single way.
CatTreeKing Has A Great Customer Service
This is another great thing about this brand. They have an absolutely amazing customer service. People who had problems with their cat trees got help very quickly. CatTreeKing is very accommodating when it comes to such things.
So if you have any problems, if something breaks, you can talk to them and you get help/ replacements quickly.
How To Choose A Cat Tree For Your Maine Coon
What to look for in a good cat tree for Maine Coons. There are definitely a couple of things you need to keep in mind when getting a cat tree. It also depends on your cat´s character. Here are two major things that you should keep in mind when getting a cat tree for a Maine Coon.
Is It stable?
I know, I know, I probably don´t have to tell you that a cat tree for Maine Coons has to be very stable. Every Maine Coon owner knows that, but I still have to say it. Make sure that the cat tree is very stable. I do not only mean that you should make sure that it can´t break. I mean that you also have to make sure that it can´t fall over.
Maine Coons are pretty heavy and if they jump from platfrom to platfrom, there is even more weight and power the cat tree has to hold. Cat trees that have a very small base might fall over and I don´t have to tell you that this could end in a disaster.
So make sure that the cat tree is made of stable material and that the base is not too small.
Is It Exciting Enough?
Maine Coon cats are known for being very intelligent. I often notice that in our Maine Coon cat, Maze. She often does things that seem to happen by accident, but now that I know her longer, I know that she is actually trying to communicate with me so that I understand it. For example, when she wants to play, she drops a ball or a scrap of paper in front of me. That does not mean that she wants to play with the ball or with the scrap of paper though.
She just wants to make sure that I understand that it is playtime now. This is just one of many examples, but I think you get what I want to tell you with that. You can´t get a two level cat tree without any toys on it for such an intelligent creature like a Maine Coon. Your Maine Coon will be bored quickly, meowing to make sure that you know that it is bored.
This can actually become a very serious problem. If your Maine Coon is bored all the time, do you know what happens? At first it will just run around in your house. Then it will meow pretty often. While this might not alert you, you will be alerted when your Maine Coon starts to destroy your furnishings.
Don´t get me wrong here, Maine Coons are not complicated cats. They are not cats that are known for destroying things quickly. However a bored Maine Coon will become a problem over time. So always make sure that your Maine Coon has a lot of stuff to do in your house. Getting an exciting cat tree for your Maine Coon is just one of many steps you can take to do that. By the way, the more exciting the cat tree is for your Maine Coon, the more exciting it will be for you to watch your Maine Coon climbing on it. So it really is a win-win situation.
Don´t Be Fooled
There are tons of different cat trees on Amazon and you might think that all of them could be good for your Maine Coon. They look huge, the description says that the tree is stable and it has a great design. I have made this mistake as well.
Most cat trees on Amazon are good. A lot of them have a lot of reviews and are rated over 4 stars, which is great. The problem is that those cat trees might be good for regular house cats or for other cat breeds that are normal in size. For a Maine Coon, however, those cat trees are not good at all.
A lot of product images are totally misleading. They are showing the cat tree with cats on it and the tree looks very large compared to the cat. If you then have a look at the customer reviews you will realize that most of the time the cat tree is not as big as you thought. So whenever you buy a cat tree online, have a look at the customer images.
Do You Need A Very Tall Cat Tree For Your Maine Coon?
There are a lot of very tall cat trees on the market. You might be thinking about getting one of them, since a Maine Coon is very large and probably needs it, right? Yes and no. Your adult Maine Coon definitely needs a large cat tree, however it doesn´t have to be very tall. In fact, Maine Coon cats are known for hunting on the ground mostly.
Did you know that Maine Coons had jobs back in the day? A lot of farmers had a lot of mice around their farms. They destroyed a lot of things, which led to loss of revenue, as you can imagine. Because of that, they used Maine Coons to get rid of the mice and rats. So you might understand now why Maine Coons hunt on the ground mostly.
So you don´t have to get a very tall cat tree. It is way more important that the tree is very exciting for your Maine Coon. A couple of different platforms, posts to scratch, maybe a toy here and there can make the difference between a cat tree that is only used for sleeping and a cat tree that is used for playing.
You definitely want a cat tree that is used for playing very often.
Do You Really Have To Get A Large Cat Tree?
You might have a very small Maine Coon kitten at the moment, but every Maine Coon owner who has an adult Maine Coon knows that these cats get even bigger than they look on photos or in Youtube videos. I remember when I was at a Maine Coon fair the first time.
We already had our Maine Coon, Maze back then. She was still a kitten, though. So she still was very small and while knowing that Maine Coons get very big, I did not expect too much when it comes to size.
I knew how wrong I was when I saw the first adult male Maine Coon in my life. Boy those cats are huge as hell.
So if you have a rather small Maine Coon that is under 2 years old, you might ask yourself right now if such huge cat trees are really necessary. There are a couple of cat trees that are way smaller, but they can be still as stable as a big one, right?
While that is true, an adult male Maine Coon might still have not enough space on a platform of a very small cat tree. So it really depends on a couple of factors if a smaller cat tree is okay for your Maine Coon.
Is It Really Stable?
I know that there are a lot of cat trees that look very stable and you might have read a couple of reviews that also say that the smaller cat tree you are interested in is pretty stable. The problem here is that you don´t really know what stable means.
If you are looking for a very large cat tree, then you don´t have to worry about stability in most cases, because those cat trees are made for very large cats and the manufacturers know how much weight such a cat tree should be able to hold.
If the product description of a smaller cat tree say that the cat tree is stable, you don´t know what that really means. Stable enough for a regular house cat or also stable enough for a massive Maine Coon? Same with product reviews. Do the people who say that the cat tree is stable own a Maine Coon or another large cat breed? If not, the review isn´t really of interest for you. Only trust reviews of other people who own a Maine Coon or another large cat breed. If they say the cat tree is stable, it is.
Are The Platforms Big Enough?
Sure, cats are known for loving to sit in boxes that are way smaller than them. Somehow they manage to press their bodies into holes that are way to small for their large bodies. Maine Coons are not different in this regard. Small platforms will be used by your Maine Coon as often as big platforms. However this can still cause some trouble.
Especially if the cat tree is used for sleeping a lot, your Maine Coon might sleep on the small platform and fall down from the platform, because it is just too small. This happened to our Maine Coon twice. She had outgrown her cat tree and we had to get a new one.
So you see, you should make sure that the platforms are big enough. Not only in case your Maine Coon wants to sleep on it, also because you probably have more than one cat (you definitely should) and your cats might want to sit, lie, sleep on the cat tree together.
How Old Is Your Maine Coon?
If you really want to use a small cat tree, because you don´t have enough money right now, or because somebody gave it to you for free, you can do so if you have a younger Maine Coon. For example, by the time I am writing this article, our Maine Coon Maze is around a year old.
Maine Coons grow until they are 4 years of age. They are a cat breed that grows slowly. While there are Maine Coons that are pretty big with 1 year of age (especially male Maine Coons) Maze is not big at all and a very large cat tree is not necessary for her at the moment.
So, I´d say you can use a smaller cat tree until your Maine Coon is 1 to 2 years old. If you have a male Maine Coon, you probably need a large cat tree when it is one year old. Owners of a female Maine Coon need it later.
Always pay close attention to the cat tree when used by your Maine Coon. You want to make sure that you replace the cat tree soon enough, so that no accidents can happen. Especially after being neutered or spayed, cats are known for gaining a lot of weight and growing quicker than before. Keep that in mind to make sure that your Maine Coon is safe.
Why Do Maine Coons Need A Cat Tree?
You might ask yourself why cats even need a cat tree. Trust me, not getting a cat tree will lead to an unwanted outcome. Here is why Maine Coons need a cat tree.
They Need Exercise
I can´t stress enough how important exercise for cats is. A lot of cat owners do not know how much exercise cats really need. Think about this, your Maine Coon is normally running around in the woods all day. Now it is most probably an indoor cat. So there is no running around, no hunting and all that.
Just think about what your Maine Coon would experience when being outside. As I already said, it would run around a lot, because cats explore their environment the whole time when they are not sleeping. Further they defend their territory from other cats which costs a lot of energy as well.
Being alert, making sure that there are no deadly cars, dogs or wild animals, all this costs a lot of energy. Hunting costs a lot of energy. All the different smells outside, all the information your cat has to process in the wild cost a lot of energy.
And then there is the indoor Maine Coon cat. Laying on the couch all day doing nothing.
Too little exercise will lead to health problems and even psychological problems. So a very good and exciting, large cat tree is absolutely necessary so that your cat gets some good amount of exercise each and every day. Sure, it definitely needs more exercise than that, but it is a start.
Feeling Comfortable
You might say now that your Maine Coon is allowed to go outside. Maybe you have a balcony, maybe a garden, maybe you are even living on a farm. First of all, that´s great. A Maine Coon that is allowed to go outside is most of the times a happy Maine Coon.
Cat trees are not only important for physical or mental exercise. They are also a place where your Maine Coon is allowed to do whatever it wants. It is their space and they just can enjoy lying on it or playing on it. Just see it as a small Maine Coon home in your house.
Good For The Claws
You might not think about it, but cats are actually predators. Normally they are out in the wild, catching mice, catching birds and bring them to you, because they think that you are just a bad hunter and can´t even catch a mouse. They want to feed you.
So it is normal for a cat to use its claws all the time. Maine Coons use their claws while playing with a toy (or with a mouse outside). They use their claws when climbing, which should be possible with a cat tree. However they do not only use their claws for that. They also scratch things to make things smell like cat – they have scent glands between their paws.
As I said, Maine Coon cats need their own little home, their own little space and it is very important that your Maine Coon is allowed to scratch everywhere in that space. A cat tree is absolutely perfect for that. Your Maine Coon is able to spread its scent and it also is able to satisify its natural behavior of scratching.
Think about it, if you don´t offer your Maine Coon a place where it can scratch wherever and whenever it wants, it will eventually just scratch your carpet. Or it will scratch your furnishings. Or it will even scratch your wallpapers. I don´t have to tell you that that doesn´t look good, no matter how much you love your cat.
So having a cat tree right from the start will teach your cat where scratching is allowed. Most of the time they find the material on cat trees irresistable and beginn to scratch quickly. You don´t really have to teach your cat where it is allowed to scratch then.
The Need It For Playing
Playing combines physical exercise, mental exercise, feeling comfortable and training for the claws. The Maine Coon breed is known for being playful. It doesn´t matter if you have a kitten or an adult Maine Coon, every Maine Coon loves to play and they do that each and every day.
It is very important for all cats, but for Maine Coons it might be even more important. You definitely have to make sure that your cat is able to play a lot on the cat tree. You can also place little toys filled with cat nip on the cat tree, which will make it even more exciting for your Maine Coon.
So. the more possibilities to play there are on the cat tree, the happier your Maine Coon will be. Keep in mind that playing will keep your Maine Coon busy. It prevents health problems and it prevents psychological problems. It will also prevent your Maine Coon from doing things you don´t want, like scratching your furnishings for example.
Conclusion
I think I have stressed enough how important it is to get a very big and stable cat tree for your Maine Coon, so I don´t really want to write too much about that in this conclusion. All I want to say is that everybody knows that Maine Coons are pretty expensive, however you can save some money if you get the right stuff for your Maine Coon from day one.
I know many people who accidentally bought the wrong stuff and ended up buying everything twice and in the end they spent more money than they would have if they would have gotten the right stuff right from the start.
All the cat trees I have recommended above are great for every Maine Coon and most of them even for two or three Maine Coons. The Cat Empire Beige is the largest of all them and it is a great playing center for Maine Coons. However you don´t have to get that one by all means. Simply choose the cat tree that is best for your Maine Coon and for your current situation.
If you have any questions, just leave it in the comment section below and I will do my best to help you.
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