Yaheetech 63in Sturdy Large Cat Tree for Indoor Heavy Cats, Tall Tower

Why it's worth it

The Yaheetech is a 63-inch tower with a condo, a hammock, a top perch, and sisal posts running up the middle. It covers climbing, hiding, scratching, and napping without dominating a living room, and it ships with an anti-toppling kit.

Sixty-three inches is the sweet spot for a cat tree. It's tall enough that your cat can look down on the whole room, which is what they're after when they climb the bookshelf. But it still clears a standard eight-foot ceiling with room to spare. Anything taller starts to feel like a piece of architecture. If you've got one cat or two and a normal-sized room, this is the height you want.

The anti-toppling kit is the feature we'd refuse to go without. Yaheetech attaches the strap at the middle board, so you can anchor the tree to a wall stud. That matters more than the spec sheet suggests. A cat launching off a top perch puts sideways force on a tall, narrow object, and a 34-pound tree isn't heavy enough to shrug that off on its own. Use the strap. It takes five minutes.

From our review of 10 cat trees and scratching posts, by James Bennett, Associate Editor

What we like

• +Sixty-three inches is the sweet spot for a cat tree
• +The anti-toppling kit is the feature we'd refuse to go without
• +Sisal on the posts, not carpet
• +There's a spot for whatever mood your cat is in

What to know

• –Check your ceiling fan before you buy
• –Assembly takes patience, and rushing it costs you stability
• –The plush surfaces are fur magnets