The Ikea Stolmen system is famous in the cat world for making cat trees for obvious reasons.
Many people and companies make various versions of this cat tree. When I found someone getting rid of their Stolmen system I had to take it. Mine is an older version which is silver. New versions of Stolmens are white which look even nicer.
I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted so I set up the pole in the corner to play with the space. I cut up some cardboard shelves to try out different sizes and shapes to see what worked best.
I then took 2 pieces of wood and over-lapped them and placed the circular hardware piece where the pole would go. My wood pieces I found in the street, I think they were shelves to an armoires. They are 40x40cm squares. For my space they were the perfect size. You could use whatever shape you prefer circle, rectangle, oval etc.
I measured to the center and traced the circle on each board. I used a drill to cut the holes which was super fast and easy. I then painted the boards white. This way if I get another board in the future I can paint it white to match and don’t have to worry about the wood being the same color.
For grip and scratching I purchased these cork mats to attach to the shelves. Both from Ikea. The circle ones are heat pads for the kitchen and are very thick and sturdy. The rectangular ones are place mats and are much thinner than the circles.
Originally I wanted 3 shelves but because I only found 2 matching shelves I decided to use the two and make the top half a climbing tree using foam pipe insulation and sisal rope.
Using a drill I made the holes for the hardware which came with the Ikea system as well as the bolts I purchased from a hardware store.
Using a hot glue gun I wrapped the sisal rope vertically up and down the foam. Wrapping horizontally would have been easier and I think look nicer. But by wrapping it vertically I can easily take it off to move. If I need to move it, readjust the height or the shelves, being able to remove it will be helpful and prevent having to redo the rope section. The foam pipe is split down the middle so it easily pops on and off.
The beauty about this system is that it is customizable to any space. Right now I have it in a corner so square shelves are best. If I move it to a different space I may choose to have circular shape shelves. The tree gives the cats access to the top of the armoire. In a multi-cat home its important to have spaces high and low where cats can get away to rest. They love perching up high for a different view of their space.
I love that this is very discreet and not an eye sore. It doesn’t take up much space but gives the cats extra space to access and space to climb.
Wow, this is very cool!