57" Cat Tree - Ivory

Took a couple days for my cat to investigate and accept the cat tree. It was interesting to watch how her curiosity led her to 'discover' the tree. She likes to lay on the platform with the round ball on a string. The two door box is also a favorite that gives her comfort & safety. Sometimes I'll put the cat onto the platform & we'll play together with that ball,....her paws hanging over the edge knocking it around. Very cute. I find she's also climbing on other things in the house now as she investigates higher areas. To me this is healthy & expands her world a bit,.but we do have boundaries where she it not allowed to climb. OTHER REVIEWS REPORT TOO MUCH MOVEMENT. I found that when being used on Carpeting it creates a bouncy trampoline affect by the cats jumping on /off or just moving around the tree. Works best /more stable on hard wood floors. The tree stand itself when assembled carefully is strong with very little wobble,... especially when placed on hardwood, tile, or other non-carpet flooring. But when I moved it onto some carpeting it was noticeably wobbly due to the soft carpet & spongy carpet pad. The cat was a little reluctant to get back on for a while & had to encourage her a bit. I thought about attaching some round chair /furniture feet to the bottom to stabilize things without reinforcing the weak fiberboard. TIPS FOR ASSEMBLING. I bot the 28x25 size and overall it's a good value. Assembly though is a little tricky to avoid a wobbly result. A hex wrench come bolts for assembly. First I laid out all the parts, which are clearly marked, to make sure everything was there. The parts list is on the one page instruction sheet. I inspected all holes on the platform boards & Initially, it looked like some of the carpet holes were not drilled. But actually they put a small slit that enlarges when the bolt is forced through it. To make assembly easier I used the hex allen wrench the simply pushed it thru the small slit opening it for easier bolt insertion. When tightening up the bolt heads I used a 3 stage approach to avoid over-tightening and possibly breaking the fragile particle type board,...while also preventing UNDER tightening /wobbly results. First stage is hand tightening each bolt into a tube. Next use the hex wrench with the LONG end inserted into the bolt & finger tightened the bolt by twisting the hex wrench finger tight. With the long end inserted it is impossible to over tighten. Then assemble all tubes on the SAME level. When all tubes on a level are stage 2 tight, insert the SHORT end of the hex wrench into each bolt head and tighten about 3/4 turn. Careful not to over tighten with the extra leverage. This approach allows me to see the general assembly for each level,...allows time for the carpet to compress during stage two tightening,...which makes stage there final tightening more accurate, snug & avoids stripping the plastic threads in the tube's plastic base. I assembled the unit carefully adding stages horizontally on the floor,... near to the final place the cat tree was going to be. Directions warn against moving the completed unit as it could easily be damaged. So the final sliding & minimal lifting was done by grasping the base & never any of the upper stages. By assembling horizontally I was able to go back easily to previous levels and make sure the bolts were still snug. NOTE: When I got to the upper two stages I turned the unit upright as it was easier to assemble the top features in an upright position. I ran into a small problem when installing the three tubes in the base. Three tubes, two of equal length and a longer tube are installed in the base. The instruction diagram is a bit unclear but with some extra attention you will see what they intend. SO be sure to get these three in the right position. You will find out later if you've got it wrong & have to redo like I did. TIP on 2nd PROBLEM AREA: A 2nd problem area involves two straight studs threaded on each end (where a hex wrench is not used for assembly). These two studs are a bit short which makes assembly difficult because one tube can only get a few turns onto the stud. To minimize this weakness in the tree, I backed out side of stud so it was not fully seated (gave it a couple unscrew turns with my fingers from being fully seated) which made the other side of the stud longer / more length=more threads available to the other side of the stud for screwing on the opposing tube. Took me about 30 minutes to assemble. It is solid, no wobble, no complaints. This will be a traveling tree, so I'll be disassembling /reassembling from time to time & this tree meets that need nicely. SPECIAL NOTE: One reviewer mentioned potential dangers of a carcinogen chemicals used in this type of type of press board ( see reviewer January 26, 2015 By G. Nelson..."boards in this tree are made of MDF, probably bound with formaldehyde resins and other VOCs.."). I checked into the reviewers concerns by Googling MDF board to get some info. I became concerned the chemical(s) used in MDF board are indeed potentially a health hazard to pets AND humans. So to minimize that, I may paint the open underside board to seal those that side. But the carpet side isn't practical to paint without removing all carpeting. Also, as the tree is used & clawed, particles /dust are dug out of the soft board under the carpet & giving up possible toxic dust particles into the air, onto paws, fur and into lungs if the binder in the board is indeed toxic. (There is no health warning on this product.) HEALTH CONCERNS: So, to tried to minimize potential toxins in the materials of this tree,... I opened the box not in my front room but in a safer place away from our living area,....the garage or back porch. Then carefully vacuumed each piece front /back, carpet & board sides & also the tubes wound with rope. I used a hepa filter vac so as NOT TO BLOW ANY CARCINOGENS into the air /lungs. After vacuuming each piece, to help the chemicals dissipate I spread out the pieces in fresh air for several days,...a week in fresh air would have been better. I carefully washed my hands with soap whenever touching the inside of the box, the un vac'd pieces, & especially after assembly. Made sure not to rub my eye carelessly or lips or anywhere until a good hand washing. I choose not to ignore the potential very real toxic chemicals typical in pressed board. BOTT LINE: This ia a good value as compared what I could buy locally. Careful assembly using the 1-2-3 step tightening approach ensured a snug, stable tree. Unfortunately, the materials used in the construction are possible linked to health hazards & strongly sugg using measures to help make it safer. Generally good engineering features. But because of toxic concerns Earns an overall 3-STARS,.... with serious sugg the manufacturer drop all potentially hazardous materials harmful to pets & humans if there are any, or /and please address reviewer concerns on this issue. Regarding product SAFETY: Armarkat makes the following excerpted statement on the Amazon's product page: "Armarkat branded products are designed by professional pet product designers committed to putting your pets needs and preferences front and foremost while using environmentally friendly materials that are harmless to pet and to the pet owners." Given Armarkat statement the product is harmless & environmentally friendly,...versus a reviewer's experience prompting a toxic review,...review January 26, 2015 By G. Nelson... I wish the Armarkat would step up & further clarify /address user concerns about possible toxicity & safety of this product.