My cats didn’t like the Cat Box Christmas Tree

We decided to make a Cat Box Christmas Tree after watching Cole and Marmalade’s video about How to Make a Cat Proof Christmas Tree. In my video, I share how the cat box tree didn’t work out with my cats! A summary is shared under the video as well.

This is the first video in the Cat Chat with Heidi series! These will be short videos with cat tips or something about living with cats.​

You can read more about the cat tree in the background here.

Cat Box Christmas Tree Details

​One sunny afternoon in December, Ted and I spent a couple of hours working on the Christmas Tree. This was our first attempt at a DIY cat project.

We were successful in making the tree and had fun doing it. We took boxes and wrapped them in Christmas wrapping paper

. And then we cut holes in the sides for them to get in or stick through paws through. The holes were taped before putting the paper on to protect the cats from rough edges.

The bottom level is purple since purple is my favorite color. Ted likes Star Wars, and the other layers seemed like color paper that would like nice for a cat tree.​

Well, it turns out the cats didn’t want to use the cat box tree. To encourage the cats to use the homemade cat box tree, we tried:

  • a t-shirt was placed on each level
  • cat treats (they were able to stand on the cat tower to the left of the box tree and get the treats out)
  • catnip
  • toys
  • telling them that they would look soooo cute if they were to use it.
Buster entering the bottom level
Buster entering the bottom level
Buster in the bottom level
Buster in the bottom level

My theory is that the tree was too unstable for them. We did tape the boxes together to make them more secure, but it seems that wasn’t enough. We have a few pictures of Lina in the top level, but she only sat in it on the first day for a few minutes.

Initially, some (not all) of the cats would go into the bottom ​level, but that didn’t last long. When we brought Taco into the house, he ran through it a few times. Taco, even as a young kitten, was not interested in sitting in the upper levels.

Have you made a box tree or tower for your cats? Did they use it?​

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Heidi Bender is the writer and founder of the Joy of Cats. She enjoys sharing cat information and providing helpful cat tips. She considers herself a cat lady and currently cares for eight cats.

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