Best cat tree for overweight cats

At 18 pounds, your cat is carrying enough weight that a standard cat tree is a real problem — most are rated for lighter cats and will wobble or tip under that kind of load, which will put him off using it entirely. The fundamentals still apply: stability and height matter, but for a heavier cat you also need a wide, solid base, thick platforms, and a robust central pole. Before I point you somewhere specific — how mobile is he these days? Can he still jump reasonably well, or does he struggle to get up onto surfaces? And how much floor space can you give the tree?

That's really useful. So you don't need height for territory competition — just one cat — but you do want him to actually use it, which means making it easy to get up. A tree with closely spaced platforms or built-in steps matters more here than raw height. And 60cm x 60cm is workable, though snug. Can I ask — does he currently have any joint issues, or has the vet flagged arthritis? That would change how ambitious we get with the platform spacing.

Perfect — so we want something that gives him a reason to climb and a safe place to perch, without asking him to make big leaps he'll refuse. The one I'd point you to is the Feandrea XXL Cat Tree — the 155cm model. It's built for larger cats, has a solid heavy-duty base with a wide footprint, thick sisal poles, and the platforms are generously sized so he can actually turn around and settle. The steps are staged at manageable intervals, not big jumps. It sits within your corner space at around 60cm base dimensions, so it'll fit. It's stable enough that an 18lb cat launching off the top platform won't topple it. The plush is decent quality and it holds up over time — I've not seen the wobbling complaints you get with budget trees. The only honest caveat: assembly takes an hour and the instructions aren't brilliant, but once it's built it's very solid.

Yes, and it's worth checking on the specific listing because Feandrea have several models under similar names. The XXL version I'm recommending is rated to around 15–20kg per platform, so your 18-pound cat — just over 8kg — is well within that. You're looking for the one listed as suitable for large or Maine Coon-sized cats. If you search 'Feandrea XXL cat tree large cats' on Amazon UK it comes up near the top. Double-check the platform rating on the listing before you order, just to be sure you've landed on the right variant.

Good luck with it. If he ignores it at first, try rubbing a bit of his bedding on the platforms — familiarity helps. And sprinkling some dried catnip on the lower perch in the first week can give him a reason to investigate. Hopefully it gives him the nudge to move a bit more.