Best cat tree for a Snowshoe cat

A Snowshoe who wants to be where you are — that's a very specific brief, and it actually shapes everything about which cat tree will work. The most important things in any cat tree are stability and height. It must not wobble when your cat launches off it at speed, and cats feel most secure when they can get up high. Cheap trees fail on both counts and tend to get ignored quickly. Because this one's going in your living space, it also needs to look decent. Before I point you somewhere, tell me: how big is your Snowshoe, how active is she, and roughly how much floor space can you give the tree?

Good — a corner spot is actually ideal because it adds natural support and means the tree won't visually dominate the room. An active, vocal Snowshoe at four years old will want height, multiple platforms to move between, and ideally a perch at a level where she can look you in the eye or sit above you when you're on the sofa. That social element really matters with this breed — she'll use the tree far more if it puts her in the conversation rather than off in a corner somewhere. Is she a scratcher, and does she currently have anywhere she goes to feel in charge of the room?

That's the profile I needed. She's not just looking for somewhere to sleep — she wants a social vantage point. Here's what I'd go with: the Feandrea 173cm Multi-Level Cat Tree (model UPCT173W01 or similar in the current Feandrea range). It's tall enough to give her a commanding view of the sofa area, solidly built with a wide base that won't shift when she launches off the top, and it has multiple sisal-wrapped posts that will genuinely draw her away from the sofa. The top perch is large enough for a medium cat to sprawl on, and there are intermediate platforms so she can move up and down and stay engaged. It fits a 60–70cm footprint and comes in neutral colours that don't look out of place in a living room. Feandrea's taller trees are consistently the ones that get actually used rather than ignored — the build quality is there. The only thing I'd say: bolt or strap the top to the wall if your corner doesn't have two walls to brace against. At that height it's worth it.

Assembly takes most people 45 minutes to an hour with two people — it's not complicated, just involves a lot of bolting sections together. The instructions are clear. As for getting her onto it: position it right where you said, next to the sofa, so it's immediately in her social territory. Sprinkle a little dried catnip on the platforms on day one. With an active, curious Snowshoe you probably won't need to do much more than that — she'll investigate it within the first hour. The key is not hiding it away to see if she likes it first. Put it exactly where it's going to live, right from the start.

Good choice. It'll suit her well. One last tip: once she's using it regularly, the sisal will start to shred — that's it doing its job. You can buy replacement sisal rope cheaply and rewrap the posts yourself when needed, which extends the life of the tree considerably. Enjoy watching her hold court from the top perch.