The Best Cat Trees
Verified by
Ryan V. Editor-in-Chief
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The Mau Cento won the way you want a top pick to win: three independent testing panels reached the same verdict. Forbes Vetted's Camryn Rabideau tested seventeen trees over a month with five cats and gave the Mau a perfect 10 out of 10. Cats.com's Katelynn Sobus placed it second of the thirteen she tested at 9.8, and The Spruce Pets named it Best for Larger Cats after Katherine Alex Beaven put 34 trees through their paces.
The reason is what it is made of. Where almost every tower hides hollow particleboard under carpet, the Cento is built on real tree-branch trunks with hand-woven wicker baskets and jute scratching rope. That construction is why Forbes called it both the most durable and the most stylish tree in its group, and why the frame is rated for cats up to 23 pounds.
It is also built to last past the first worn post. Mau sells replacement parts, so a shredded basket or frayed rope is a cheap swap rather than a reason to buy a whole new tree. Over the years a cat owner spends on furniture, that changes the math on a $299 price tag.
The Cento reads as living-room furniture rather than pet gear, which is the quiet reason it keeps winning design-conscious testers who would never put a six-foot carpeted tower in the family room.
What It Won't Do
The price is the obvious one. At around $299 the Cento costs roughly three times a mainstream tower, and that buys design and durability rather than more perches. Cats.com also found the woven nest beds can run small for the very largest cats, and that the trunk-and-basket assembly takes patience to line up. If your cat wants sprawling platforms and dangling toys more than it wants a handsome frame, the value pick gives more play for far less money.
The Frisco 72-inch Faux Fur Cat Tree does something remarkable for about a hundred dollars: it beat almost everything. Cats.com ranked it first of thirteen trees tested, and Rover named it Best All-In-One. It is six feet of tower with ten sisal posts, two ramps, dangling toys, and two cozy condos, which Rover summed up as hard to beat.
That feature count is the whole argument. Cats.com found cats of every size climbing, scratching, and napping on it, and for a multi-cat home the amount of usable space per dollar is hard to match. Forbes reached the same conclusion, ranking the Frisco line among its value picks.
The trade for the low price is honest and small. This is faux fur over engineered wood rather than solid timber, the look is plain, and Forbes measured some wobble at full height that the included wall strap solves. None of that stops it from being the tower most cats will be happiest on.
Backing all of it is Chewy's Frisco house brand, which means wide stock, low prices, and easy returns if the box arrives short a part.
What It Won't Do
You feel the price in the materials. Cats.com and Forbes both noted initial shedding from the faux fur and occasional reports of torn carpet over time, and Forbes measured some wobble at full height, so heavy climbers really do need the wall strap. Rover also found the unlabeled hardware and instructions made assembly slower than it should be. And The Spruce Pets called the look simple and basic, so this is a tower for your cat, not your decor.
Who Should Buy Which
Mau Cento Modern Cat Tree
The modern wicker tree that testers at three panels put first for large cats, built on real tree trunks with parts you can replace
- You have a large or heavy cat and want a frame rated to 23 pounds
- You want a tree that looks like real furniture in a living room
- Solid wood and woven wicker matter more to you than a low price
- You like that worn parts can be replaced instead of the whole tree
- You are fine buying direct from Mau rather than a big retailer
Frisco 72-in Faux Fur Cat Tree & Condo
The six-foot tower that topped hands-on tests at Cats.com and Rover for about a third the price of the premium pick
- You want the most climbing and scratching space for around a hundred dollars
- You have more than one cat to keep happy
- Six feet of height and ten sisal posts appeal more than a designer look
- You want a widely stocked brand with easy returns
- You do not mind faux fur over engineered board