Why Some Cats Avoid Their Cat Tower (Even When It’s New)
Sometimes you bring home a new cat tower with quiet excitement.
You place it carefully.
You step back.
And your cat walks past it as if it isn’t there. 🐾
This moment can feel confusing, even a little disappointing. But for many cats, avoiding a cat tower—especially a brand-new one—is not rejection. It’s communication. And once we slow down enough to listen, the behavior often makes sense.
The First Question Isn’t “Why Won’t My Cat Use It?”
It’s “How Does My Cat Feel Right Now?”
Cats experience new objects through emotion first, function second. A multi level cat tower might look inviting to us, but to a cat, it’s a sudden change in their landscape. New smells. New height. New textures. New expectations.
According to the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB), cats rely heavily on environmental predictability to feel safe. When something unfamiliar appears, avoidance is a common and healthy response. It’s how cats protect themselves while they assess risk.
Avoidance doesn’t mean dislike.
It means not yet. 🌱
Height Isn’t Always Comfort
Even When It’s a Multi Level Cat Tree
We often assume that more levels equal more joy. And sometimes that’s true. A cat tree multi level design can offer choice, observation points, and a sense of control.
But not all cats are looking for height at the same moment.
A tall multi level cat tower can feel exposed to a cautious cat. The open platforms, especially on prestige cat trees for large cats, may lack the enclosed safety that some cats prefer. Others may feel uncertain about stability, especially if the tower sways even slightly.
For kittens, a cat tree for kittens or a compact cat tree often feels safer than a towering structure. Smaller steps, lower risk, familiar ground.
Comfort always comes before curiosity.
Smell Matters More Than We Think
Why New Can Feel Wrong
Cats read the world through scent. A brand-new adjustable cat tree smells like factory air, packaging, and strangers’ hands. None of it smells like home yet.
ASPCA behavioral guidance notes that cats often avoid objects that haven’t been “claimed” through scent. Until a cat tower carries familiar smells—your home, your cat, their routines—it may feel emotionally neutral or even slightly threatening.
This is why a multi level cat condo that looks cozy can still be ignored.
It hasn’t been invited into the cat’s emotional space yet. 🧶
Personality Shapes Preference
Not Every Cat Wants the Same Thing
Some cats are explorers. Others are observers.
A confident cat may climb an adjustable cat tower within minutes. A sensitive cat may circle it for days. Neither response is wrong.
Certified Cat Behavior Consultants often emphasize that individual temperament plays a major role in how cats interact with vertical space. A cat who values ground-level hiding may prefer a compact cat tree with enclosed cubbies. Another may slowly warm up to a multi level cat tree only after watching from a distance.
Behavior isn’t about stubbornness.
It’s about self-regulation.
The Role of Past Experience
Memory Lives in the Body
If a cat has slipped, fallen, or been startled on a previous cat tower, their body remembers—even if the event was brief.
This can affect how they perceive a new adjustable cat tree or cat tree kitten model. They may avoid climbing not because of the tower itself, but because their nervous system associates height with loss of control.
According to AVSAB’s emotional processing framework, animals learn through association faster than through logic. Trust must be rebuilt gently, without pressure.
How to Support Without Forcing
Small Shifts That Invite Curiosity
Instead of guiding your cat toward the tower, try letting the tower come to your cat—emotionally.
- Place familiar bedding or a worn blanket on a lower platform
- Sit nearby without calling attention to it
- Let your cat explore at their own pace
- Use quiet presence, not encouragement
Sometimes, the most supportive action is simply waiting. 🕰️
When a cat finally steps onto a multi level cat tower on their own terms, the experience becomes theirs—not something imposed.
This Isn’t About the Tower
It’s About Trust
A cat avoiding a cat tower is not failing to engage. They are listening to their body, their memory, and their environment.
When we stop asking them to perform and start offering them space, many cats surprise us. One day, without announcement, they climb. They settle. They stay.
And the tower becomes what it was always meant to be—not furniture, but a shared understanding.
FAQ
Why does my cat ignore a new cat tower completely?
Many cats need time to emotionally accept new objects. According to AVSAB, avoidance is a normal response to unfamiliar changes and doesn’t indicate dislike.
Is a multi level cat tree always better than a simple one?
Not necessarily. Some cats prefer lower, enclosed spaces. A compact cat tree can feel safer than a tall multi level cat tower for cautious cats.
Should I place my cat on the tower to help them get used to it?
Most behavior experts advise against forcing interaction. Allowing voluntary exploration builds trust and long-term comfort.
Do kittens need different cat towers than adult cats?
Yes. A cat tree for kittens or cat tree kitten design usually offers lower heights and easier access, which supports confidence and coordination.
How long does it take for a cat to use a new tower?
There’s no fixed timeline. Some cats take hours, others weeks. What matters is that the choice remains theirs.