I received and assembled it just yesterday, so it is still fairly fresh in my memory, and will do my best to fill in any and all details that the manufacturer or other commenters may have left out.
My review is for the (53’’ L) x (22’’ W) x (73” H) Cat Condo, I.E. the one with the hammock and Kitty Rope Swing. (I will refer to it from now on as the “Hammock Condo”)
**Box Weight / Dimensions / Cat Size Comparison / Etc are all explained below and separated by a -----, feel free to skip around to the info you need**
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In regards to quality, I was pleasantly surprised at what arrived considering how cheap the purchase was. Aside from having to assemble it yourself, it was a fair comparison to the overpriced cat condo / cat posts you would find in a brick and mortar store such as a PetsMart.
Is it as nice in quality as the expensive store bought examples? Well, for everything that the cat actually cares about, the answer would be a resounding yes.
The only faults I can really think of are related to the materials used. While the Hammock Condo is built very well, and quite sturdy if you make sure to tighten all the bolts, it will still probably be damaged if a human were to be too rough with it. The PetsMart version we have in our house, while overpriced at 180+ dollars, could survive a bomb blast. I would occasionally sit on the lower tier while I tied my shoes, or have kids / young adults “hang” off of it, so it could easily handle a 200 lb person. It was also easily moved without worry of damage, even surviving a moving-truck journey to our new house.
The Hammock Condo on the other hand, while built more than sturdy enough for multiple cats, would not survive children trying to climb on it or a moving-truck. It is well built, but I would suggest at least disassembling it into two halves before moving it a great distance across the house or to a new house. The reason being, unless you have enough hands or people to lift from the bottom base, you will try to grip and lift it via the sisal rope posts. The rope posts are strong enough for cats and to support the structure, but I could see them being damaged if you tried to lift the whole condo via the posts.
The only other comparison I can really think of is the difference in the carpet covering the two cat condos. The PetsMart brand condo is covered in a very thick sturdy carpeting on every surface side sans the very bottom, while the Hammock Condo is covered in a faux fur that is only on the tops and sides of all surfaces. Is it something that you or your cat(s) should care about? No, I don’t really think so, as my cat seems to really like the soft faux fur texture. I am unsure of how long it will last if your cat decides to scratch the fur instead of the sisal rope posts, but since I just assembled it yesterday I cannot unfortunately give you a long term answer.
Overall, the quality is more than enough for what your cat would want, and the actual size of the whole condo is quite large for the cost. It is the same height as my old PetsMart Condo, but twice as wide with many more tiers and accessories, including the giant sisal rope swing that my cat adores.
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In relation to Cat Size vs. Condo size, or “Will my X amount of weight cat fit on X?”
Well, my cat is a 12 lb. short-hair tuxedo, so I would consider him a large athletic cat. Not as big as something like a 20 lb. Main Coon, but definitely not tiny. With that in mind, here is a size comparison for the structure of the Hammock Condo.
The top two rectangle sitting posts, the two ones sitting atop the sisal-posts, were a little small for him. He still enjoyed them, and likes to lay up at the higher locations, but his feet or butt will spill over the edges a bit. Not enough to worry that he is going to fall off when he sleeps, but it is definitely a bit of a tight fit so X-Large Cats beware. (For X-Large cats, you may even consider just not installing those two sitting posts, as the giant house and all the other platforms are still more than enough to make any cat happy)
The house in the center of the structure was surprisingly large, and he had more than enough room to relax in there. It even has a window hole for them to look out of, or if you are my cat to squeeze through instead of using the two supplied larger door openings. I would guess that even larger breeds would fit without too much issue, as it is quite roomy.
Something to mention however about the house tier, that you cannot see from the picture, is the hole cut out of the floor. Right in front of the door on one side of the house, directly above the large swing rope, is a medium sized hole cut into the floor. My cat will sit in the house and watch down it like he is at an ice-fishing hole, or will climb up the rope swing through the hole to get into the house. But, if you have an older cat who isn’t as surefooted I would be careful that he doesn’t accidentally fall out the hole when exiting that side of the house. (My cat loooovves that rope swing… Had it for only a day and he already climbs it, hangs from it, chews it and naps in the house with it.)
In regards to the hammock, I honestly feel that it will be a complete hit or miss for your cat. Some cats like it, some do not. If your cat is like mine, he will not like it until he accidentally stumbles into it while playing and decides to nap in it instead of escape. Thankfully, if you do not like it, the hammock easily unclips from the Condo via metal latches on all four corners.
Lastly, As long as you tighten all of the bolts and screws during assembly you will have little to no wobble what-so-ever. My cat takes flying leaps onto and off the cat post and it doesn’t budge an inch. The two top posts may give an ever so slight wiggle when he climbs up onto them, but nothing you or I would even notice unless you were paying careful attention for it. I have ours placed up against a wall, but I can see it being pretty stable free standing if needed. If you have several very heavy cats and are worried about stability you can always place a weight-plate on the bottom baseboard of the Condo structure.
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Let’s move onto the actual packaging / assembly:
Fairly easy to assemble, even with cat “assistance”, I.E. wanting to sit on or play with every single piece. I suppose it’s a good sign that they will enjoy it if he starts to play and/or using the sisal-rope scratching posts before it is even fully installed.
It arrived via Amazon Prime shipping, the box in fairly good condition, with the box weighing around 60 pounds with nice sturdy plastic shipping straps around it. I do not have an exact dimension size of the package unfortunately, but it was small enough that I could fairly easily lift it up via its plastic straps and fit it into the back seat of my car. I drive a Chrysler 200 XL, so the back is equivalent to most 4-door sedans. For those of you who drive a 2-seater, this would still fit in most trunks and passenger seats.
When I opened up the package at home everything seemed to be in order, with no damage to any of the pieces. (Though it did smell fairly strongly of wood glue, which is still slightly lingering 24 hours later) It arrives with a simple set of instructions, labeled parts, and an included Allen wrench. My suggestion is to also grab a flat-head screwdriver, as while you can hand tighten everything, you will want to use the screwdriver and Allen wrench for any final tightening to reduce wobble and sway.
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Assembling was a breeze, only taking 30-45 minutes, with me leisurely assembling it while fending off my cat and chatting up my wife. If you actually focused on the task at hand you could easily assemble in 20 minutes or less. In regards to Assembling I really only have three or four tips that will make the progress go a little easier.
First, I would toss those cheap cat toys on the elastic strings that come with it. They are easily broken and taken off the post, and as several other commenters mentioned, elastic bands can be easily swallowed and turned into a vet visit. I suggest buying sturdier replacements to use. (No worries, the replacements can easily be stapled to the cat post, or they provide little attached sisal-rope loops on the bottom of the wood boards to tie toys to) I would however attach the thick kitty rope swing. It simply screws into the base and our cat loves it.
Second, you will see during assembly, there are a few double sided screws that will screw into both the sisal posts and into the base of the wooden boards. Your inclination will be to screw it completely into the wooden base all the way first, and then to simply twist the sisal rope onto the other end to tighten both. My suggestion is to only partially screw the double sided screw into the wooden base, as the “teeth” or grooves of where the screw grabs onto the sisal post are further up the hole than you think. If it is fully seated into the base you won’t have enough bolt for it to grab onto, and will spin the sisal-post around and around forever without it actually grabbing onto the grooves.
Third, assemble the Hammock Condo near where you will actually be placing it. I mentioned it earlier, but moving it upstairs, downstairs, etc will put unnecessary strain on the sisal-rope posts and could possibly be damaged in the process. I built half of it about 5 feet from where I wanted it and then just pushed on the wooden bottom base to scoot it across the carpet to its final home.
Lastly, if you want a very sturdy cat post with little to no wobble, than you need to make sure to tighten all the bolts and screws at the end. Some of the bolts will work loose while you are assembling it, so a final tightening will ensure that nothing moves when you cat takes its first flying leap onto it.
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I hope my full, and quite extensive, review of the Kitty Hammock Condo was helpful! I tried to cover all of the questions I had myself when determining whether to purchase it. If I missed anything please feel free to ask in a follow-up comment and I will do my best to answer.
I will also upload a photo or two to give you a better view of the Cat Condo. (So, if you see a derpy tuxedo cat....well, that one is mine^^)
Keep in mind though that several cat condos are listed on this page, and the only one I have experience with is the (53’’ L) x (22’’ W) x (73” H) hammock / rope swing version.
**2018 Update** It's almost the end of 2018, and this is still in fantastic condition.**
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From the manufacturer
Use and Care Instructions
- Assembly Required: All Hardware and Instructions Provided.
- Fabrics can be easily spot cleaned with soap and water to avoid stains
- Replacement parts available from manufacturer.
Armarkat classic 71 inch height cat tree for medium and large cats
Hanging tunnel, a playhouse, ramp and multiple perches, will provide a lot of lounging room and fun to your kitties.
- Five Levels for cat climb up and down,provide a comfortable and spacious home for cat to sleep.
- Cat Daddy Approved by noted cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy.
- Well constructed of 15mm pressed wood material, making it not only thicker but stronger.
- Navy multi-level cat tower, with high density faux fur covering for felines comfort and soft and soft, coverings are permanently adhered to wood structures.
- 100% natural, seasoned sisal rope wraps all posts securely for years of scratch.
Dimensions:
- Overall Dimensions:32"(L) x 30"(W) x 71"(H)
- Base Dimensions:24" x 18"
- Playhouse Dimensions:14"(W) x 12"(L) x 12"(H)
- perch Dimensions: 14" x 12"
- post diameter: 3.5"
- Pressed wood Thickness: 15mm
- Net Weight: 52 lbs.
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Ideal design of structureQuality materials, good craftmanship, structural design suitable for cats, pets can play jump and dow happily. |
Fully Carpeted HouseCarpeted napping house with soft plush that is gentle on noses and for long lasting scratching. |
Cat toy included2 plush toys and a hanging rope that extends 2 tiers that your cat can bat, grab, and pull for amusement. |
Sisal Scratching PostWrapped with natural sisal rope and strong enough scratching posts are ideal tool for cats to sharpen their claws. |
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| X7805 | A6702 | S6905 | A8104 | |
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| Customer Reviews |
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| Price | $161.69 | — | $152.84 | $216.15 |
| Height | 78 inches | 67 inches | 69 inches | 80 inches |
| Overall Dimensions | 42"(L) x 26"(W) x 78"(H) | 36"(L) x 36"(W) x 67"(H) | 36"(L) x 32"(W) x 69"(H) | 26" (L) x 24" (W) x 80" (H) |
| Max Holding Weight | 70 lbs | 60 lbs | 70 lbs | 80 lbs |
| Features 1 | Cat Daddy Approved by noted cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy | Cat Daddy Approved by noted cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy | Scots pine cat tree | Cat Daddy Approved by noted cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy |
| Features 2 | 10 Posts, 1 hammock, 1 basket, 2 soft tents | 8 Posts, Full Carpeted Condos , 3 Perches | 9 Posts,1 Perches, 6 levels | 10 Posts,3 Perches, 3 Full carpeted condos, multiple tier |
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This Item  Armarkat Cat Tree Model A7101, Navy Blue |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | -26% $147.45 List: $199.00 | $77.66 | -10% $64.99 List: $71.99 | $99.99 | -6% $149.99 Typical: $159.99 | $134.99 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Friday, May 17 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it May 15 - 17 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Easy to assemble | ||||||
| Sturdiness | ||||||
| Stability | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Sold By | Amazon.com | Amazon Warehouse | SONGMICS HOME US | ruiqi-001 | Tangkula | Globlazer |
| material | Engineered Wood, Sisal | Engineered Wood, Polyester, Sisal | Particleboard, Plush, Sisal | Metal | Engineering Board, Sisal Rope, Plush | Engineered Wood, Plush, Sisal |
| size | 32"(L)X30"(W)X71"(H) | 30"(L)X26"(W)X57"(H) | L (21.7 x 17.7 x 56.3 Inches) | XLarge-71" | — | — |
| style | Modern | Multi-level | Hammock | Multilevel | Modern | — |
| weight | 52 pounds | 48 pounds | 13 kilograms | 16.46 kilograms | 57 pounds | 28.22 pounds |
Reviews with images
Armakat quality 5 stars
I recently bought some other cheaper, cat trees on Amazon and the posts were and warped easily so I came back for an Armakat tree. I’ve bought many of these over the years and the quality is much better than other brands. It always comes with all the parts easy instructions easy to assemble and sturdy..My cats are spoiled, but since the less expensive tree wound up being deemed the leaning tower of cat tree, it needed to be replaced, and this is purrfect.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2014
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Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2015
Size: 53 inches L X22 inches W X 72 inches HVerified Purchase
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