Pryde Pets Cat Climbers Review: Features, Pros and Cons
As the self proclaimed cat shelf lady, I’m constantly researching and searching for new cat shelf products, and I love seeing companies innovating the way we utilize aesthetic vertical spaces for our cats.
I recently had the pleasure of getting to know the owners of Pryde Pets, an independent Australian owned business, who, in my opinion, create cat shelves that look like works of art. So I was ecstatic when I heard they were bringing their products to the United States.
For me, a good cat shelf is three things: cat-centric, aesthetically pleasing, and easy to install. Pryde Pets ticks all of those boxes. But my opinion isn’t the one that mattered; it was the opinion of my cats Luna and Leon which was the ultimate decider. So what do they think about these shelves, and would they work for your cats?
This post is in collaboration with Pryde Pets for which I received compensation in the form of a product for the creation of this content. In this article, I'll be sharing my honest experience using their products.
Why Cats Need to Climb
Contrary to popular belief, cats are not low-maintenance pets. Cats are predators by nature and have a strong drive to hunt and explore. Without a proper outlet, your cat’s mental and physical well-being can be negatively affected.
Imagine that you see the same four walls day in and day out and can never leave the house, but you’re built to chase prey, scratch trees, and patrol your territory for signs of danger. It’s no wonder that cats crave mental and physical exercise and tend to use undesirable outlets when we don’t provide them with an alternative.
One of those alternatives can be creating cat climbing walls, and they can benefit you as well. If you’re a new cat owner, or this is your first time considering shelves, you may be weighing the pros and cons to find out which ones are the best fit for your home. If so, check out my blog post about the benefits of cat shelves.
What are Pryde Pets Cat Climbers?
Pryde Pets’ Cat Climbers are modular, eco-friendly, and cat approved felt-like cat shelves, designed to offer our feline friends vertical enrichment indoors.
Who created Pryde Pets?
The Creative Director and Co-Founder of Pryde Pets, Denise Pope, is the brilliant mind behind these cat shelves. Denise was inspired by a love of cats, interior design, and her rambunctious Tonkinese, Mustang. Her mission was to create products that not only met the physical and mental needs of our cats, but also seamlessly blended with the interior decor of our homes. I’d say they’ve been successful in doing just that!
Pryde Pets Cat Climber Features
One of the things I love most about these shelves is their modular nature. The concept makes it super easy to let your creativity go wild. With three different shelf shapes available, their versatility allows for a myriad of ways to configure your cat wall, making it great for almost any space.
You can buy sets of shelves or you can purchase individuals to further build out your cat wall. The three key pieces in a set are the curved shelf, the long shelf, and the short step. The curved shelf acts much like a hammock, whilst the long shelf is a great spot for lounging, as a ramp, and best of all for stretching and scratching. Finally, the short shelf can be used as a step, perching, and even as an obstacle challenge.
The shelves are floating but stable, with little give when properly installed. They easily hold the weight of a small to medium sized cat and are durable enough to sustain minimal wear and tear that comes from scratching and jumping.
The dimensions of the four-shelf set are as follows:
1x Curved Shelf is 42cm (16.5in) L x 22cm (8.6in) D x 12.6cm (4.9in) H
1x Long Shelf is 42cm (16.5in) L x 22cm (8.6in) D x 3.5cm (1.3in) H
2x Short Shelf is 21cm (8.2in) L x 22cm(8.6in) D x 3.5cm(1.3in) H
The color options are: Oatmeal and Charcoal
How are the shelves made?
These floating shelves have two or three bars that hold up the shelf. Once installed, you slide each individual felt piece on to create the platform. This feature makes it great for replacing sections of the shelf rather than the entire product and removal makes cleaning easier. I’ve even seen folks get creative and create stripes by interchanging the charcoal and oatmeal pieces for a fun pattern.
What are the shelves made of?
The shelves are made of felt. Yes, you heard that right! However, the felt is not made of wool fibers; rather, the shelves are made of 100% recycled PET bottles and therefore a more eco-friendly, environmentally-conscious option for the modern cat parent.
This unique material is soft but sturdy. It’s not rough like sisal rope, but has some grit to it. Being made of felt-like material rather than wood, the shelves offer a brilliant way to add grip, scratching, and comfort all in one. Traction is super important because you don’t want your cats to slip and fall as they’re bounding across the wall.
Durability
So how do they hold up over time? As far as durability goes, the shelves hold up extremely well to jumping and scratching. I can hardly tell where my cat Leon has scratched them, even though he has used it every day for months.
When it comes to staying on the wall, that comes down to using the proper fasteners for your wall type. I haven’t had any issues with them staying attached to the wall and my cats use them nonstop.
Maintenance
One little nitpick I have is that this material holds on to hair and takes more effort to clean up a hairball than a traditional wood shelf. That being said, Pryde Pets shared with me that they’re working on a tool specifically made for their shelves to help remove hair without damaging the fibers of the shelf. Once that comes out, I’m excited to try it out.
Currently, what I do for hair removal is about once every other week, with a rubber glove, I rub the fur off. For cleaning, since the material is not traditional wool fibers, it can be washed and sprayed with cleaners and then air dried.
I will note that it does take a long time to air dry with how dense the material is. When I fully rinsed, it took nearly 3 days for a single felt piece to dry. To speed up the process I would recommend having a fan on the individual pieces. Or if your dryer has a shoe rack drying attachment, you could do that on a low setting.
Facades
Pryde Pets just released facades for the Climbers in Australia. These add-ons attach to the front of the Climbers and provide extra support for our lounging felines. The facades are available for sale now in US at the same time as the Climbers so there's no need to wait.
If there’s one thing that makes these Climbers Leon's favorite, even more so than his other shelves — it’s the facades, especially the ones that attach to the curved shelf. Leon’s favorite pastime lately has been sleeping almost all day on the curved shelf.
I tested his preferences by removing the facades for several weeks, and I saw a decrease in his use of them, so Leon definitely prefers the safety and comfort of the facades. He’s able to lounge, almost comically, in a myriad of positions without falling out.
Here are some of the silly ways he’s used the curved shelf and facade:
Installation Process
Cat shelves can be difficult to install, especially floating shelves. However, I didn’t need any help from my husband to install the Pryde Pets Climbers, so I’d say these shelves are beginner friendly when it comes to installation. Just make sure you have a stud finder, fasteners, level, and a drill. You can follow their paper instructions via the QR code in the shipping box or watch the video for more help on how to install them.
The Climbers include drywall anchors/plugs and screws for brick, however be sure to research the best kind for your wall type. Toggle bolts are another great option if you’re short on studs, but self drilling drywall anchors can also do the trick if you have at least one point of contact in a wall stud. I’ll be sharing more about the installation and design process soon, so stay tuned.
My Pryde Pets Experience
First Impressions
The founders of Pryde Pets clearly love cats, from the way they’ve designed these cat shelves. Every detail has been considered from the packaging to the product. I was thoroughly impressed from the start, and, once I had them up on the wall they continued to impress.
Packaging
Because of my graphic design background, to me the unboxing experience sets the tone for the product itself — and they did not disappoint. Definitely a 10 out of 10. Not only was it compact, but also used sustainable packaging materials.
The Product
You can definitely see the quality and attention to detail when you pick up these shelves out of the box. The Climbers come pre-assembled to keep everything compact, however in order to install them you’ll have to unscrew the hex bolts and remove the felt pieces so that you can screw the bracket on the wall first.
My Cats’ Reactions
I’ve seen a lot of cat shelves, but there’s just something so tactile about the Pryde Pets Climbers that I think the cats feel the difference immediately. My cat, Leon, wouldn’t even let me finish hanging them before he was on them exploring, scratching, and rubbing his face on the corners.
Speaking of rubbing on them; that is one of their favorite things about them. For cats to feel confident in their territory they need things to smell like them, so these double as a scent soaker for them to tell the world “this is mine”. Which is one of the reasons why I think cats can take to these shelves so quickly. Another reason these Climbers are a hit with my cats is the built in scratching that I mentioned previously. Leon will get up from a nap on the shelf, stretch, and then scratch the shelf.
Since getting these shelves, I will note that Leon uses it more than my other cat, Luna, but I don’t think it’s the shelves as much as the arrangement. When I place Luna on one of the shelves she stays up there as long as Leon isn’t also on the same wall. My cats just don’t share space well. And I think it’s partly because with only one way up and down, Luna doesn’t want to risk getting stuck up there with Leon — something to consider when planning out your own pathway.
Where to buy Pryde Pets Cat Climbers
On Pryde Pets' website, Cat Therapy readers can use promo code CATTHERAPYPRYDE to get $10 OFF.
Pryde Pets Cat Climbers Verdict: Is it worth it?
The short answer for us is yes. We will definitely be personally purchasing more shelves to expand our living room cat wall. Here’s a recap:
What We Loved
- Safe and enriching climbing environment for cats
- Modular design for easy configuration and customization
- Soft and durable material for grip, scratching, and scent marking
- Eco-friendly materials (100% recycled PET bottles)
- Modern shapes and versatile colors
- The set is great value for money
- Facades are a must have for the curved shelves
- Beginner friendly installation
Ideal For
- Indoor cats needing exercise and vertical space
- Multi-cat households for more space
- Small to medium sized cats
- Kittens for climbing and exploring
Improvements
- Material is more difficult to clean and de-fur than a standard wood shelf. (This could be remedied in future by Pryde Pets’ hair removal tool that’s in development.)
Why Choose Pryde Pets Cat Climbers?
If you're looking for neutral floating shelves that will blend with your home and something your cat will fall in love with like ours did, these felt-like cat Climbers might be the solution you've been looking for.
In my opinion, these are not just any cat shelves. They are building blocks for an artistic cat highway and are a great mix of function and aesthetics when it comes to meeting your cat's needs while maintaining a lovely home.
I hope this review was helpful in your search for the best cat shelves for you and your cats. What do you think? Are these the shelves for you? Drop your thoughts and any questions or concerns you have in the comments.
