How can I choose cat furniture features my cat will actually use?

To judge whether your cat is likely to use a feature, connect it to behaviour you already see. A cat that seeks enclosed spaces may use a roomy cave, while one that sleeps fully stretched may value an open platform. Note how the cat scratches, climbs and chooses distance from people or other pets. Then check whether the proposed feature is genuinely accessible and spacious enough, because an appealing idea can still fail in an unsuitable size.

Treat unfamiliar extras as possibilities rather than promises. Another customer's photo can demonstrate how one cat uses a feature, but it cannot predict your own cat's preferences. Keep the essential functions at the top of the shortlist and compare optional additions only after those needs are met. This approach helps you avoid paying mainly for complexity and makes a simpler product a sensible choice when its practical features match your cat more closely.

For each optional feature, write the behaviour it is intended to support. If the only reason is that it looks entertaining in a photograph, keep it lower on the shortlist than a feature that answers a repeated, observed habit.