For bespoke cat furniture intended to fit a restricted space, ask the maker how finished dimensions, manufacturing tolerances and installation clearance will be handled. Do not assume that a drawing marked 1000mm promises a zero-variation object or a perfectly square room.
Measure the room at several points
Record the width, depth and height at the front and back of the intended position and at more than one level. Note skirting, mouldings, sockets and visibly uneven surfaces. Identify every measuring endpoint on the room sketch.
Ask which dimensions are controlling
Confirm whether a number describes the target finished size, a maximum that must not be exceeded or a nominal design dimension. If the furniture must pass an obstruction before installation, keep delivered-section limits separate from the final installed size.
Request the maker's tolerance approach
Ask how normal variation is expressed and which dimensions can change within it. Do not invent a tolerance or tell an installer to force a tight fit. The agreed document should state what will be checked before production and what happens if the room measurements conflict.
Keep installation clearance visible
Working clearance for lifting, aligning, opening a panel or using a tool is not spare waste space. Mark it separately from the product size. A component can fit once installed yet be impossible to position, remove or maintain without that allowance.
Protect the cat-facing dimensions
Do not solve a room-fit problem by quietly reducing an entrance, resting surface or route. Label overall, clear-opening and usable dimensions separately, then identify which cat-facing measurements must remain unchanged if another part is adjusted.
Approve one resolved version
Put the agreed target dimensions, tolerances, clearances and room sketch references into the controlled drawing or quote. Resolve open questions before approval rather than relying on an informal message.
Use the guide to planning bespoke cat furniture for an alcove and the companion guide to labelling every dimension type.
A ready-made tower such as the Cat-Cave follows its published product and installation information rather than a bespoke tolerance agreement.
