About Us

So, who are the masterminds behind Black Diamond Cat Trees?

That would be us, Rick Milks and Sheila McNally, hopeless animal lovers living in Russell, Ontario, Canada. Over the years, somehow or other, we ended up with a house full of cats. As of last count, we have 4 of our own and we have also fostered kittens for the Ottawa Humane Society. We wanted to get our furballs a cat tree but we couldn't find a good quality one for a decent price. So, we decided to try and build one ourselves. Success was achieved! 

Then, one day, on a beach in Punta Cana, inspiration struck us. “Cat trees are really expensive in the stores”, we thought. “We know we can build a quality product for a fair price, why not try making these things, see if we can sell them and save people some money?” And just like that, a new enterprise was born. 

We’ve been building our products since 2010 and have thousands of happy customers around the world. 

WHY SHOULD YOU CHOOSE BLACK DIAMOND CAT TREES?

With so many options available, why should you choose a Black Diamond cat tree?

  • Our products are hand made in Canada, not imported from some off-shore location. 
  • We make our products to last! Many of the products you see in the big box stores are designed to look good to you but aren't durable enough to stand up to repeated abuse from your pets. We use carpet and sisal rope only because faux fur and other flimsy materials won't last. We know, we tried.
  • Our products are strong and sturdy! They are constructed with wood, not hollow cardboard tubes that will almost certainly break, like many of the trees you'll find in retail stores.
  • The carpet on many cat trees is attached with staples only. We also use a professional grade, non-toxic carpet glue to attach the carpet to our trees. Why is this important? It helps to keep the carpet from shredding much longer than a tree that uses staples only.
  • We can customize most models to suit your tastes and needs.
  • We offer a wide variety of styles and sizes at various price points, to fit any budget.
  • We ship across Canada.
  • Having been cat owners our whole lives, we have plenty of first-hand experience and plenty of test pilots. We know what they like.
  • We are environmentally friendly.

OUR GREEN POLICY

We believe in doing what we can for the environment so we try to make our products as "green" as possible. We do this by using non-toxic glues, recycled structural materials whenever possible, and we use new carpet remnants only, that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

TIPS FOR BUYING A CAT TREE

The purchase of a cat tree for your pet is a loving gesture and a smart move as far as protecting your possessions. But many times, pet owners make a very simple mistake: they buy a product based on their own thoughts, emotions and wishes rather than the pet’s. What does this mean? It means that we may buy because the product has a cute covering or fancy bells and whistles. But is this serving your needs or the pet's? 

Ideally, you want to satisfy both your needs. The big box stores are not marketing to your pets; they are marketing to you, the one with the cash. For example, a pretty faux fur covering may look nice but how long will it stand up to an active cat’s claws? A product made with carpet will last much, much longer and your pet really won’t mind not having the fancy pattern. Remember, the ultimate goal here is to provide your pet with something that will entertain them but also that they can wreck instead of your home! So, you’ll want a product that stands up to the little monsters!

  1. If you find that they don’t take to their cat tree right away, try rubbing some cat nip into the carpet. 

  2. If your cat has a favourite spot in the house to scratch, place the tree at that spot until it gets the hint.

  3. If your pet continues to scratch at other locations than the tree, take it from the location it scratches at directly to the tree. It should eventually catch on.

  4. You can also try rewarding your pet when it uses the tree.

In our experience, cats seem to know immediately that a cat tree is meant for them. We have seen it over and over that when a tree is introduced to a cat that has never had one before, it will instantly begin scratching and playing on it.