Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have 2 cats. One 8 year old that's about 12lbs (and very nervous/reserved) and a very energetic 8 month old "kitten" (he's very tall already). I shopped for at least 8 weeks for shelves to catify our very small, already crowded apartment. I have one large cat tree that was plenty for my older cat, Leo... until we got Finn. Now there's only one "top perch" and Leo was giving his up to the baby. I didn't want him to lack confidence/dominance, so I decided we needed more perches. Trying to keep it low-budget is tough since cat shelves seem to be outrageously priced on every website. I kept coming across these and finally took the dive. My kitten, Finn(in the photos) was on the shelves before they were off the floor! Leo hasn't so much as glanced at them (which I expected) but we just put them up. 😮Edit: Update 1 Day later - - >Leo AND Finn have already learned to get up & down and BOTH love the shelves, which I did not expect! Both kitties can safely pass each other on the same shelf, too! So I can add that a total of about 23lbs jumping around on the same shelf was no problem! I've also added a video (Amazon is probably still reviewing it, so it may not be available yet). End of update portion. <- - 😮 My son (15) and I put up the shelves in about an hour. This is because we have horrible walls and the shelves don't come with drywall anchors. We drilled one side into the studs, the other into the drywall using old plastic anchors we dug up around the house. We used a cheap little drill for the studs and they're very sturdy. I'm a CNC Machinist/Forewoman of 15 years, so I was inspecting every inch and would die if one of the cats fell. The brackets are solid metal (not plastic like older reviews) and you get long screws as well as short screws now, too. We even drilled, hung, changed our mind.... moved them, redrilled... etc. Still easy on & off. We have a rental, too so a few holes, but we're really pleased. Finn stayed on the shelf for hours. Rolling, bathing, sleeping. He LOVES them. Leo will probably take some time. But I just picked Finn right up & placed him on the shelf - asleep 5 minutes later. He got down himself with no issue, but doesn't know how to get up just yet. However, it's only been 6 hours since we installed them. I recommend buying metal wall anchors or toggles while you wait for these to arrive. We plan to change the plastic to metal once we get a chance (though the shelves are totally sturdy with the plastic) just to be extra-safe. The foliage is bendable and although Finn immediately chewed the leaves, none were loose nor torn. And he's a rowdy kitty! I love the look of them and will probably handpaint the underside of the shelves to add personalization, since that part is visible. Love the carpet topper. Rough enough to scratch & roll/groom, but soft enough to be comfortable, too! ❤️ I've searched high and low. These are the best deal if you don't want to pay $50 for each tiny step or $150 for a curved shelf. These are actually deeper AND wider than the $100+ versions. And those are just plain wood! I'd buy these again & again! Highly recommend - awesome for high-energy cats! Best value vs Chewy, Wayfair, and the many other stores I checked. I hope they start making small steps & posts soon, too! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟