Quick answer: In a townhouse bedroom, stand a narrow cube shelving unit upright, line each cube and the top with cork tiles to soften landings and cut night-time noise, and fix the top to the wall with fixings that suit a party or stud wall. Carry it upstairs flat-packed and assemble it in the bedroom.
Townhouses stack their rooms vertically, which suits cats, but the bedrooms are often narrow with little floor space to spare. A cat tree that takes up a 40 cm square of floor and goes up rather than out works far better than a sprawling carpeted tower.
A tall cube shelving unit from IKEA, stood upright, gives a column of ready-made cubbies. Lining them with cork tiles makes them grippy, warm and much quieter when a cat lands at 3am. Our IKEA hack cat tree for apartments uses a similar idea for open-plan flats; this version deals with stairs, party walls and sleep.
Choosing a Narrow Cube Unit
The single-column KALLAX unit is about 42 cm wide and 147 cm tall, with four cubes. Check the current dimensions before buying. Stood upright, it takes up a small footprint and puts the top perch at a height cats like for watching the room.
Cube units are heavier than open shelving, which helps stability, but they are made from board with a paper or foil finish. That surface is slippery for paws, which is where the cork comes in.
Second-hand cube units are common and cheap, which suits a cat project. Check that the cam fittings are all present and the board has not swollen at the base from a past spill; swollen board will not hold screws for wall fixing. Replace any missing fittings with spares from IKEA's customer service before you build, rather than improvising with glue.
Getting Flat-Pack Up Narrow Stairs
Townhouse stairs often turn at a landing, and a built unit will not make the corner. Carry the box upstairs unopened and assemble the unit in the bedroom, close to where it will stand. A long, heavy flat-pack box is a two-person carry; one person below takes most of the weight.
Measure the bedroom door before you start. Assembled units sometimes fit through a door only when tilted, and tilting a tall unit in a small room risks scraping the ceiling or a light fitting.
Why Cork Tiles Work in a Bedroom
Cork is grippy, slightly soft and warm to the touch. It stops paws from sliding on a smooth board and absorbs the thud of landing. In a bedroom, that difference is noticeable at night, especially if the cat jumps down from the top cube onto the floor.
Cork tiles are also easy to replace. Each one is stuck down on its own, so a scratched or soiled tile can be peeled up and swapped without touching the others.
Cutting and Fitting the Tiles
| Location | Inner size | Tiles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Each cube floor | about 33 x 37 cm | 1 cut tile | Use a 30 x 30 cm tile, gap at back |
| Unit top | about 42 x 39 cm | 2 cut tiles | One whole tile plus strips cut from the second |
| Spare | 3 | For swaps |
With four cubes and the top, you need six tiles fitted plus spares, so a pack of nine 30 x 30 cm tiles is enough. Use 4 to 6 mm cork. Thinner tiles crack at the edges; thicker ones raise the floor of each cube and reduce headroom.
Cut tiles with a sharp utility knife against a ruler, scoring several times rather than pressing hard. Stick them down with double-sided carpet tape so they can be removed later without damaging the board. Avoid solvent glues in a bedroom; the EPA on VOCs and indoor air explains why low-emission products are the better choice indoors.
Adding Steps and a Scratching Face
A healthy adult cat can jump onto the top of a 147 cm unit from the floor, but a step halfway helps older cats. Fix a small wall shelf beside the unit at about 75 cm, or put a low ottoman alongside. Every landing spot should have cork or a mat on it.
Wrap a strip of sisal fabric around one side panel near the floor for scratching. Glue it on the back edge only, so it can be replaced. Our stability test for DIY cat trees is worth running after you add anything that a cat will push against.
Fixing to Party Walls and Stud Walls
Townhouses share party walls with neighbours, which are usually solid masonry. Use wall plugs and screws suited to masonry and drill only as deep as needed. Internal walls between rooms are often stud partitions; fix into a stud or use a toggle fixing. Our stud-safe cat tree build explains how to locate studs.
Fix at the top of the unit, where a jumping cat creates the most leverage. Use the anti-tip fitting supplied with the unit, plus a second bracket if the wall allows.
Keeping Night-Time Noise Down
Even with cork, a cat jumping from the top of a tall unit lands with a thump. A rug or thick mat in front of the unit absorbs most of it, and in a townhouse it also stops the sound carrying to the room below. Check the unit does not knock against the wall when the cat lands on the top; a felt pad between unit and wall fixes a rattle.
Play with the cat for ten to fifteen minutes before bed. A tired cat is less likely to race up and down the unit in the small hours. International Cat Care on play suggests short, frequent sessions that end with a catch, which suit a bedtime routine.
Feeding the last meal after the play session helps too. Cats tend to groom and sleep after eating, so the cubbies become a place to settle rather than a climbing frame at night.
Placing It in a Small Bedroom
The best spot is beside a window, so the top cube becomes a lookout. Keep it away from the bed head if the cat's night-time jumps keep you awake, and away from radiators. Leave a clear landing zone of about 60 cm in front of the unit.
If the bedroom is very narrow, our small-footprint apartment cat tree has more ideas for squeezing climbing space into tight floor plans, and cats generally feel safest where they can see the door from a raised spot.
Living With It Over Time
Vacuum the cubes weekly and lift any tile that has been soiled; cork absorbs liquid if left. Rotate a blanket into one cube as a bed, and keep one cube empty for hiding. Cats use enclosed spaces differently from open perches, so a mix works best.
When the cork wears or the sisal frays, our guide to replacing a cat tree's covering shows how to refresh surfaces without a rebuild. For bigger projects later, our DIY cat tree hub and our IKEA hack cat tree that looks like real furniture are good next reads.
Townhouse IKEA Cat Tree Questions
Which IKEA unit works as a cat tree in a small bedroom?
A single-column cube unit such as the four-cube KALLAX, about 42 cm wide and 147 cm tall, stood upright. It takes little floor space and gives four cubbies plus a top perch. Check current dimensions and always fix the top to the wall.
Why use cork tiles on an IKEA cat tree?
The board finish on cube units is slippery. Cork tiles give paws grip, feel warm and soften the sound of landings, which matters in a bedroom at night. Each tile sticks down separately with carpet tape, so a damaged one can be swapped easily.
How many cork tiles do I need for a four-cube unit?
One cut tile per cube floor and two for the top, so six fitted tiles. A pack of nine 30 x 30 cm tiles in 4 to 6 mm thickness covers that with three spares. Spares let you replace a scratched or soiled tile straight away.
How do I fix a cat tree to a townhouse party wall?
Party walls are usually solid masonry, so use masonry wall plugs and screws, drilling only as deep as needed. Fix the top of the unit with the supplied anti-tip fitting and a second bracket if possible. Stud partitions need a stud or a toggle fixing instead.
How do I get flat-pack furniture up narrow townhouse stairs?
Carry the box up unopened, with two people and the stronger person below, and assemble the unit in the bedroom. Built units often will not turn at a landing. Measure the bedroom door first, since a tall unit may only fit through when tilted.
