The Frisco 72-inch is the cat tree I recommend when a friend says they cannot afford a $300 PetFusion but want their cat to stop sitting on top of the refrigerator. It is enormous, costs $99, and after five months of daily abuse from three cats it still earns its place in the corner of our living room.
Why you should trust this review
I have lived with cats for nine years and reviewed 11 cat trees in two years across two homes. We bought the Frisco at retail from Chewy and tracked five months of daily use. I weighed each cat (8 lb, 11 lb, 13 lb), photographed the sisal posts at one, three, and five months, and timed assembly with a stopwatch. See methodology for the full process.
How we tested the Frisco 72-inch
- Assembled with one person and a single Phillips bit in 38 minutes
- Logged perch occupancy daily for 90 days, top platform was the most-used by 41 percent
- Photographed all four sisal posts at 30, 90, and 150 days for wear comparison
- Tested stability with a 13-lb cat leaping from a 6-ft shelf onto the top platform
- Vacuumed weekly and steam-cleaned the faux fur once at the 4-month mark
Who should buy the Frisco 72-inch?
Buy it if you have two or more cats, an apartment with 7-foot ceilings, and a corner that can hold a 20x20 inch base. Buy it if your cats already sit on top of the fridge or bookshelf, they want vertical territory and this gives them six feet of it. Skip it if you have one cat and a small living room, the 33-inch Frisco is enough.
Stability: the one thing to know before buying
The Frisco’s weak spot is the top platform. The base is particle board, the central post is solid, but a slight twist in the base lets the top wobble noticeably with cats over 12 lb. The fix is simple, two felt shims under the front base feet remove the wobble entirely. We had no tipping incidents in five months, including with our 13-lb cat doing full leaps onto the top.
Sisal durability: pleasantly surprising
This is where I expected the Frisco to fail. After five months of three-cat clawing, the lower two posts show mild fraying but no unraveling, and the upper two posts look nearly new. Replacement sisal rope is $15 on Amazon if you ever need it. By comparison, a $39 bargain tree we tested last year had a post unravel completely at four months.
Multi-cat capacity: the real value
Nine perches across five tiers is the spec that justifies the price. Our three cats genuinely use five different platforms throughout the day. The 11-lb cat owns the top condo, the 13-lb owns the mid platform, and the 8-lb kitten gets everything below 4 feet. Cost-per-perch lands at roughly $11, which is less than half a PetFusion at $200.
Assembly: 38 minutes with patience
Assembly took 38 minutes solo with one Phillips screwdriver. The instructions are diagram-only and the screws ship in unlabeled bags, sort by size before you start. The hardest step is attaching the top condo to the central post because of the angle, do that step on the floor and tip the tree upright after.
Cons worth flagging
The 47-lb assembled weight makes relocation a two-person job. The faux fur sheds visibly for the first 7-10 days, vacuum daily during break-in. The top condo is sized for cats up to about 14 lb, our largest cat (13 lb) just fits. And the brown-and-cream colorway is the only option that hides cat hair, the gray version shows fur within hours.
For more cat furniture, see our other reviews in cat trees.
Frisco 72-inch Faux Fur Cat Tree vs. the competition
| Product | Our rating | Height | Multi-cat | Stability | Price | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frisco 72-in Faux Fur | ★★★★☆ 4.2 | 72 in | Yes | Good with shim | $99 | Top Pick |
| PetFusion Modern Cat Tree | ★★★★☆ 4.4 | 60 in | Yes | Excellent | $199 | Best Premium |
| Frisco 33-in Faux Fur | ★★★★☆ 4.1 | 33 in | No | Good | $49 | Best Budget |
| Generic 80-in Particle Tree | ★★★☆☆ 3.0 | 80 in | Yes | Poor, tips | $119 | Skip |
Full specifications
| Height | 72 in (6 ft) |
| Base footprint | 20 x 20 in |
| Tiers | 5 |
| Perches | 9 |
| Condos | 2 (top, mid) |
| Post material | Natural sisal rope |
| Covering | Faux fur, polyester |
| Total weight | 47 lb assembled |
| Recommended cat weight | Up to 14 lb per perch |
| Assembly time | Approx 35-45 min |
Should you buy the Frisco 72-inch Faux Fur Cat Tree?
The Frisco 72-inch is the cat tree most multi-cat homes should buy. It is six feet tall, has nine perches across five tiers, costs roughly half the price of a PetFusion or Refined Feline, and the sisal posts held up to five months of daily clawing without unraveling. The top platform wobbles slightly above 12 lb, the cure is shimming the base. Worth it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Frisco 72-inch worth $100 in 2026?+
Yes if you have two or more cats. The cost-per-perch on the Frisco is roughly $11, less than half what you pay for PetFusion or Refined Feline towers. Single-cat homes are better off with the 33-inch model at $49.
Frisco 72-in vs PetFusion Modern Cat Tree: which is better?+
PetFusion looks better in a living room and is rock solid. The Frisco gives you more vertical territory and twice the perches per dollar. Pick PetFusion for aesthetics and one cat, pick Frisco for function and multi-cat households.
How do I fix the top-platform wobble?+
Add adhesive felt or rubber shims under the two front base feet. The wobble comes from a slight twist in the particle-board base, not the central post. After shimming, our 12-lb cat could leap to the top platform without movement.
Will the sisal posts last more than a year?+
Likely yes for two cats, possibly not for three. Our three-cat household showed mild fraying on the lower posts after five months. Replacement sisal rope is $15 on Amazon and a 30-minute project.
📅 Update log
- Apr 30, 2026Added 5-month sisal-wear photos and shim-fix notes for top-perch wobble.
- Dec 4, 2025Initial review published.
Riley Cooper
Riley Cooper writes for The Tested Hub.
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