This cat tree is perfect for my senior cat! She does not play all day, but she does still play some, and the dangling mice are her favorite. She also likes to lie down in the house portion. She has yet to try out the hammock, but it is only a matter of time, as she usually does not warm up to new things immediately. 
There is a bowl on the lower shelf that I put her food in, but I also put a bowl of food on top of the house. She loves eating high up, especially since she can be eye-level with me. 
I did not find any difficulty in putting this together, despite not having the instructions (which I found after having finished assembling the entire cat tree - I simply looked at the picture online). This is a very nice cat tree, and I am very happy with this purchase.