The shelf comes with all the necessary tools and hardware to put it together which took me about 15 minutes to assemble all said and done. I was a little nervous about the suction cups being strong enough, but I followed the instructions to soak them in warm water and apply to a clean surface, and so far, they are holding strong to the window. I have yet to see my cats jump up on it on their own, but they both enjoyed looking out when I set them up there. I hope they will gain confidence and jump up on their own once they get more used to it. I love that it is made from wood, instead of plastic. Nice simple design.