by Elisa Black-Taylor
(USA)
Photo: by doris_pemler (Flickr)
Good morning readers. You won't need any tissue for this story as it's a happy tale (excuse the pun). Today I want to talk about the cat ladder.
Every cat owner knows how much cats and kittens like to climb. Sometimes I think they go to the highest point in a room and from there they observe the world below them. A few of mine live on top of the refrigerator. Lola even knows how to open the cabinet door from up there and hide inside the cabinet.
I'd never heard of the cat ladder until I received a link to the Catster.com website in an email. There are outside ladders and the indoor cat ladder. I particularly like the photo entitled "dream home." The cats not only have shelves where they can sleep, above the shelves is a catwalk. See Cat House Designs for good examples of the use of indoor cat ladders.
Here are two examples that show how a cat ladder is commonly used - to allow a cat access to a flat/apartment that is not on the ground floor. I am very impressed by both these. The modern one is awesome.
I guess they can also be usefully used in ground floor flats when there is no back door. Access to the outside could be through a window with a window cat flap fitted.
I've often watched my cats try to go from one room to the other without ever getting on the floor. They know how to jump from the bar to the chair to the sofa then to the other sofa. THEN they touch the ground to go down the hall to the bedroom. I'm sure if there was anything that could keep them off of the ground they would use it.
There are lots of websites that show pictures of cat ladders. There are also sites that give instruction on how to build or where to order a finished project. It doesn't have to be an expensive project. You cat isn't going to know how much or little it cost. I've noticed some of the cat ladders have a rustic look while others are quite elegant.
My question for the readers at pictures-of-cats.org is do any of you have a cat ladder and would you consider putting one in? Okay, that's two questions.
I've already had to move every breakable piece of collectibles from my bookcase (the bookcase is nailed into the wall for extra safety). The cats now claim the bookcase as a sleeping spot. They climb it like they would a ladder. I can just imagine how much fun my cats would have with shelves and catwalks placed about the house.
It would definitely keep them out from underfoot. I'm always afraid I'll step on one of my babies and it scares the daylights out of me when I hear a hiss before a near miss. A ladder and catwalk would definitely be a good addition.
But does building entertainment for the cats take away from the aesthetic appearance of your living room. Is how your friends view your home more important than the entertainment of your cats? I'm sure we all have friends who think behind our backs that we are too "into" our cats.
I have a bar leading into my kitchen. There are two box beds on the bar. Casper lives in one box and whoever else wants the second box know its "first come first served." They also seem to know the box may be occupied if the leave it and come back later. So I really don't care what anyone says about my home slowly being turned into a cathouse.
Here's a really cute video of a cat climbing a regular stepladder. Nothing fancy. When the cat reaches the top he looks up. Can you imagine the fun he'd have it his owner put a catwalk up high for him to walk across. In the video he's looking for a way to get higher than he is on the ladder.
There are tons of these videos on YouTube. Just type in "cat ladder".
I get the feeling those who build furniture for their feline friends fit into the category of cats who share their home with humans rather than people who own cats. Think about it. There's a difference in cat people. I can assure everyone my cats run the show at my place. I've been creating beds in different locations I see my cats are interested in.
In other words, my cats have trained me to spoil them rotten. I live in a house full of my rescues and I LOVE it.
Please comment on the cat ladder idea, especially if you have one.
See Doris's photos of cat ladders on Flickr (new window)
Elisa
Sources:
http://www.flickr.com/
