Sunday, May 6, 2012

Modular cats wall shelving units - Build as big or as small as you wish

At Last! Our awesome new cats wall modular cat shelving is here. Being finalized and actual production units are being created this week for a photoshoot we will show you here on our catwalkforkitty.com web site.

We knew there was a modular cat wall elsewhere in the world (china I think) but that does not help us in the USA and our cats. So we took matters into our own hands and got designing a method of installation and safety that would look at all angles while we created something we would be honored to put in our online shop.

I knew we had to create a design that would allow the cat perches to be installed and easily adjustable whilst keeping our cats very safe and secure. We wanted something that would allow for the perches to be knocked, yet not come off of the wall mounting assembly. After some trial and effort, I found the right mechanism that would be perfect for my design of modular cat perches and shelving.

The video and photo shows the very limited version of our prototype wall installation, but shows nicely how they can be pushed to any position yet stay firmly in place when the cats travel from one cat perch to the next perch.

modular cats wall opens from magnetic latching system for easy access for cleaning

These images show our unfinished and prototype unit, the end piece will be a beautiful design and quality you will be proud to hang in your home or shelter.

modular cats wall simply relocated in 5 seconds securely

The shelving can be released from the wall to be repositioned on a higher or lower rung of the mounting rail with a simple button release mechanism. It is impossible to simply grab the shelf and lift off for removal. We are also working with an attachment for a handle strap so that when the cat is inside the box, you can lock the doors, attach the strap and carry for kitty to the vets office without having to run all over the house to capture a scared cat.

Expect the new line of modular cat wall to be released on our website http://catwalkforkitty.com by the end of this week or next weekend at the latest.

As always, please contact us if you have questions. Thank you for reading.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Introducing the New Floating Cat Shelf / Floating Cat perch

Finally, after many requests we have the brand new floating cat shelf that we have been working on for quite some time.

Available in some really beautiful finishes, from Cherry stains to Mahogany to Espresso and carpeted or non carpeted with the carpet of your choice.

The hardware is hidden within the shelving unit itself out of steel rods that screw into the wall studs behind the sheetrock wall or into concrete or masonry or brick.

The shelving is heavy duty. The smallest 20" x 10" shelf can hold 65lbs in weight easily with the larger shelving units can hold much more. (videos to come)

cat on new floating shelf

The shelving is beautiful looking and can suit your decor, simply tell us what you need.

No sooner had I mounted the floating shelving onto the wall and the cats were fighting to climb on top to check out the new toy.

The hardware is custom made by us and not sold anywhere in the U.S. currently. The back of the floating shelves have 3 or 4 locations to choose from when mounting. So you can fine tune how much left or right you wish to mount the shelving units on the wall. The smallest shelves we can make of this size are 20", but the largest size in unlimited, just tell us what you need.

To mount a floating shelf, simply drill a hole with the 3/8" drill bit to help guide the mounting bolts into the wood stud in the wall or brick or concrete etc. You will use the template provided with your order to drill correctly. then simply twist the bold using an adjustable wrench until the screw thread has disappeared into the wall completely.

When both of your bolts have been screwed easily into the wall, simply slide the shelving unit onto the bolts firmly secured into your wall and you are done! There is nothing more you need to do, it's that simple, the friction of the shelf sitting on the bolts will hold the shelving securely in place.

It looks so awesome and will certainly have people wondering how the heck you have these beautiful shelving units fixed to your wall.

Monday, April 16, 2012

We are starting back up our podcast - KittyCatNation - We are looking for guests!

So those of you that know us, know that Dee and I have a podcast we began last year called KittyCatNation for cat lovers. This in turn was linked to a website called KittyCatNation.com we created which was a free membership website where cat owners could interact and have fun with each other, getting to exchange photos stories and info etc about their beloved cats and cat products they recommend etc. Well it is time to kick it all back into action again. One of the last things we hinted at on the show was looking at a new product we could offer cat lovers and maybe make a living ourselves while we we're at it. Well, we are not quite there but oh my goodness, what a ride it has been.

We both started new jobs over a year ago, Dee absolutely loves her job working an hour away with a wonderful company that really looks after the workforce. And I, well, I started working for a huge company that drained the living daylights out of me with corrupt supervisors and scandalous managers with their heads so far up their own egos, that luckily fate stepped in and found me another path to take.

The next thing you know here we are and still trying to make it all work just right. I wish success was the reward for hard work, it seems I still need to keep pushing ever harder to get there.

All said and done, our cat shelf business is growing slowly behind the scenes in ways that even surprise us from time to time. When one door closes a few more open as of late.

We want to restart the podcast once more, to find people that would be a great interview, to help give useful advice for cat owners and help them choose the right cat furniture for the right situation, to be a resource that can help as many cat owners out there as possible. So if you would like to be on the show and feel you have something helpful to announce to the cat loving world or just want to talk about how your cats came to be ion your life, let us know how we can reach you and maybe we will do a live show with you on the phone.

We ALSO have a cat lover magazine being worked on behind the scenes and we get a handful of people still asking us when the heck is that thing ever going to be released. So here too, if you feel you have something to contribute, let us know and we would be happy to hear from you.

We are still juggling with fire blazing balls it feels at times. This past week for me has been a long line of weekly mishaps, a few orders had to be sidelined for a few days as a local charity tricky tray and I think another cat shelter in Texas need our products to help raise money for the animal shelters and I was sick over the weekend, enough to slow me down horribly. The orders of cat shelf creation are a process I could teach, but my attention to craftsmanship is such, I trust no one yet with putting out a great product. When the orders for the large shelving units are up to about 30 per week I will have to get someone to help me. It will be then in fact that I will be able to rest a little more and take better care of my health.

Sunday, April 15, 2012

What types of wall are good for mounting a cat shelf system?

Of all the kinds of walls we are asked about for mounting cat shelving, cat perches, floating shelves and the other types of wall mounted units for cats that we sell, I have yet to come across a type of wall that we cannot assist with. So far the most common kinds of wall are sheetrock, concrete, stone, brick, plaster walls and we have even assisted wit ha corrugated metal wall for mounting our cat furniture onto.


It makes a big difference though whether we send you hardware for a sheetrock wall compared to plaster or brick wall. Each has its own specific mounting hardware. But worse case scenario, if you tell us the wrong wall type, a quick trip to your local home depot or lowes will have you headed in the right direction with the correct type of mounting screws, bolts or anchors.


Typically the screws we send will hold 250lbs per screw, but our units are not tested for those kinds of loads. We usually test our units to hold anywhere from 80lbs to 150lbs depending upon the model you purchase. We want none of your cats to be in danger from using our cat furniture, so it is important we are over cautious with our products.


We have 5 new products we are launching this week if we can find the time to get on top of them due to work load. We have a brand new floating shelf and floating basic catwalk design we are so very close to releasing. You will not be able to see any type of bracket holding this style of shelf up, so we are excited to see the type of response we get from this product.


We have a brand new window perch design, far better than 99% of anything we see out there on the market. But ours is handcrafted and of excellent quality, we are just wrapping up the last minor fixes on this item which should be out later this week.
We are turning out bigcat (4 foot long cat shelf) and our tomcat (our 3 foot long cat shelf) into floor models, so you can place them close to a window sill and have your cats jump up and down as they wish.


Also in the works is a Yin-Yang Cat shelf that will wipe out the buddha cat shelf when it is completed, this will really be a design statement from catwalkforkitty.com when it is ready for showing which may be a few more weeks yet. We have been asked for litter box covers etc. which we will get to, but unless we are asked by the masses to jump on it, we are following the flow of inquires for now.


Be well cat lovers!

Friday, April 13, 2012

How to get your cats to play or to go onto a cat shelf

Are you new to the cat shelf or cat perch world? Have you thought about what type of cat furniture you should buy for your precious kitty, but you are sure they will not even play on such a thing?


We had the very same thoughts and considerations when we designed and built our very first cat wall, and over time with 3 very different types of cats we came to some different conclusions and concepts on how to get the most out of whatever you purchase to entertain your cats.


First off, all three of our cats are so different. One cat is a daredevil, capable of almost inhuman feats of agility and strength, which is easy when you think that Bugsy is not a human at all, but a loving cat. Felicity is an overweight and funny character, she is a bully around food and the only time you see her run like the wind is to:

1. get more food that is being poured out that day or

2. to receive more love and rubbies that you are obviously giving out to the other cats as she can tell by the tone of your voice.

But mostly, if she can do something without having to move, she will (which sounds like me as of late, which my current type 2 diabetes indicates) Rachel, is our youngest and smallest cat who I would say is about 10lb if that. So we have Felicity at 24lbs, Bugsy who is 16lbs and Rachel at about 10lbs. Rachel can be the most thoughtless and dare I say dumbest of the 3 most times as she seems to be most animalistic, but in saying that, she LOVES to have cuddle time with her mum, though if mum is not around, I will do just as well some times.


About our home we have rules, the cats are not allowed on the kitchen counter tops or dining room tables etc., though window sills are fine and we love for them to play, explore and play fetch with just about anything rolled up into a small ball. So when we installed the first set of cat shelving, we had to let them know it more than o.k. to play and climb all over the cat wall shelf units.


We initially did one of the three or all three following things to get our cats accustomed to climbing the wall.


1. we placed their food and water bowls on the shelving and left them for a while, This worked in almost every case, although Rachel was a little intimidated to try climbing the cat shelves at first.


2. Using the cat's favorite treats to tease the cats up also worked.

We also gave each cat lots of their favorite loving when they climbed up. For each of our cats this is very different. Bugsy likes scratches behind the ear, and he will show you just where to scratch by moving his head. You move your fingers, staying in one position, he will move his head where he best requires it. Felicity is a rough hard lover, so some heavy rough scratching, but not for long as she gets a bit too boisterous if you stay too long rubbing her back. and Rachel, likes gentle longer strokes and scratches behind the ears till she looks at you to say "ok, I have had enough."


3. If your cat will allow you to pick her up (2 of our cats will allow this, but not Felicity, no, no, no...) simply place them on top and be calm as you do this, show that all is just fine and that it is allowed. Shower with affection and place a favorite blanket or toy and play with them for a while, before you know it your cats will mostly follow by example from each other, so make it a fun place to be.


Catwalk for kitty is making a complete range of cat furniture for all of your needs, these are stylish and classy, craftsman made designs, made in the USA. We have another 5 products launching in the following week after the next batch of orders that have to be released. If you do not see what you need, simply contact us as we are able to create almost anything you require.


Thanks for reading and if you have any questions or comments, contact us.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

What beautiful weather for making cat shelves.

Creating cat shelving has never been so nice as I sit here resting a little while to regain some energy for the rest of my day making our line if cat shelving to pass on to local pet shops and customers alike, I'm blown away just how lovely and warm it is out today. I can't help but be renewed by this gleaming energy from the sun that makes it such a pleasure having the bay door open today. Come on summer! And may there be many more days such as this I'm the near future.


-- Post From My iPhone

Location:Hamburg Turnpike,Bloomingdale,United States

Friday, March 30, 2012

A New Fun Cat Shelf /Perch Model called Baby TomCat

The Baby TomCat was born from the needs of a patient customer of ours Judith S. of L.A. Calinfornia. She had told us the TomCat cat shelf was a little on the big size and she required some about 12" smaller. So we took a look at our TomCat and asked ourselves how could we make this unit smaller and maybe a little more cute.

BabyTom01-cat-house

The regular cat shelf / perch was 36" long and the cut out was large for all cats. So after some playing about, we found a size which we feel is very functional and darn cute too! What is so cool about this unit, is that with rubber feet it is not only a wall mounting unit for cat to play on, it is also the perfect little free standing floor unit cat perch, cat shelf and cat house in one.

 

BabyTom01-cat-perch

BabyTom01-cat-shelf

Measuring 24" long and 12" tall and 12" deep, I can't wait to make more of these for our cats to play on and get your some awesome new footage for youtube.

Thank you Judith!