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.
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