Cats, like humans, need stimulation--both physical and mental. They like challenges, puzzles, and problems to solve. Without stimulation they become lethargic and bored. Without it they are more likely to over-eat and demonstrate chronic negative behaviors, like constantly licking their fur. Bob Walker and his spouse Frances Mooney have designed their one-level home to ensure that their cats are royally stimulated. Their house, now the world-famous "Cat's House" in San Diego, is nothing if not a fantastic kitty playpen.
Walker and Mooney have constructed suspended walkways, elevated geometric figures, ramps, stairs, a sisal column running floor to ceiling, and lots of openings for the cats to explore and hide in. This allows cats to be active, play with others, or be alone when they want. It also keeps cats from being underfoot and at risk all the time.
Ladder Style Bookcase
People Magazine has called this home the "world's biggest jungle gym for cats." While you may not want to totally renovate your home with cat activity in mind, you might want to consider what cats like in order to get them more stimulated. They like to climb. They like elevated places on which to perch, be away from others, and feel less vulnerable.
There are simple steps you can take in your home to enhance your cat's activity level and enjoyment. If creating lots of objects to climb and elevated places to perch or hide is unrealistic for your home, consider how you might create some simulation of these. If you have a tall piece of furniture on which your cat may be allowed to perch, you could provide a chair or end table they could use as a springboard for launching themselves onto the chest. The same is true for a shelf, a space in a bookcase, a stable step ladder, or top of the refrigerator. Cat trees that allow climbing, hiding, and the cat's surveying its domain from a height add to the stimulation possibilities.
Of course, you also need to have some program of fun activities for your cat. For example, I had a cat, Lhotse, who loved to play catch with a small plastic ball. She would leap and snag it high in the air with one paw then drop it to the floor. With a little encouragement she then learned to push it back to me for an ongoing game of catch. Another cat loved to chase a fan-folded piece of paper I had tied to a long piece of twine that I dragged behind me as I raced from room to room. If you have a ceiling fan in one room, you can attach a long string with a slightly-weighted object at the end to a blade and slowly rotate it.
Locations and objects that allow cats to climb, leap, stretch their legs, and hide tap into their "inner tiger" need to take part in the activities in which they would in the wild. Whatever you do to stimulate your cat, besides just providing toys, will strengthen your bond with your cat and help keep it psychologically content. Of course, if you also can and feel like building a suspended walkway, your cat will thank you for it.
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Nov 10, 2011 23:45:14
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Convenience Concepts 8043391-BL American Heritage Bookshelf Ladder, Black Overview
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