Now, I can't take credit for coming up with this idea. Not only do these already exist for sale online, but I'd also heard of a similar (and probably more unique version) last year. I helped my friends Jen and Peter buy a house last year and when I last visited them, they were planning an intricate series of perches for the cats on their living room wall. They explained that, not only would the cats love it, but it would also be beautiful and serve as a living art installation of sorts.
My objectives were far simpler: I wanted a place for Cricket (and his food) to be away from Rudy and the dogs and I wanted it to not be so hideous that it made me want to claw my own eyes out. Since we adopted Cricket, he has fit right in with Rudy and the dogs, but we felt that he deserved a space of his own. I also feel that his food may prove too tempting for Cheetah (or Rudy) and I prefer it to be out of reach.
Corey and I initially looked into cat trees. Is there a law that says all cat trees need to be beige or brown? We couldn't find a single one that wouldn't look hideous in our family room and then there was also the logistical nightmare of keeping Rudy from climbing it. No thank you!
We researched wall-mounted units but they were all pretty $$$! Being a pretty handy guy, Corey set out to make one himself.
He used:
- shelves
- brackets
- carpet tiles
- velcro
- jute covered scratching post
- colourful twine
- hinges
- hanging cat toy
- food and water dishes
- hole saw
The shelves and brackets were easy to find and we ensured that we chose shelves wide enough for kitty to stretch out.
Corey decided to secure carpet tiles to the shelves with velcro rather than glue, so they would be easy to clean or replace.
We bought a small scratching post made to be hung from a doorknob. It was wrapped in jute and we thought we'd add it for kitty to use as a ramp. We covered it in some colourful jute for aesthetic purposes. Corey secured it to the shelves using hinges to allow for it to sit on an angle.
We bought a cat toy to dangle from a shelf. Corey drilled two holes and threaded it through before tying it. We can always change it if/when Cricket destroys it.
We bought metal dishes with a lip and Corey used a hole saw to drill holes in two of the shelves. The dishes rest nicely and just slide out when we need to wash them. You'll notice we skipped the carpet around the water dish because we didn't want spills making the carpet soggy.
We had to move the painting that hung above Rudy's magnetic board but we're thrilled with the result and Cricket loves his new nest! Here's a before shot:
And here's the finished product:
Cricket accesses the lowest shelf from the top of Rudy's toy storage unit. He knew it was his very own spot right away and he wasted no time making himself at home!
What do you think? We like it better than a regular cat tree and we love that it doesn't take up any floor space and isn't accessible to Rudy! Cricket certainly enjoys being king of the castle!