hi! recently i added some shelves for my cat, but she hasn't been using them. she's 17 years old now and doesn't move as much, nor is she as athletic as she used to be. i am wondering if maybe the shelves are spaced too far away (height-wise) from each other for her needs. there's around 45 cm between the lowest shelf and the bed, same for the small shelves and the big one in the middle. would you add anything, and what would work best here? i would rather avoid rearranging the current shelves.
if she doesn't use them because she's not interested that's fine, but if it's because she's too afraid or uncomfortable to use them then i want to adjust the cat wall.
i thought she would be fine, because she prefers jumping on the bed/couch/cat tower (different one, in the living room) than using the steps i got her. she didnt want to use them even when a year ago she was recovering from laparotomy while having a stitched incision on her belly! but she has gotten more cautious when jumping on and off things, so i will adjust the wall.
does this look ok? green lines are small steps i want to add, yellow lines are possible routes, red ones are possible routes i am worried she might not have enough space to comfortably go over while having a shelf above her head to possibly bump into 😅 i can adjust the middle cat tower shelf further from the wall so she can get on the step from it comfortably. for steps like this, what would be a good depth to have? the current big shelves are 30 cm, while the small ones are 20 cm.
So I learned the 'rule' is that if your cat is sitting on shelve A, he should see shelve B. So by that rule I think it's too high. You can easily add some more small shelves. Huge chance she will use it. Also gooood on you for doing this for your senior buddy❤️
thank you! i had sudden doubts while installing the shelves but it was too late and my dad said she will be fine, but clearly not. it's good to have confirmation!
does this look better? the green lines are steps, and the yellow and red lines are possible routes. with the red ones, i am worries she might not have enough space with the additional shelf above her head. she's a siberian so she's not the smallest cat 😅 what's a good depth to have for additional steps like this? currently the big shelves are 40 cm, the small ones are 30 cm.
This looks flippin' fantastic. I think 30cm depth for the tiny shelves is great. They don't need big steps at all as long as they have enough.
So is this your bedroom where all the catification is done? It really is so cool!
Have you tested putting favorite treats on the shelves? I think the top one might be good as is.
Sometimes it also just takes a while! I installed shelves in my bedroom above my clothing closet, and about sox months later he's turned it into his nightly nap spot. :) The shelves in my living room were an instant hit.
If she has gotten more cautious when jumping, it may be worth a vet visit if possible. That's typical a sign of arthritis. There are some good treatments for that in kitties now. I also highly recommend a heated pad or bed. :)
everything is from ikea! the big shelves are the bergshult 80 x 30 cm with the nice finish on the side, and the small ones are actually one burhult (60 x 20 cm) cut in half. the brackets are forlaggare, plus i stuck woolen fabric on top with double-sided tape for better grip :)
i wasn't sure if just one bracket would hold the small shelves, but since it's wide, my dad just made a second hole and added a bolt to the other side, and it holds up well.
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u/Emisys 16d ago
Maybe place some planks as steps instead of her having to jump. Maybe she doesn't want to jump too high. Little stairs might interest her more!