Page 7 - 2014 Spring Home and Garden - Gresham Outlook

SPRING HOME & GARDEN C7 March 2014 The Outlook, Sandy Post, Estacada News
Wonder: Cats more relaxed when they are high up

■ From page C5
dos. We all secretly want our own fort, and cats are no different. Cat Keep them from scratching your furniture
trees and condos give cats an ar- ea of their own to climb, explore, It’s a never-ending battle: You sit
■ Take them for a walk. If you hide and play. Cat furniture can down to watch TV and your cats
have the time and energy to put into training them to walk on a harness, be found at mainstream stores such as Petco or Petsmart, or at make themselves happy by stretch- ing out and running their claws
taking your cat for a walk can be a good way to exercise together.
local businesses like Geren’s Farm Supply in Boring.
down the arm of your couch. Some- times it seems like there is no solu-
■ Make sure they can watch the If you don’t have a lot of money tion. However, there are lots of dif-
world go by. Install a cat sill or perch next to your window. You can to spend, or aren’t into the look of a standard carpeted cat tree, you ferent things you can try to deter them.
buy window perches at a pet store or make one on your own. Not only can build your own.
Stacking wooden boxes togeth- My solution so far has been to give them as many scratching op-
will your cats enjoy being up off the er or creating a raised platform tions as I can so they don’t feel
ground, they can watch the neigh- borhood and stay entertained by its for them can be just as effective. Cat trees don’t always have to tempted to take it out on my couch.
■ Cardboard is the answer. After
wildlife.
work against the design of your trying and failing with vertical
■ Plant them their own garden. Along with allowing them to look home. You can build modern geo- metric spaces for your cats that scratching posts made of carpet and rope, I’ve found my lifesaver:
outside, bringing some of the great outdoors to them will help with the are pleasing to the eye as well. See some fun ideas at www.etsy. corrugated cardboard. My cats love it.
experience. Planting an indoor cat com/market/cat_furniture.
Cardboard cat scratchers can be
garden will give your house a green touch and keep your kitty’s interest ■ Construct vertical space. A fun way to keep your cats inter- found at any pet store for under $10. But they are also very easy to
away from your houseplants.
I suggest potting some grass and ested is to establish a flow within your house using vertical space: make. The scratchers are con- structed by stacking pieces of cor-
other plants near their window Put up cat shelves. Chic cat rugated cardboard together. You
space. Pet supply stores usually car- ry nutrient-rich pet grass, which is shelves can be bought online but are sometimes expensive. In- can then rub your freshly grown catnip on it to attract your cats.
safe for your cats to eat and will supplement their diet. Instead of stead, take a trip to Ikea and buy assorted shelves and plenty of ■ Give them the chance to stretch. You can install an extra
buying it dried and full of chemicals brackets.
piece to help elevate your new
from the store, you can grow your own catnip as well.
Mount the shelves on your walls in staircase or catwalk pat- cardboard cat scratcher into an in- cline or create one in post form,
Be sure to steer clear of any plants toxic to cats, including lilies, terns. You can use them as step- ping-stones from window to win- giving your cats the same feel of using your couch’s arm.
corn plants, aloe plants, and dieffen- dow, or as a ladder to a high-up You also can give cats the illu-
bachia (also known as tropic snow or exotica). A full list of plants perch. Cats can use the shelves to climb to the top of a cat tree or a sion that they’re scratching the couch by placing their scratching
harmful to cats can be found at asp- bed attached to the top of a book- post next to it.
ca.org.
Create spaces to climb and explore
shelf.
When building your own cat Square Cat Habitat is an online vendor based in Portland that sells
Many cats love to climb and are climbing options, be sure they are nice and sturdy. This will protect modern catiication options. Its ar- tistic product “itch” is a wooden or
sometimes actually more com- not only your pet but also your- bamboo framed scratching materi-
fortable when they are up high. Making spaces that are designat- self and your house’s fragile as- pects.
al. The frame gets mounted low on the wall so that cats can reach up
ed for your cats to climb on can help keep them entertained, and For ideas and examples of other cat owners’ projects, visit www. to scratch without getting in your way.
PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP PHOTO: KYLIE WRAY
away from your breakables.
hauspanther.com or jacksongal- Square Cat Habitat can be found Local businesses such as Geren’s Farm Supply carry cat trees, carboard scratchers and
nutritious cat grass to help make your home a better cat environment.
axy.com.
at www.squarecathabitat.com.
■ Introduce cat trees or con-
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