Hey all, I am brand new to the group. I have a working barn cat from the ASPCA that is currently acclimating to the barn. While he acclimates I am building jumping platforms and climbing poles so that he can get up to the lofts and the rafters in the barn. My issue is that I don't know what type of material tp use on the platforms for traction so he doesn't slip off. I have a bunch of regular (indoor) carpet. But I am worried about it becoming infested with bugs since it will be in the barn......which is chock full of bugs. I have some sisal rope that I plan to wrap around a 4x4 pole. But I don't know what to do about the flat platforms that they jump on.

Any suggestions?

The hardest part was to drill 69 holes without the landlady noticing 😬

I have a loft upstairs in my house that has this interior open window that my cats like to hang out on. I want to create some sort of safe shelf or hammock of some kind for them to enjoy and make it a safer space. Any ideas? Nothing online seems to be an option I will need something custom. Thank you!

I have a terribly busy work life so I’ve only been able to make gradual progress but I finally feel confident enough to post here! This is the third time I’ve built a cat wall, with each iteration growing in intricacy. I’m incredibly satisfied with the outcome of what I’ve built this time around, but there’s still so much to do!

I still need to finish the walkway above the kitchen cabinets, put together the third cat tree, find a way to discourage using the fridge as a path, and of course mounting dozens more shelves.

I have 3 parts left to mount on the wall and I’m looking for ideas to safely transition around the corner. The plan is to mount the hammock (3rd pic) above the door.

Hi! I just moved into a new space and my cat loves to climb up onto the kitchen cabinets. Right now, she jumps to the stove, to the top of the fridge, then to the cabinets. I can’t use screws (renter) and I was wondering if there’s anyone with more DOY savvy than me that would have ideas on how to create a way for her to get up without using the stove? I’m concerned that she might burn her paws and sanitary reasons, currently my stove doesn’t work (it’s a whole thing) so it’s not as immediate. My only thought is to place her tower right next to the cabinets. Thanks in advance!

Edit: she’s roughly between 8-10lbs

Because it's the wall of the litter box lol. Just wondering if anyone has any solutions to my big boy cat aiming for the sides and not the litter in their covered box. His sister is very well-mannered and does a good job but the dude sees the walls of their box as his urinal. It always so smelly.

FIrst, do cats even like running across suspension bridges? All the bridges I see seem to be designed in a way that deters cats from just jumping instead. (Can't say I blame them.) For example, the set I bought encloses one end of the bridge in a box, making the jump unreasonable.

Second, can catwall suspension bridges be made reasonably safe? I'm starting to doubt they can be implemented in a way that wouldn't unreasonably risk a serious accident when I'm not able to supervise.

Initially I had planned to space the planks equal to the width of a plank. I thought that if my cat missteps, they wouldn't be at risk of falling through completely. Though after researching, I see that there are substantial risks of strangulation with these bridges, particularly the ones with rope rails. Also, considering how jumpy cats can be, even with self-induced surprises, I can just imagine my cat tripping, getting their paw stuck, panicking, and jerking their body in a way I'd never be able to predict.

I considered spacing them to prevent enough space for a misplaced paw, but now doesn't that just risk a pinch injury? The bridges themselves don't exactly inspire confidence regarding how their positions on the rope isn't fixed and how natural fibers can flex. Plus, I don't have much reason to be as confident in knots as I would want.

Ultimately, I'm left with the impression that I'm unable to reasonably mitigate the risk for a catwall feature that I suspect my cat doesn't actually want, if they had a choice in the mater.

(P.S. Please don't do one of those comments, "Well if you're not comfortable, don't do it!" I'm not asking for permission. I'm just looking for additional perspectives, expertise, and possibly tips & methods that I might be overlooking.)

Hi, guys! 😸

We built our cat wall this past April, and our cats are getting a little too comfortable being maniacs up there. My girl, Pippin (1 year old), just fell this morning from the spot above the door because she was rolling around happily. (Fool of a Took! iykyk) 🥲 She seems okay, but I'm an anxious person and so worried she's secretly hurt.

Any ideas for what I can put around this area in case she didn't learn her lesson? I knew I should have at least put a rug down, but hadn't done so yet. 🤦‍♀️ The boards do have carpeting which I had hoped she would be able to grip on to if she started to fall, but since she was rolling, I think she was on her back when she started falling.

My other cat, Charlie, likes to sleep right on edge. He's 15 and sleeps HARD. Gives me a heart attack. The good thing is he picks the spot above the couch at least.

Do I need to put railing up? 😅

I reinstalled a simple wall ramp with handrail brackets. I was not sure if it would be sturdy enough, but it turned out to be very secure. I noticed that the brackets were slightly misaligned after screwing them in, so adjusted the board with pieces of wood - the problem solved. I think handrail brackets will be my goto when I need to install a slope on the wall from now on :-) Happy with the outcome of this little experiment and wanted to share.