Crazy Cat Lady

Some may say I have officially gone off the deep end into cat craziness. As in, I am the Crazy Cat Lady. The guys at the hardware store certainly didn't hide this conviction, more on that later. And maybe I am a Crazy Cat Lady, but who cares? Riley and I are best buds, particularly this summer while Cam is away. For the most part, we get along great, but I would be much happier without his occasional behavioral out bursts. Three in cat years equals 28 in human years, right? 

I have settled into somewhat of a weekend routine that involves lying low on Saturday nights. Once the tours are finished, I'm usually feeling pretty zapped, so going home and having a quiet night cuddled up to the TV with my little man, Riley, is always a nice respite.

On one such quiet night in I caught an episode of My Cat From Hell. This guy Jackson is the dog whisperer for cats. After one or two (alright, my DVR is programmed to record it), episodes I started noticing trends. They include feathery toys laced with catnip and shelves, lots and lots of shelves. So I added a few things to my dry erase, which is currently actually a sticky note heaven- so much more fun than dry erase. Plus, there's some major satisfaction in crumpling a sticky note and sinking it in the trash (think NBA finals bball moves). One sticky note reads, PLAY (in all caps) with Riley. Another, and this is where this blog is headed, reads, build cat shelves.

I was feeling quite motivated this past Sunday and decided that it was time for a project. I measured some wall spaces, the height of cabinets and things that I know are within Riley's vertical limit. I also measured Riley, that was challenging. Then off I went, to Home Depot. They weren't that helpful there, and I wanted to compare prices, so I spent only a few minutes scoping out my options at HD before heading to Lowe's. They were much more helpful, albeit they all thought they were comedians. When I asked about building a shelf for a cat, the first person thought that I meant I didn't want the cat on the shelf and told me to "Put a dog up there, that'll keep the cat away". A little later on when I asked about using screws versus anchors/screws the guy seemed confused as to why I needed the shelf to support 25 pounds. In Riley's defense, he only weighs about 15 pounds, but what if we get another cat? Eventually I found the shelving supplies I wanted and headed out. Only to get in the car and realize that I need some sort of carpet for the top of the shelf. Back to Home Depot, where when I asked about scrap carpet, I was told to, "Put contact paper on it, that'll make the cat stay up there." Yikes! I guess the type of people that work at hardware stores are dog people, but there's no need to hate on cats.

When I got home I laid out all of my materials and got to building.

The hardest part was trying to mark the wall where I wanted to drill. The shelves are a bit heavy and this is where it would've been very helpful to have an extra set of hands instead of paws. 

Eventually I installed the first shelf, and, Dad you'd be proud, it's level! 

I decided to wait to install the second shelf based on how Riley took to it, but also I was exhausted once that first one was done. I still had to cut up the doormat that I bought (there wasn't any carpet scraps in the right size) and cover it with a towel that carried my scent. After a sprinkle of treats and catnip, a couple of toys, and closing the door to Riley's playground, a.k.a. my screened in porch, he settled into his perch quite well. My only issue was that I built the shelf a little too high, but Cameron and his dad's summer project is to build a kitty condo, so they are just going to make it to fit in the space below and it will serve as his step up to his shelf. For now, I put a kitchen stool over there and I am very proud to say that Riley really likes his shelf.

It's a whole new world up there!

Napping quite comfortably

Full Relaxation Mode

If you have a feline friend and are thinking about building a shelf, let me know! I have a few tips and pointers to share.