You may recall that I posted early in 2014 about buying a 2×6 so the cat could get up onto my bookshelves. She wasn’t having any of it because the angle was a bit steep so I thought I’d wrap it in carpet.
4M6C3244.CR2: 5D Mk.III, EF 17 – 40mm 1:4L @ 22mm, 1/100, f/4, 1600 ISO
As you can see, I didn’t wrap it in carpet. I wrapped it in ⅜″ twisted sisal rope. I read that’s the ideal material for a scratching post so in addition to wrapping the rope around the board, I wanted to make sure the rope would not move or shift. To accomplish this, I glued it. And I mean seriously glued it. It took nearly a year because I’d glue a 6″ length on one side, wait at least six hours, then flip the board, and glue the next 6″ length…over and over and over. This works out to 32 days per foot, assuming that I glue two 6″ lengths a day, which I did not always manage. This is why it took the better part of a year to complete. I just didn’t think about how long it would take when I started. It’s probably for the best because I’m not sure I would have started. I’m glad I finished it though.
When I completed the task, the cat wanted nothing to do with it! So I dropped the board down to one shelf below the top and lured her up by placing three treats along the board. Initially she would only eat the bottom treat because she could get to it from the top of the sofa. Eventually though, she went all the way up and I was so pleased. The elapsed time between buying the board and taking the photo above was about 14 months.
But damn it, mission accomplished!
Amanda J. Alonso
Awesome kitty ramp. Binx is jealous.
Craige Moore
Haha! Why do you want her up there??
Rick
Just for some variety. I know cats like high places so they can watch what,s going on. I thought of those cat play structures but they’re so expensive. This isn’t as good but I thought it would definitely be a change of pace.
Kendra Kehoe
Dexter figured out how to jump/scale the fridge and then get on top of the cupboards. He likes hanging out up there.
Kendra Kehoe
Emily is a pretty lucky kitty! Great job on the ramp. I think Dexter may want one for Christmas.
Jessica
Yay for kitteh! My brother’s girlfriend built a kitty play tower thing, and not only did it take her a very long time, it also ended up costing about as much as if she’d just bought one! Yeah, she said she wouldn’t do it again either, but she’s glad she finished it.
Rick
I bet her play tower thing is a lot better built! I couldn’t stomach shelling out a few hundred dollars for cardboard covered in carpet. Granted it’s very thick cardboard, but still.