Difference between cat people & non-cat people

I'm moving into my new place Thursday!  Really happy to be moving and I have spent the last few weeks getting things ready.  One thing that has brought to mind the vast difference between people who have cats and people who don't is these great built-in shelves in the main room:



(That's my dad on the right.)

When I first saw these shelves I immediately thought (as I am sure you are thinking) - wow!!  Built-in vertical space for the cats!  No need to DIY!  They are good quality and strong, about a foot deep and will be AWESOME for the cats to climb and lounge on!  I'm thinking of affixing toys for them to play with on the underside of the shelves as well.

But everyone I've told this to looks me askance as if I am crazy!  (Weeelllllll....)  They can't believe I would "waste" all that space especially since storage is sort of at a premium in the house to begin with. But, really, do I need to display my pitiful DVD collection or use them as a catchall for knick-knacks I don't need anyway?  I am THRILLED they will have a place to climb, play, and perch on.  To the left of the shelves I'm going to put their first cat tree!!!!  (Planning to buy in three weeks.)  And right next to that is the window, and I plan to get these nifty window bird feeders: Amazon link so that they can perch on the shelves or cat tree, and will truly have Kitty TV!!!!!

Isn't it funny how when you have cats your mind goes not to how you can have the perfectly decorated Homes & Gardens living room, but to how you can use the space for your cats' comfort and enjoyment!   Tee hee!  

I know exactly what you mean....when DH and I were looking at houses, there were certain homes that were immediately dismissed because the stairs or landings weren't cat friendly or the railing was just wide enough that a cat would stand on it but the fall would have been too much. I'm sure our realtor thought we were insane. 

Great shelves though. Your kitties will love the new set-up!

:lol3: I LOVE it! And yes - those are GREAT! And with a cat tree right next to them - they'll LOVE it! You must be so excited! :lol3: WE certainly don't think you're crazy!

Awesome cat space!! And I really like the color too. I always think of my animals first.

hehehe YES! I know exactly what you mean. The kitties are going to love that space!! 

LOL, the first thought I had (even before I read all of your post) was some fluffy material would make it perfect for them!   Congrats on your new home, it looks great! I can't wait to see what you do with it!

And ignore all the people that don't understand. It's you home, do what you want! I LOVE it!

Thanks everyone!!!!!!!  I am so excited.  I'm renting from a friend who has three cats of her own, so at least my landlady understands!  I feel so lucky, I know a lot of renters (myself included, in the past!) struggle with landlords & cats.  After months of struggling with apartment searching to find ONE company who would take three cats (besides where I am already living, which is $$$ and the reason I'm moving) - I couldn't find anything, then - lo, my friend & her husband bought a house and their house has a house!  LOL!  It's a win-win-win all across the board!  And the built-in shelves are just a nice bonus!
 

calico2222 said:

LOL, the first thought I had (even before I read all of your post) was some fluffy material would make it perfect for them! 

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Yeah!!!  That wouldn't be too difficult of a project... where can I find spare pieces of carpet?  And I would just affix with nails, correct, or is there a better/safer way?  Hmmm... my DIY wheels are spinning...

Oh, and that L-shaped table is built in as well, the guest house used to be a working office.  But they actually removed that piece you see in the picture (where the box is sitting) and it really opened the room up!  The piece of the table under the TV is still there so that worked out nicely.  It's a studio-style space so the openness is a MUST!  (And that's why the news about the vertical space is ESPECIALLY EXCITING!!!!)  I've moved about 80% of my crap in over the last week and it looks much better now, will post pictures later this week!  Can't wait to pick up the cat tree, I'm going to get a big tall one with all the whistles 

parsleysage said:

Yeah!!!  That wouldn't be too difficult of a project... where can I find spare pieces of carpet?  And I would just affix with nails, correct, or is there a better/safer way?  Hmmm... my DIY wheels are spinning...

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I used velcro to affix some carpet (purple shag from Ikea!) to my "cat shelves". Took the cats a while to get used to the feel of the shag though, so I'd recommend a shorter pile at first unless you know your cats like shag. The beauty with velcro is you can change the carpet pieces around if you want. 

Sugarcatmom said:

I used velcro to affix some carpet (purple shag from Ikea!) to my "cat shelves". Took the cats a while to get used to the feel of the shag though, so I'd recommend a shorter pile at first unless you know your cats like shag. The beauty with velcro is you can change the carpet pieces around if you want. 

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Love the idea of being able to change out the carpet!  The kittens, especially the boys, are very big & still growing, though, and they play really rough sometimes.  Does your velcro hold up really well or do you have to adjust/restick it?

my girl friend & i go to a lot of the garden and/or home tours around this area. we're constantly going 'oh, wouldn't the cats just love this ..or whatever..' she has 2 cats, i have 9. but if i do that with hubby he usually says 'is cats all you ever think about?'  well...most of the time  

Yep Trout would love that!!

Good idea!. it's a great space. might as well let the cat's enjoy them. i'm pretty sure they are going to love it. Congrats on the new home.

parsleysage said:

Love the idea of being able to change out the carpet!  The kittens, especially the boys, are very big & still growing, though, and they play really rough sometimes.  Does your velcro hold up really well or do you have to adjust/restick it?

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So far the velcro has held up great, and I've got 2 orange 1 1/2 yr old boys that are beyond rambunctious (they regularly channel their inner monkey). I evenly spaced the tabs all around the edge of the carpet piece and that seems to have done the trick.

Sugarcatmom said:

So far the velcro has held up great, and I've got 2 orange 1 1/2 yr old boys that are beyond rambunctious (they regularly channel their inner monkey). I evenly spaced the tabs all around the edge of the carpet piece and that seems to have done the trick.

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Okay - sounds like a good plan, and safer to the wood than nails.  I'll give it a try!!


Oh, absolutely!!!  I am always thinking about them.  I miss them so much when I'm at work. 

Before I read your post, I thought you'd put up the shelves for the cats, because they're staggered just right for the kitties.That goes to show that "cat people" think alike!

We probably all think of things as "compatible" or "non-compatible" with cats. A couple of years ago I asked for a teak balcony chair for my birthday. DH had a fit when we were out looking for one and he realized I was sizing up the spaces between the slats because I was worried that Jamie could get his paw or leg stuck between them. He wanted to know whether the chair was for me or Jamie. I told him it was for me, but guess who uses the chair all the time and yowls when I'm sitting in "his" chair?

It's funny, when we were looking at apartments, several got turned down because the window was not in a good place to put their house/tree.

Also, we finally decided on one apartment because there were huge windowsills!! We cater, it seems everything in life we think about "What would the cat need" lol, furniture (He would get his paws snagged)...

Smokie does not like leather, so leather furniture is out. And yes, even got a bigger bed to accomodate.