CATIFICATION without drilling? Installing cat shelves/mount on the wall..

Hello! This forum has been really helpful since I started caring for two cats .

I was wondering if there is any way to install cat shelves/mount on the wall without drilling/nailing.

My cat has been always shy and timid, she barely comes out of the bed :/. Very very shy, and when I move, she gets frightened, even though I'm trying my best not to scare her.

I've been researching a lot and maybe installing some shelves could help her explore the place, and be more confident?

I have a cat tree but I don't think she uses it because there is no exit route for her if she gets to the top.

Any tips?

I think the only thing you're going to be able to go give her vertical space without drilling is a window perch. It can hold with industrial strength Velcro, but that's also because of the way it's built and how it displaces weight. I have this one, had it for over 4 years now and moved 3 times. My overweight cat spends a ton of time on it never gives or wobbles. Both of my cats have even been on it at the same time with no trouble.
 

It comes with velcro, but you can buy more (the good industrial strength stuff that you can find at hard ware stores). Any time we moved we just threw away the velcro on the window sill and put new one on the sill in the new place. I clean with alcohol, let it dry for a an hour, put the velco down, and weigh it down with some heavier stuff (free weights, books, stuff like that) for a few hours to let it bond really well. Then pop on the perch, and ta-da! All done! 

As far as I know, there's nothing else that can support weight like that without drilling. That's why cat trees and the like are so popular. Sorry, wish I could help more :/

If you can't drill, how about one or two sturdy open bookcases? By open, I mean on the sides so your cat can easily get on the shelves. Our shelter uses them in the cat rooms, and the cats love them. Generally there's a lower bookcase or cat tree next to a tall one to make it more accessible.

If you do decide to break out the screw gun.   Those old wooden crates work good.  (screw them to the wall. Only have to use two screws per crate if you screw them into the studs).
Plastic milk crates work good too.  However, there's just not much appeal to them.

That window cat perch looks great! thank you. I might consider getting one like that.

Yeah it's kind of hard to catify my place without drilling...and my apartment is a very small studio apartment, I feel like I can't get any more furnitures.

I guess I need to drill some holes for my cats...haha.

I might get some IKEA LACK shelves? I've seen on pinterest and I feel like it's the best/affordable floating shelf!

Do you have a picture of it?? That's actually a good idea!

She's very lucky to have such an attentive owner! Have you read our articles about dealing with shy/scaredy cats? There's a couple of good ones -

 [article="32735"]10 Must Know Tips For Happy Living With A Shy Cat​[/article]  

 [article="33503"]16 Top Cat Experts Share Tips For Dealing With Timid Cats​[/article]  

As for the shelves, I wonder if maybe a different kind of tree, or another one next to this one, providing an escape route, might help?

I can't really think of a way to mount shelves without drilling or nails because you want them to be strong enough. There are window perches though, like this one, that use suction cups on the glass -
[product="20611"]Evelots Window Kitty Perch  [/product]

BassCat

Do you keep a bobcat as a pet?

IKEA LACK shelves are great!  And if it's not a problem, you can drill, because when you move out, you can take the shelves and just fill in the holes with caulking and then paint.  I own, so it's not a problem for us; and we have a forest of cat trees, tubes, and pipes all over the house, as well as 2 cat window perches which are affixed to the window frames via my Ryobi drill/driver for security, because there have been/are some large, active cats in this family 

msserena said:

 
BassCat

Do you keep a bobcat as a pet?

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    ........I am wondering that myself - what a gorgeous creature!!

As to the original post, my cats enjoy cardboard boxes - I get them free outside the drugstore and the locally owned markets. I disguise them with attractive scarves and swimsuit-covers. My latest acquisition is a box for a 50" flatscreen TV - cats love to hide in it and it serves as a floor for other boxes to be stacked upon. 

BassCat said:

I know you didn't want to screw a shelf to the wall, SO....I'm not sure who you were asking? 

But, even if not for you, maybe somebody might find this useful.

Those old wooden crates, "coke boxes", might look more appealing in a home (depending on your décor tastes).  As would an old dilapidated wooden kitchen table chair.  (yes, screw a  whole chair to the wall).  My tastes would be a very old, small chair.  Garage sale/antique shop find.


This photo is of a plastic milk crate (I think you can buy these CHEAP at wally world).  It's not in my home and looks were not important.

And if you can't tell?  It was an INSTANT HIT!

You can stair step them from low to high.  Or stagger stair step them back and forth from low to high.

010_zpsc1tq30by.jpg

• basscat
• Oct 14, 2016

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Those small American Lynxes are so cute

If box is sturdy enough for such bobcat, I think should handle half of the size domestic cat just fine!


Guys, @BassCat wrote it is not her/his home/pet, but it does show well how milk crate works fine.



Sadly I should be doing completely else right now, however you might get some ideas from this very rough and poor drawing I did, it is a box in a corner of a room with a scratching board, you would need 3 wooden boards, two under the box, one end that has scratching board needs longer board under and also another board to act as scratching board. Scratching board acts as a support so it can't fall over.

These are parts, long board double in length that box is wide, short boards as long as box is wide, triangle parts support scratching board and top of scratching board should be screwed to box. For scratching board unfinished pine is just enough, at least my cats like such and angle will be 45 degrees for scratching board, adjust length of long board to change angle of scratching board, also screw boards to bottom of box.

You will need saw, drill, screwdriver, little wood and self drilling type screws, you can use any kind of box you want, but for plastic and cardboard boxes you need to add pieces of wood to other side of the box "wall" so screws have something to hold into, very simple to make, just about anyone can make such.

Hopefully I remember do few other drawings I have in my mind and hopefully I remember what those drawings where as I should wash and dry laundry in next 3 hours and to get meeting etc, you see not time for everything right this moment

Of course, just a box is boring, even kitty knows that, despite when hjuumans are out of sight, even tiniest box can be fun.

Adding more than one box allows multiple level adventure, also remember box is new walls, inside and outside box you can screw things on, like green thick paper to resemble jungle leaves or whatever one has available, maybe put small self outside surface and put real plants to give kitty some cover where kitty can do his/her spying job:

Medieval archers are not the only ones who enjoy good walls and towers of castles, also adding sheet of wood to long side of box to act as support can give 3 way access porch to kitty and with added backdoor to box there is no safer fortress for her/his royal highness. Sorry about poor drawing of stairs inside the castle, use 3 walls, put landings, turns etc.

Add windows to boxes and you will get that feeling of someone staring with kitty being safe inside the box.

Use thick fabrics to create climbing surfaces, just make sure there is support on side of climbing surface at around 45 degree angle to top of climb to floor height. Also like in first box pic, put end of support on top of wood that goes under the box / climbing, that eliminates need to attach things to wall and keeps structures right side up.

If floor area is limited, scratching board support can be put to wall facing short end of the box, so it is not taking so much space and with such support much narrower box can be used, but of course kitty likes box that is as wide as kitty is long or wider.

Another thing is that cat's property is cat's property, no visitors, no poking into safe box, if kitty wants to be in there, it should be noted that no hjuuman should bother kitty, when time is appropriate kitty will come out, if kitty is disturbed it kind of spoils the place.

JTbo said:

Guys, @BassCat wrote it is not her/his home/pet, but it does show well how milk crate works fine.
 

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Actually if you read what he wrote  "It's not in my home and looks were not important. And if you can't tell?  It was an INSTANT HIT!"

He never said it's not his pet, he said it's not in his home which definitely could mean to me he houses the animal out in the backyard in an enclosure. Which for an animal like that, i would think he would have his own enclosure!

I hope he comes back & responds.

msserena said:

 
Actually if you read what he wrote  "It's not in my home and looks were not important. And if you can't tell?  It was an INSTANT HIT!"

He never said it's not his pet, he said it's not in his home which definitely could mean to me he houses the animal out in the backyard in an enclosure. Which for an animal like that, i would think he would have his own enclosure!

I hope he comes back & responds.

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Bobcat?? "As far as he knows, NO".  AND...shhhhh..... don't tell him.  
But, yes.  That's my baby boy. 
That plastic milk crate perch is not inside my home.  I do have strange décor taste, and, plastic milk crates "might" even look okay.  BUT, for inside my home?  I'd go with old wooden coke/wine crates.  (they would just fit in better with the rest of my shabby rustic stuff/crap)

The plastic milk crate is at work.  That little cat LOVES to GO.  He will flat out DIVE into his carrier when the door is opened. He will be on his back playing with a toy, or asleep before I get out of the driveway.  Therefore, he gets to go to work with me quite often.

Now, in his outdoor enclosure, he has the remains of a dry dead tree.  Just something found in the woods.  I cut it about 8ft tall, and trimmed the limbs anywhere from 1ft, to 2ft long.  Base of the tree is about 5" diameter.  It's an old cedar tree. 
This is just propped up, laying against the wall, in a corner.   He LOVES that tree!
He has an inside room in the house also. (well, when he comes in, he gets to play in the sunroom).  This is where he spent his babyhood until he grew out of it, so, it's familiar to him and there's not much in there he can destroy.   If I ever find another similar dead tree?  I'll probably do the same with it and put it in the sunroom for him.   The sunroom is sort of outdoorish theme décor. 

Back on topic:  Our little tabby spends his days in a screened in porch.  (he comes in at night when we get home from work, goes back out while we are at work).
There is a table on the porch which was put there to cook bacon...OUTSIDE, and for outdoor cookouts, etc.   It wasn't long before we decided some shelving on the wall above the table would be some welcome storage.

Somewhere, we found a section of old upper kitchen cabinets.  We removed the doors and fastened the rest to the wall above that table.
Guess where tabby cat spends most of his time?   He's always lounging in one of the sections of those old cabinets/shelves.  

BassCat said:

 
Bobcat?? "As far as he knows, NO".  AND...shhhhh..... don't tell him.

 
But, yes.  That's my baby boy. 

 

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Thanks for the response & clearing up the confusion, I was anticipating the answer as such. If there weren't so many wild cat sanctuaries trying to take care of "people's pets", I don't think the air around topics like this would be so negative. So many people want a wild cat but not everyone can handle them so they end up in sanctuaries. People think they can handle them & then quickly learn they are not like regular cats!

msserena said:

 
Thanks for the response & clearing up the confusion, I was anticipating the answer as such. If there weren't so many wild cat sanctuaries trying to take care of "people's pets", I don't think the air around topics like this would be so negative. So many people want a wild cat but not everyone can handle them so they end up in sanctuaries. People think they can handle them & then quickly learn they are not like regular cats!

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Take a typical tabby and multiply EVERYTHING by three. 
That sounds simple, but, it's not easy to comprehend.

Wow I love the links you provided! the tips are amazing.
 

He's absolutely gorgeous @BassCat  

Could we see some pictures of his outdoor enclosure and sun room too? I love making things for my cats to climb on. There's a lot of them and store bought cat trees soon get trashed. They need the heavy duty home-made stuff.