kitty on high

Okay, so yesterday Nathan, who is quickly coming to be known as the International Man of Mischief around my house , discovered that he can jump from atop the computer monitor to the second-highest shelf on our floor to ceiling bookshelves (that particular shelf is only partially full). I didn't want him up there, because once he was up there he immediately started trying to climb from that shelf onto the one directly above it, and that just seemed like a recipe for disaster. Anyway, I climbed up on the computer table and got him down. He did it one more time, and my bf got him down. He stayed off the rest of the evening.

Well, this morning I come back from the gym, and Nathan doesn't come meet me at the door like he always does. I'm looking around for him everywhere and finally I look up and there he is up on the bookshelf again. Except it's clear that he can't get down by himself. (I didn't realize it the day before because we got him down before he wanted to come down.) Anyway, I climbed up to get him and he was quite grateful. Hopefully he won't do this again, but I think I will stack some things on the shelf just in case.

My question though is: WHAT MAKES CATS UNABLE TO COME DOWN FROM PLACES THEY GOT UP TO? AND WHY DO THEY GO UP TO PLACES THEY CAN'T COME DOWN FROM?

My cat does stuff like this. She climbs the bars in my windows (basement apartment, not prison) like they are ladders. Now she has discovered the bookshelves, she'll climb onto one and try to get to the next. Its insane. I think it has something to do with a desire to be up high. Apparently the cat with the highest perch is the cooolest kitty around.

You might try getting him some cat furniture to climb on if he's driving you nuts. I also saw this Cat Loft http://www.iroquoisinnovations.com/ I think someone else posted it. If you're cat is always seeking the highest place possible maybe if you provide him with a high up place that doesn't require people help for escaping he'll use it.

I don't think they think about the getting down part when they are getting up, I just don't think that it occurs to them.