I need advice!
I bought cat stairs similar to these so my two can get to the top of my IKEA hutch. How can I attach a mat or piece of carpet to the top of the hutch so they have some grip? I’m worried they’ll fall.
They’re only nine months old but already each weigh ten pounds, so I need something that will stay secure and hold their weight.
Is there carpet tape? Should I use glue? Tacks? Please help me oh wise construction geniuses of the LR!
Glue will certainly hold their paws down but may be a bit permanent. Tacks effective but the howls of pain will be a distraction
We have 3 cats, get into and on everything, including our 7 foot ikea wall unit (no stairs). Cats are pretty nimble and unlikely to be slipping around up there. What’s the top made of?
If really necessary I’d think a bit of carpet glued down
It’s a Hemnes hutch, I believe it’s pine. Below is a photo, with Molly trying to get to the top to reach her favourite toy.
Is that where you keep the toy or trying to get her to go up there? Very enticing.
Personally don’t think you need anything up there. Ours is particle board and not an issue
Is that where you keep the toy or trying to get her to go up there? Very enticing.
That’s where I hide the toy when it’s not in use. She’ll whine and try to climb the hutch to get at it.
They’re a little clumsy still so I think I’ll glue down some carpet. For my own peace of mind if nothing else.
Two sided tape may be a bit more recoverable that glue.
Is that where you keep the toy or trying to get her to go up there? Very enticing.
That’s where I hide the toy when it’s not in use. She’ll whine and try to climb the hutch to get at it.
They’re a little clumsy still so I think I’ll glue down some carpet. For my own peace of mind if nothing else.
I think carpet is a very good idea, so long as it’s securely attached. You can carpet both sides of the hutch too, so the cats can run up and down the whole thing. Like a giant cat tree. That would be fantastically fun, although maybe just a tad bit unsightly. But your house would be party central for cats!
I have friends who installed a wide horizontal board off their stairs to the top of a hutch like yours. The board had a large circle removed from the middle of it. They put a transparent plastic bowl in the hole. The lip of the bowl kept the bowl from falling through the hole. Their cats would curl up in the bowl and peek down. It was really cute & hilarious.
I need advice!
I bought cat stairs similar to these so my two can get to the top of my IKEA hutch. How can I attach a mat or piece of carpet to the top of the hutch so they have some grip? I’m worried they’ll fall.
They’re only nine months old but already each weigh ten pounds, so I need something that will stay secure and hold their weight.
Is there carpet tape? Should I use glue? Tacks? Please help me oh wise construction geniuses of the LR!
You can glue and use a heavy duty staple gun to tack down some carpet scraps up there if you want, but basically, you don’t need to worry about it. Cats fall, scramble, slide off, etc all the time. They’re remarkably adept at landing on their feet and being just fine.
It occurs to me that we might need a thread of cute cat pictures. When your cats start getting frisky and playful, take some pictures.
I had 2 really great cats growing up. The first was named Burton Russell. My dad came up with the second name— maybe after Bertrand Russell? I think the cat’s name was Burton. I might have misheard during the 5 years we owned him and he owned us. He was a short hair yellow tabby & very tough. He stood on his hind legs and charged a dog in our yard once.
My other cat was named Leo. Also short hair, yellow tabby. He followed me 6 blocks to school and I had to run him back home. He was so sweet. He’d trot along in the street right next to the curb, following me. He followed my brothers on their paper routes too.
The Naming of Cats - TS Eliot
The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn’t just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I’m as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there’s the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo, or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey—
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter—
But all of them sensible everyday names,
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that’s particular,
A name that’s peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum—
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there’s still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover—
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular name.
Some years ago - nevermind how long precisely - when I was living with the misdiagnosed bi-polar coke whore* , we took a vacation to The Poconos. We asked a couple of friends of ours from The Gayborhood to watch our cats: Frank and Bert
Frank was named for Dirty Frank’s, the bar at the end of our block
When we returned, she was so very happy to see her beloved boy again, but every time, she called “Frank!!! Come to Mommy!!!” he would ignore her, or even walk away
This upset the girl greatly
Distraught, she asked our friends what was up
“Well” Boy #1 started “To be honest, he never* really* liked the name ‘Frank’”
"For now on "Boy #2 continued “He wishes to be called ‘Francois-Michel’”
Randy, I love it!
I love the poem & it clears up a few questions I had. Coincidentally, Berton/Bertrand did have a third name, but it is private & I cannot share it.
That’s a great story about the cat misnamed Frank. Cat names are really fun to think about.
In my days of cat, there was one who lived with the drunk, kitty-corner from my parents’ house. That cat was tougher than Berton and Leo combined. He had a broken tail and ragged ears and we called him Cruel Chuckie. Cruel Chuckie was awesome. Birds would dive bomb him when he walked across the street. He had a lot of enemies.
I looked for but cannot find my treatise on cats. On its cover is the cat’s motto:
Amica non serva
Libertas sine labore
.
In the rear is Zeke. Got him from the shelter a few months after our 22 year old cat went missing one night, likely coyotes. Cat was deaf as a door nail so I like to think it was “lights on/lights outâ€. Anyway, Zeke is one of a kind. Vets always say they think his heart is fine but they can’t hear it over the purring. Loves hide and seek. Polydactyl so a special one. Zeke was the name of the cat that my wife’s grandmother had
Middle is Baby, got him 3 years ago as a feral that was rescued from under a house. Called him Baby just because he was Zeke’s baby and it just stuck. He only feels safe when Zeke is around. He was a pretty curmudgeonly cat for his age until….
Beatrix (as in Beatrix Potter as she runs like a rabbit but her real name is Beatrix Kitto but we usually call her bunny cuz the hopping ). She’s our pandemic cobby leg cat but also very skittish as we trapped her after seeing her grunting about in the front yard and feeding her. She and Baby are besties, she brought out the kitten in Baby and now Baby Is usually the one chasing around the house like a loon.
Thanks, Jane
You might not know that I was born in St. Louis, home of TS Eliot; he is my favorite poet
Zeke, Baby & Beatrix (Bunny)— so gorgeous! Bea is a super cute name, of course. They look like very happy cats. I really love those orange tabbies. Zeke sounds like a sweetie— he has extra toes? What a darling!
I’m feeling very cat poor. Hmm
Cats are awesome! They are always there for you when you feel depressed, tired or just had a bad day at work. They are very independent creatures but they still like to cuddle a lot (most of them). In my family we have and orange cat and it turns out they are actually very special https://www.catfoodpoint.com/orange-tabby-cat/ . The kids love to have little buddy and they also learn how to take care about someone else.