The Edmonton Muse July 2019 | Page 33

Advanced: Adding in some perches and hiding areas for your cat can be as simple as clearing off the tops of a closet or shelf, and creating a pathway up to that top area, either by rearranging some furniture of varying heights, or adding some shelves. (If you rent your premises, make sure to check with your landlord before attaching anything to your walls! ) Then, teach your cat about this pathway using cat attractants, such as treats, toys and the BEST kitty herbs, MEOWzing Marijuana, available at Paws. If you have a window, a kitty sill or pod can always be a great option without having to drill in to the wall, as most of them suction to the window, and creates an instant new level or two. With all forms of Catifying

your house, be mindful of the surrounding items, as your cat will need to get up to the window. Will it bother you if they use the table or the counter? If so, your cat will need a “step” to get up there, so make sure they have one that's appropriate to use!

Depending on your budget, craftiness, and creativity, the possibilities are endless. At Paws the Cat Cafe has a giant castle, and varying levels of shelves around the perimeter of their room, using custom made wood shelves. There's a YouTube video I've been tagged in 98 times which I've made my personal goal for the Cat Lounge in Paws. We took a trip to Ikea, and purchased some basic wooden shelves, added some brackets and leftover carpet, attached with doubled sided carpet tape. We also took a 6 drawer dresser, removed some of the drawers, put some pillows in the drawers, and watched as Isabella, our 6 year old tortie, jumped right in, kneaded a pillow and went to sleep immediately! If you check pinterest, there are a million ideas and suggestions for a wide variety of cats and human situations.

Do you have a cat behaviour question you'd like addressed? Please email

[email protected].

If your question is selected as next month's topic, you'll win an hour in our cat lounge, coffee included!