urgent feedback requested on potential cat furniture

urgent:

really need feedback here. on your cat condos/ cat posts, how
wide/long are your cat "steps" ? are they triangular or square. if
they are square, what are their approximate dimensions?

i'm having one built but my designer has done each "step" at 6 inches
by 6 inches. they look like little squares and i don't think my cat
will be comfortable on them. also, it is a floor to ceiling (almost)
length pole, BUT there are numerous steps very close to each other on
THREE sides of the pole (it is a square plank, not a round pole)
sticking out perpendicularly, not widely set apart like i see on
commercial cat condos. There's a step every 12 inches, ascending up
from bottom to top of pole. I'm afraid my cat won't be able to jump
from step to step but will have to climb from one to another. It
basically looks like a long pole with thick, decorative shelves at
right angles sticking out.

i'm not sure how else to describe it. if this description makes sense
at all to anyone, could you let me know if you think this is going to
(or not) work?

i am very worried - i'll be bringing my cat over to try out the thing
tomorrow. however, she's generally shy of new places, and i don't know
if it will be a proper test run. from general recall, i *don't* think
her butt will fit on the steps, and i don't see how she will be able
to jump off from step to step. it doesn't look logical to me.

really need feedback here. on your cat
condos/ cat posts, how wide/long are
your cat "steps" ? are they triangular
or square. if they are square, what are
their approximate dimensions?
i'm having one built but my designer has
done each "step" at 6 inches by 6
inches. they look like little squares
and i don't think my cat will be
comfortable on them. also, it is a floor
to ceiling (almost) length pole, BUT
there are numerous steps very close to
each other on THREE sides of the pole
(it is a square plank, not a round pole)
sticking out perpendicularly, not widely
set apart like i see on commercial cat
condos.

That doesn't sound right, and a six inch square surface is certainly not
something your cat is going to be able to comfortably lounge on.
Bringing her to "try it out" will probably be an exercise in futility as
well as she'll be in a strange place, be stressed, and will probably
want to hide rather than focus on testing out a cat tree.
This "designer" doesn't sound like they have any experience with cats
and I think you would be much better off buying something commercial
made by people that understand cats and what they like.
If you go to the following link there are a couple of photos of very
popular cat trees at my house and links to where they can be purchased:
http://community.webtv.net/zuzu22/scratch

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

really need feedback here. on your cat
condos/ cat posts, how wide/long are
your cat "steps" ? are they triangular
or square. if they are square, what are
their approximate dimensions?
i'm having one built but my designer has
done each "step" at 6 inches by 6
inches. they look like little squares
and i don't think my cat will be
comfortable on them. also, it is a floor
to ceiling (almost) length pole, BUT
there are numerous steps very close to
each other on THREE sides of the pole
(it is a square plank, not a round pole)
sticking out perpendicularly, not widely
set apart like i see on commercial cat
condos.

That doesn't sound right, and a six inch square surface is certainly not
something your cat is going to be able to comfortably lounge on.
Bringing her to "try it out" will probably be an exercise in futility as
well as she'll be in a strange place, be stressed, and will probably
want to hide rather than focus on testing out a cat tree.
This "designer" doesn't sound like they have any experience with cats
and I think you would be much better off buying something commercial
made by people that understand cats and what they like.
If you go to the following link there are a couple of photos of very
popular cat trees at my house and links to where they can be purchased:
http://community.webtv.net/zuzu22/scratch

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

That doesn't sound right, and a six inch square surface is certainly not
something your cat is going to be able to comfortably lounge on.
Bringing her to "try it out" will probably be an exercise in futility as
well as she'll be in a strange place, be stressed, and will probably
want to hide rather than focus on testing out a cat tree.
This "designer" doesn't sound like they have any experience with cats
and I think you would be much better off buying something commercial
made by people that understand cats and what they like.
If you go to the following link there are a couple of photos of very
popular cat trees at my house and links to where they can be purchased:
http://community.webtv.net/zuzu22/scratch

Megan


hi Megan, thanks for your reply. yes i think you are right about
everything. but unfortunately everything's up and i can only make
adjustments to the pole and the designer has been very willing and
open to changes (after i called him sounding very panicked yesterday).
also, i can't purchase online cat trees because they would cost a lot
to ship here (singapore) not only with shipping costs but with
currency conversion, and the reason why i wanted something built into
the house was because i thought it was a chance to do something
permanent and more elaborate for my cat. i thought my designer would
be all right because he already has a cat and he actually also did
something for his cat with his new house - some kind of cat wall
(which i haven't seen).

last night i btought my cat to try the thing out, it went better than
i thought it would, both in terms of her willingness to hang out on it
and her being able to use it- she was ok with the walkway and it was
only when it came to the pole that she was able to go up (by climbing)
and was not interested (or able) to climb down. on looking at it, i
realized its built on a vertical climbing concept, not a cat tree
/step concept where the cat hops (or leaps/jumps) from lower to higher
steps to get to the top. its more like a pole that you climb up,
which makes it hard to climb down of course if you are coming down
facing down, like cats do. this morning i discussed this with the
designer and he's removing a few steps and making the remaining ones
wider (12 by 12) to get the step platform feel. i hope it works out.

thanks



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

That doesn't sound right, and a six inch square surface is certainly not
something your cat is going to be able to comfortably lounge on.
Bringing her to "try it out" will probably be an exercise in futility as
well as she'll be in a strange place, be stressed, and will probably
want to hide rather than focus on testing out a cat tree.
This "designer" doesn't sound like they have any experience with cats
and I think you would be much better off buying something commercial
made by people that understand cats and what they like.
If you go to the following link there are a couple of photos of very
popular cat trees at my house and links to where they can be purchased:
http://community.webtv.net/zuzu22/scratch

Megan


hi Megan, thanks for your reply. yes i think you are right about
everything. but unfortunately everything's up and i can only make
adjustments to the pole and the designer has been very willing and
open to changes (after i called him sounding very panicked yesterday).
also, i can't purchase online cat trees because they would cost a lot
to ship here (singapore) not only with shipping costs but with
currency conversion, and the reason why i wanted something built into
the house was because i thought it was a chance to do something
permanent and more elaborate for my cat. i thought my designer would
be all right because he already has a cat and he actually also did
something for his cat with his new house - some kind of cat wall
(which i haven't seen).

last night i btought my cat to try the thing out, it went better than
i thought it would, both in terms of her willingness to hang out on it
and her being able to use it- she was ok with the walkway and it was
only when it came to the pole that she was able to go up (by climbing)
and was not interested (or able) to climb down. on looking at it, i
realized its built on a vertical climbing concept, not a cat tree
/step concept where the cat hops (or leaps/jumps) from lower to higher
steps to get to the top. its more like a pole that you climb up,
which makes it hard to climb down of course if you are coming down
facing down, like cats do. this morning i discussed this with the
designer and he's removing a few steps and making the remaining ones
wider (12 by 12) to get the step platform feel. i hope it works out.

thanks



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray