The Curious Incident Of The Cat Condo

December 11, 2011

I have lived with cats for over fifteen years. Over that time, I've come to realise my furry four-legged companions are very much like small children. They are constantly getting into things they shouldn't, whenever I head into the bathroom to do the necessary they seem to think it is an invitation to come and visit, they need constant stimulation and above all they like routine.

I recently moved and downsized my living space. I was concerned the cats would have trouble adjusting to our new digs. In my former residence, my three trouble-makers had a long hallway to scurry up and down when the midnight crazies hit and they had an enclosed screen porch in which they could enjoy wildlife watching while getting some fresh air without the dangers of being outside cats.

I nick-named the porch, the Catio as they used it more than I did. Also, their favourite place to sit in the Catio was a tube-shaped cat condo covered in carpet.  It was second-hand when I bought it and it had made the trip from Calgary to our farm. I placed it in the Catio and for five years it remained out there and was to be the cats preferred bird watching post.  I had witnessed many a pitched cat-fight to see who would get the prime seat on the top of cat condo.  Alas, it had seen better days, so I decided it wasn't going to make the move to suburbia.

My new basement apartment although equipped with large picture windows was sadly lacking in anything comparable to the Catio and now my feline friends were without their carpeted perch.

Not wanting to deprive my furbies of things to do and wanting them to have an easy transition, I decided to buy them a new condo to replace the one I'd left behind.  When I saw one in a store flyer, I was thrilled. Not too expensive and it was covered in beige carpet so not too intrusive and would blend in with the humans decor.
What cat wouldn't be thrilled? It was covered in plush carpet with the added bonus of sisal covered pillars, perfect for sharpening claws. It also boasted two platforms in which to perch and a hidey-hole in the bottom for a little quiet time. Purrfect.

Unfortunately, the store was sold out of this popular item, but I was informed a new order was coming in on the following Monday. I returned on the Monday, to find the store had only one left. I scooped it up and excitedly rushed to the check-out.  At home, I began assembling it immediately not wanting to delay the pure joy my cats would have exploring and climbing their own little feline jungle gym.

The instructions were a two-page diagram with numbered and lettered pictures. No written instructions. The directions rivaled anything from Ikea in their vagueness and I was tempted to email Dan Brown and plead with him to decipher the symbols.

Despite the arcane assembly sheet, I had only one misstep and thirty minutes later I placed the cat condo in a prime location in front of the living room window.

But where were the cats? The cat condo sat empty and I went looking for my three wayward kitties. I found them blissfully playing on and in the empty box the stupid condo came in.

It's been a week since I gifted my cats with the marvel of cat condo supremacy and still it sits unused, even after I laced it with a generous sprinkling of catnip.

The cardboard box on the other hand, has been a huge hit.

Labels: cat condo, cat toys, catio, cats