My Cairn Is Also A Cat

[_whits_]

Addie and I love our new apartment, especially the large porch overlooking the mountains and Downtown Denver. However, this new apartment is Addie's first apartment without windows she can see out of easily. The windows here are unusually tall compared to every other apartment I've seen and even visited. When Addie can't be on the porch she gets really frustrated not being able to see out of the windows (the view from inside the porch door doesn't offer much of anything). Looking out the windows is a massive part of her entertainment and I hate having an activity she loves so much be so limited. 

So I placed my couch, a chair, and a bed close to the windows that we do have so she can climb up and see out. Unfortunately, even the couch, chair, and bed aren't tall enough to let Addie see out without some struggle (see photo below of her risking falling through a gaping hole -- that I have now closed as much as I can). 

The other day, Addie took a flying leap off the bed onto the windowsill and somehow stuck her landing. But it's a tiny windowsill that is very high up. See other attached picture. She could not get back down without risking a three foot fall that involved some lamps on the way down. Luckily I caught her mid-fall (although then I almost dropped her). Unlike the cats she's apparently trying to imitate, she lacks the balance to maneuver off  the windowsill (she's just too big to turn around and there's no safe way off in the direction she can manage to face). And after spending close to $8,000 saving her leg this summer, I'd like to keep it in one piece, also knowing radiation has decreased the bone density in her back leg. 

The windowsill is 33 inches off the ground (so just shy of 3 feet). 

Does anyone have any ideas of ways I could buy or build something tall enough to place by or on the windowsills so Addie can see out without as much effort/danger? Keep in mind I can just about build IKEA furniture, but I'm no carpenter (and I lack access to one). 

Edited October 8, 2016 by _whits_

[remltr]

Not sure how much space you have to work with. I imagine that like most apartments you are pretty limited. I don't think you can build something for less money than what is already available on the market. You might be able to make one of these work or gain some inspiration from them. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/159-8588274-5862526?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=pet+steps

Good luck.

[Jack]

Nesting tables with a non skid top applied...maybe low pile carpet. 

[Sam I Am]

A bit complicated but can you move the sofa away from the window, replace it with steps (the kind people use for older dogs to get onto a human bed) which lead onto a small table (covered with something that gives some traction).

[Dempsy's Mom]

Good luck.  Once they get something in their brain it's hard to deter them.  I have the bay window that Dempsy has altered as he liking.  When he first started jumping up on the window he was scratching that wall & removing the sheetrock - I built a launching pad base and put a solid pillow on it.  Then he was scratching the wood on the base of the window - I bought some rubber pads that you use for outdoor patios and cut them to fit the bay.  Then he started chewing the frame.  Well there wasn't much I could do for that.  I filled it in with wood putty and he seems to leave it alone now.  

Hopefully you can find a solution before a lot of damage is done.  Glad you guys like your apartment. Addie looks like she approves. 

[sanford]

As Terrier Lover says re pet stairs... You will find these online. They come in a number of versions, some are lightweight semi rigid, covered with carpeting for traction and in various heights of  3 or 4 steps.

ive also seen indoor window sill perches that secure to the sill, creating a wide platform. I think these might primarily be meant for cats, so I don't know how stable they are, but some large cats weigh more than some cairns...

[Malcolm's Dad]

A friend has the window sill perches for his cats. His two cats sit on them at the same time. However you may not be able to attach anything to your apartment. If they clamp to the window sill that would work. Don't know where he got them, most likely at the pet store.

[Ms Molly Mae]

How about a modified cat tower with a ramp. 

[hheldorfer]

9 hours ago, Ms Molly Mae said:

How about a modified cat tower with a ramp. 

Hmmmm . . . not a bad idea.  Maybe you're shopping in the wrong section of the store, Whits.  If Addie thinks she's a cat, perhaps she needs cat accessories.

[utgaard]

I have a corner window in my dining room that has the best view of the bird feeder and trees (squirrels!).  I put an Ikea TV tray (no assembly required) in the corner, then used a plastic storage box as a step.  Both my dogs quickly learned to use it.  They do put a lot of weight on their front legs when they jump down from the TV tray to the plastic box so I added a smaller cardboard box as an intermediate step, but they bypass it more often than they use it.  You could build a staircase out of just about anything - maybe nest some of the cardboard boxes left over from your move it they can take the weight of being jumped on repeatedly.

[Rylee's mama]

You could get a smaller cat tree or get inspiration form that on and build on(they aren't that hard to build) so she could jump on the little platforms and get into the windowsill that way.

[_whits_]

Thank you for all of the suggestions! I'm going to IKEA this week to see what my different options are for piecing together a solution, likely based on all of these. 

[Autumn & Lola]

All great ideas and I have nothing to add to the suggestions. However, I just wanted to say that even I would want to jump nearly three feet for that view!

 

[_whits_]

On October 9, 2016 at 6:54 AM, hheldorfer said:

 If Addie thinks she's a cat, perhaps she needs cat accessories.

I believe when Addie spent so much time with cats this summer she discovered she'd actually like to be one, at least part of the time. I even got pulled into the cat section of the pet store last week by a certain confused Cairn.

[_whits_]

1 hour ago, Autumn & Lola said:

However, I just wanted to say that even I would want to jump nearly three feet for that view!

 

I honesty forgot how much I missed the mountains and how breathtaking they can be in Colorado until I moved back. I've hit the jackpot in terms of views, as my apartment faces West (have I also mentioned that my sense of direction is entirely dependent upon mountain ranges and years since I could regularly figure out which way I was facing without them?) as my apartment complex is on top of a hill that backs up onto a flood plain, so no buildings will be going up to block my view either. Addie loves surveying her kingdom, so I really want to make sure she can enjoy it as much as possible. ...although she thinks the deer herd she saw at her grandparents is more exciting than anything she's seen at ours so far. 

[hheldorfer]

50 minutes ago, _whits_ said:

I believe when Addie spent so much time with cats this summer she discovered she'd actually like to be one, at least part of the time. I even got pulled into the cat section of the pet store last week by a certain confused Cairn.

It's OK if you want to be 'species fluid', Addie.

[_whits_]

I went to IKEA today with the window measurements and an open mind. I found the KALAX shelf unit (which is almost like Cat + Relax!) for $36 and put a non-skid bath mat on top of it (with about two inches wedged between it and the wall which eliminated any slipping). The little optional cubby boxes were $5 for a pack of 3. I used two to keep her from making a home inside a shelf (since she is, as I've asserted, part cat).

I got one for the guest room, which is where Addie tries most often to look out the window (it has the best view), and is the room where she risked the flying leap to the windowsill she got stuck on. It's also the window that gets the most direct sun (part of why I think she prefers it over the other windows). 

I decided not to get one for the living room, as she rarely tries to look out that window (she's only attempted looked out it twice in a month), and I'd need more manpower to move the recliner, couch, and rug, and TV stand, etc. to re-arrange the entire room. Also the weather is generally good enough for the porch (which opens from the living room) to be year-round, which is also why she doesn't usually look out that window.

Thank you for all of the help! Addie also thanks you for the acceptance of her species fluidity.

 

Edited October 14, 2016 by _whits_

[_whits_]

(The picture is Autumn the Maltese, Addie's predecessor. She was 11 inches tall by 13 inches long and lived 15 years. She was my 11th birthday present.)

[josie&holly]

Well, Addie appears to approve of the unit you bought!!

[Autumn & Lola]

What a positively perfect perch for your cat.....err, I mean Cairn!   Addie is living the high life!

(Love the pic of Autumn next to your bed. I have one of Mandy on my desk in a frame that says, "So rare, so few - great friends like you.")

[remltr]

A clever solution for a clever cat.

[hheldorfer]

Wonderful!  Addie has a perfect perch now, thanks to your persistence.  

[Hillscreek]

Perfect

[sanford]

Bravo, Whits... Well done!? I also got one of those Kallax units from Ikea - not for Ruffy, but (selfishly) for me! Nice design, easy to assemble, and best of all, a bargain price.

[beccadiane374]

Completely off topic, but I just have to say that I love your bedding!