Kitty Condos Provide a Save Haven for Sleeping and Scratching

What are your cat's two favorite activities?  Sleeping and scratching. 

On average, cats sleep about 16 hours a day.  That leaves 8 hours for play - including clawing your furniture!  As they say, "Dogs have masters; cats have staff."  Your duty, in service to your cat, is get her a kitty condo for fun and relaxation!

Things to Look For in a Kitty Condo

Cats like to sleep hidden away, where it is dark and far from activity.  This why you might not be able to find her for several hours until you discover that she is conked out deep within the recesses of your closet, or has figured out how to open a cabinet in your kitchen to find a place to sleep.  If you would rather your cat not make a nest out of your clothes or other possessions, make sure there is a bed in the kitty condo that you purchase for her.  Your kitty condo shouldn't be a "tree" where she is constantly visible.  If there's a little "hidey hole" in the condo that's dark and contains a bed, she'll go there to sleep. 

Blurb Alert! Ebay usually has some great deals on kitty condos.  Use our search feature at the top of this page to pull in the latest auction results.

 

If you can't stand it when your cat scratches you sofas, chairs, curtains, beds, rugs, and carpets, purchasing a kitty condo will save you on furniture or carpet repair.  The condo should be carpeted and shaped like a tree, so your cat has a scratching post. Cats need to scratch so that they can keep their nails trimmed and healthy, so the scratching post part of your kitty condo may be the most important aspect.

Make sure the condo accommodates the amount and activity level of your cat.  If she sleeps quite a bit, a comfy bed will be an important design element.

Helping Your Cat Adjust to Her Kitty Condo

Once you've proudly purchased and given your cat her kitty condo, she'll probably just look at it and walk away.  You are going to need to encourage her to use it; otherwise, you just paid for "carpeted corner art." 

If your cat already has a favorite sleeping area, such as on your favorite pillow or rug, put the pillow or rug that has her smell on it in the cat condo. 

You might also want to put your cat's favorite toys in the condo so that she'll be more tempted to visit it.  If push comes to shove and your cat still ignores the condo, sprinkle some catnip in it or on it to perk your cat's interest.

Once your cat has decided that the kitty condo is not dangerous, she'll gradually go there to sleep or to sit on one of its perches, if it has one.  Some cat perches are designed to be placed on a windowsill so that your cat can look out of a window. This is something that cats love to do, especially if you have a bird feeder outside of the window!  I call the bird feeders "cat TV."  My cat watches the birds outside the window for hours on end.

"Kitty Condos Provide a Save Haven for Sleeping and Scratching," contributed by Angela Janz.