Month: December 2012

More Cat Tree Work

I’ve finished probably all I’ll get done on the cat tree before I leave for vacation. I put the hammock in last Thursday, and I finished the top box today. Here’s the current state (even moved into the loft where I intend to put it when it’s finished):

All the platforms that aren’t part of the box aren’t fastened down. Those are where I intend to put platforms, but I’m planning a carpeted box on the bottom level (I’ll need more plywood for it) so I’m still waiting to see how that goes together. The middle platform is actually intended to be a front for the box, but I need to watch the cats getting in and out of it so I know how much I actually can close off such that they still can get in easily.

It’s getting a bit heavy and awkward to carry, but I still managed to get it through the door from the garage (awkward due to steps up to the door, and the cat tree is about five feet tall) and up the stairs (tricky due to the 90 degree turn a few steps from the bottom). I’m worried that once I finish adding the plywood on the bottom levels I won’t have enough handholds to carry it even as well as I can now, but I’ll probably still be able to manage. Worst case I get someone to come help me get it up the stairs, then don’t move it again.

The top of the box on the top is carpeted. I was surprised how easy it was to cut the carpet (with a utility knife) and staple it down. It’s even hard to find most of the staples once they’re hammered in all the way.

I intended the top to be a high vantage point for Talore and the box to be smooth-sided for Dash (not too warm for him and mostly enclosed), though Talore hasn’t been too thrilled at the top (the walls weren’t really tall enough to carpet easily, so I didn’t and she isn’t curling up against the side) and Dash didn’t spend much time at all in the box. I ended up putting a cushion in the box and Talore is sleeping there as I type this. For that matter, Dash is perched on top watching me. Maybe he’d be in the box if Talore wasn’t already.

This was where the cats settled down when I first put it in the loft:

The hammock was intended for Dash, and he very much seems to approve. I’m pretty sure he’d have let me try to carry the cat tree up the stairs with him in it if I hadn’t evicted him right before picking it up. As soon as I put it down at the top of the stairs he was back in it, and he didn’t budge when I shifted it across the room (or installed the carpet).

Frame Complete

I’ve finished the frame for my cat tree.

The only plywood on it is what I didn’t think I’d be able to put in after the frame was finished, so there’s all of one platform and the base floor. I have a good idea of how I’m going to finish the box/platform on the top, and I know where I want to put the hammock and platform on the next level down, but I haven’t figured out how I’m going to do the lower box/platform. I’ll have to figure out how much plywood I’ve got left after doing the top and see if I can manage with what’s left or if I’ll need to get another sheet of the thicker plywood.

In the picture Dash is already climbing it. I’ll take that to be a good sign, though the wood is soft enough that he left a small gouge in the top where he tried to grab it and failed. Hopefully once the platforms are all in they won’t destroy it. All the framing is glued and screwed together so it’d be a pain to have to replace any part of that. I’m planning to just screw the plywood on in case I need to remove it for recarpeting at some point (carpet will be stapled).

Snow Cats

Last night left me a couple inches of snow in my yard. Whatever else they like getting into, neither of my cats is at all interested in going out in the cold to play in the snow.

I tried to haul Dash outside first figuring his long hair would be better insulation against the cold than Talore has. Just getting the harness on him and adjusted was an experience he was very much trying to avoid, so he wasn’t happy to start with. I’d hoped I could just open the door and put him in front of it and he’d get curious and go outside (with the harness and leash on him so he wouldn’t get away), but instead he poked his nose outside for a few seconds, then ran under a chair to get back to trying to get out of the harness. Dash is hard to carry anywhere, so all I managed was to do was put him down on the step outside my back door. Of course he immediately jumped back inside, but I did take a picture of the only cat prints either cat made.

Unfortunately, Talore was watching Dash struggle to not go outside, so she hid under my bed as soon as I went looking for her. I did manage to get her out and put the harness on her (she’s more willing to accept the harness than Dash), but she very much wasn’t inclined to go near the open door. I managed to carry her outside since she doesn’t struggle like Dash does upon being picked up, but I couldn’t put her down: she climbed up my sweatshirt and clung to my shoulder till I went back inside.

To be fair, it was 15 degrees outside so I wasn’t expecting to be able to keep Talore out for long, but I’d really hoped to be able to get Dash to play in the snow. Maybe I’ll try later after all the snow I tracked in melts.