Hi, friends! I need to talk about cats today. And trees. Not the leafy outdoor kind, or even the decorative indoor ones strung with fairy lights. No, the trees I want to discuss are specifically made for cats.
DH and I adopted our rescue cat, Raven, from a no-kill shelter when she was just three months old. We purchased her first tree before we even brought her home. Below is her “gray tree” which used to be in front of our bow window. You’ll understand the past tense in a minute.
Later, when we remodeled our kitchen, we had room to add a second tree. Given how much she loves to look outside, we purchased Raven’s “brown tree” to place in front of the French doors leading to our deck. Again, with the innocent look (although I had to move the fronds from the back, because she considered them playthings for her amusement).
You wouldn’t think an animal this delicate-looking could be destructive, but cats have a lethal weapon—CLAWS! If you’ve ever owned a cat, you know the damage they can do. As evidence, I present:
The gray tree is so far gone, we disassembled it. What you see above are the remains waiting to be carted outside for trash pick-up. The brown tree has been moved into the living room. Raven still has a ways to go before it’s no longer worthy of scratching.
In the meantime, we brought this behemoth home.
It’s going to be a long while before she manages to claw her way through these sisal posts. But don’t let that innocent face fool you. She’s already started sharpening her claws on the rope. I should be grateful, because she leaves my furniture alone.
I know pet owners can relate to spoiling their animals. It doesn’t matter if you have a cat, dog, guinea pig, parrot, or some other critter. They all hold a special place in our hearts.
After today, I am headed for Maine, and will be incommunicado until early October. I’ll be looking forward to chatting with everyone when I return. In the meantime, let me know what you think of Raven’s new tree. If you have cats, is clawing something you have to manage? If you have dogs, can they be equally destructive? Are your pets pampered silly? Let’s chat!
The end of the week is a great opportunity to look back over the past several days and take measure our accomplishments. Unfortunately, mine were close to nil. :( I did manage to eke out a single scene on my WIP, but considering the goal was a chapter, the results are pathetic.
She’s four months old and is a rescue from Castaway Critters. I’ve been prepping my house for her for weeks. Rather, I should say I’ve been prepping for “a cat.” I’m a planner, so I had completed an application to CC ahead of time, supplied references and a vet check, all so that I could get a cat the first week of October, after a brief visit to the beach. All neat and tidy, planned out perfectly—NOT!
