Tips for the set-up & for the approach
To the cat's adventure
We were very pleased to receive your order. Before we get started, we have a few tips for you and your cat.
If you have any questions, just get in touch - we'd be delighted.
Best regards, Kathrin, Mirko, Schneggi aka Miezi & little Violino
.at a glance
Overview
Scratching boards
- Location
- Claw care
- Tips introduction
Cat Tower & Cat Tree
- Location
Cat furniture for the wall
- Location - Function Retreat
- Location - Function (Inter)action
- Climbing wall design
- Spacing of the elements
- Distance to ceiling & wall
- Auf- & Abstiegshilfen
Tips introduction
Scratching boards
Location
Choose a room where your cat spends a lot of time and/or likes to sleep or rest.
If your cat already has other scratching furniture, choose a room where there is not yet any scratching furniture.
A good place for the scratching board is a spot where your cat often walks by, for example near sleeping or feeding areas.
If she likes to scratch furniture, place it near that furniture.
If your cat sharpens her claws on a particular part of a wall, it is advisable to hang the board there.
Enjoyable stretching and claw care promote well-being and relaxation
The scratching board should be placed at a sufficient height. The opportunity for stretching exercises will also help your cat loosen its bones and muscles.
The scratching board should be at a sufficient height.
Claw care
More information on the topic of claw care, can be found in our blog post
Cat Knowledge - Why do cats sharpen their claws?
Tips for introducing your cat
If your cat doesn't quite know what to do with the new object in its home, then show it how to use the scratching board - scratch it around a bit and it will become interested in the new object and lose its scepticism about it.
Incorporate the scratching board into your play session - for example, you can move a solid object along the scratching surface and encourage her to catch it. This way, she can playfully familiarise herself with the scratching board and realise that it's great to claw into it.
Cat Tower & Floor Scratching Post
We recommend varying the location of the cat tower & floor scratching post every now and then to offer your cat as much variety as possible & to find out together how he likes the use of his cat tower best.
Cat TV
If you place the cat tower/ the stand scratching post near a window, your cat can comfortably watch what is happening outside from the front row. Especially for indoor cats, the view out of the window is very interesting & they are happy to have comfortable places to "watch cat TV".
Attention: Secure windows sufficiently! Never tilt - tilted windows are life-threatening for cats. They can suffer life-threatening injuries when trying to climb out.
Practical for the home office with cats
Is your cat the type of "extremely sociable (work) colleague" and doesn't let you work properly in the home office? Then place the tower next to your desk/workstation.Your cat can be near you & watch you from a perfect height without lying on your keyboard.
Vantage point
Cats are very curious. If they cannot see a place, they explore it - of course, what else?!
So cats can't always understand why jumping onto the dining table should be taboo.
If you are tired of constant discussions with your cat about visits to the dining table, why not try placing the cat tower or stand scratching post nearby so that your cat can view the "forbidden" space and satisfy its curiosity from a distance.
Retreat
If your cat feels like retreating, place the tower in a place where it can find peace & where there is not constant commotion or people walking by.
In the middle instead of just being there
If she doesn't want to miss anything when guests visit, place the tower/cat tree in your lap and she can be right in the middle of the action.
Cat furniture for the wall
Location
The installation location depends on the function the cat furniture is to assume.
Retreat
If you want to create a retreat for your cat, choose a place where it can fulfil its need for peace & privacy, where it is undisturbed and does not have to fear frequent encounters with humans or other four-legged housemates.
Why retreats are so important for cats & what else there is to consider when choosing a place, you can read in our blog post.
Climbing wall in the hallway as a retreat for your cat
Playground for your cat
Cats are very curious & like to know what's happening in their home territory. Among other things, cat furniture is ideal as observation places at height. From there, your cat can see everything.
This is why we recommend choosing a room where you spend a lot of time. Your cat can retreat to its cat furniture, be close to you and watch the action from above.
Many cats are also happy to have an audience to whom they can proudly show off how skilfully they can scamper up their trunk, hop along the wall or stroll across their catwalk.
Your cat will also find it easier to integrate you into their play if the furniture is in a busy place.
The cat furniture can be excellently integrated into the common play and offers your cat a new varied occupation possibility.
In our experience, the living room or the bedroom are very good places for the assembly of the cat furniture.
To make your cat feel comfortable, the spot should be protected from draughts.
Climbing wall design
Many cats love it when there is a goal at the end of their climbing wall path - such as a wall lounger or when you integrate your inventory e.g. a cupboard.
A round walk is also very attractive for cats playing together.
ATTENTION - When integrating your inventory, please ensure that the landing surfaces are non-slip.
DISTANCE OF ELEMENTS
The spacing of the individual elements and generally the provision of a climbing wall is of course always different from cat to cat and depends on age, health and temperament.
The literature advises to choose a cat body length as the distance between the individual elements.
With this distance your cat could also walk stretched over the elements if they don't want to hop - this is also a good start for healthy, adult cats if you don't know exactly what type of hopper you have at home.
In time, she will show you her preferences and you can vary the distances for as much movement and variety as possible.
We recommend that the position of the elements in relation to each other (for jumping up or down - the stairs, so to speak) is not too steep. Position the elements in relation to each other so that the jumping direction is more towards the front.
Distance to ceiling/wall
Please do not mount the elements too close to the ceiling.
For a normal-sized cat, we recommend leaving at least 50 cm of space between the elements and the ceiling. Then there is enough space to comfortably climb/jump on the element and cosy sitting is also possible.
If you have intended the climbing scratching post for a corner, make sure there is enough space between the post & the wall so that your cat can climb around the post.
When mounting a bouncy log in the corner of a room, also make sure there is enough distance to the wall so that your cat has enough space to jump onto the bouncy log (in that case, it will jump towards the wall).
Ascending & descending aids
As getting up is sometimes easier than getting down again, we recommend offering your cat aids for the descent.
For example, you can use our hopping logs as descent aids. However, furniture is also suitable - for example a chest of drawers (again, please make sure that the landing surface is non-slip so that your cat can land safely), an armchair or a couch where he can make intermediate stops.
Tips for the introduction
Some cats are not big fans of change, are sceptical about it at first and need some time to accept and explore new things.
If your cat hasn't already been curiously prancing around on its new cat furniture while it's being set up, we have a few ideas on how you can playfully introduce your cat to it.
Aid - fixed object
- Play fishing rod
- or also a metre rule
- Favourite toy
- Treats
For example, you can move a solid object along the trunk and encourage her to catch it, so that she realises during play that it is excellent to claw into the trunk & thus playfully familiarise her with the bouncing logs & climbing-scratching logs.
When she jumps onto the bouncing logs during play, she realises that it is safe to bounce and sit on them.
To show her what you can do with the climbing scratching post, you can drive the stick around the trunk so that your cat thinks the stick is disappearing, becomes curious and her prey instinct is activated.
If you then also slowly drive along the trunk upwards, she will also notice that the sisal is excellent for climbing as she climbs higher and higher up the trunk with the toy.
You can also throw her favourite toy alternately across the room & then onto the plateau of the climbing scratching post or onto a bouncy log, so that she once chases your favourite toy across the room and then dashes up the log or jumps onto the bouncy log - this is how the play instinct overcomes the scepticism about the new item that is suddenly hanging there in your living spaces.
Throwing a treat on the climbing scratching post or placing it on the bouncing post is also a good way to animate your cat.
When your cat is lying on the plateau of the climbing scratching post, you can also play with it with a stick.Simply drive along the edge or let it disappear under the plateau.
