What Should Every Cat Have?

We all want what is best for our pets. We buy them toys, fancy food, cat trees... but what is it that they they really want? They always leave the new toys you give them, and start playing with that old grapevine that you dropped on the floor a month ago. Maybe they prefer chicken scraps off of your table then their fancy cat food. Read on to find out what I, as a cat owner, thinks every cat should have, besides the necessities like food, water, and litter.

not expensive cat trees

I'm not about to tell you to go out and buy a cat tree that costs $1,299.00 like this one. Maybe some cats would enjoy this, but also I've read about how people buy their cats expensive cat trees and toys, but they never actually use them. I find that cats don't really like the expensive things we get for them... they really like the natural things that you can find around the home. So why break our budgets when our cats don't even appreciate the price? What our cats want is their own space, a place where they can hang out, have fun, and be left alone. I'm going to tell you how to create that little place for your cat... without breaking the bank.

Do you agree that cats prefer the natural things in life, or expensive store bought items?

using items that you would just throw away otherwise

All you need to create your cat's little sanctuary is:

your cat will love it!

If you get bottled water from the grocery store, you know how you just throw away the flat box that they water comes in. Why not save it? Cats love playing in boxes, so why not see if they love sleeping in them? Remove the plastic, put in some old clothes or blankets, and it will be your cat's favorite bed. I've tried making cushy beds for Wessie using furry blankets on pillows near the heater, but Wessie always goes back to his box. He's taking a nap in his box as I write this!

Making your cat a bed out of a water flat is a great option if you drink bottled water regularly. You can also use other types of shallow boxes, right now Wessie has a bed made out of a Yuban coffee box. Every couple of months you should replace the box, or replace it when it gets very racked out.

for your special kitty

Your cat will need a place to sharpen his/her claws. Scratching is also a form of exercise and stretching for cats, so they need a place where you don't mind if they scratch. If you don't give them a place to scratch, your cat will start clawing up your sofa. Some people might even give their cats away or declaw them, without realizing that the cat needed a place to scratch to stay fit and healthy. You can get a scratching post from the store, but before you do, try making your own! This way it will be personalized, and won't be boring like the ones you find in stores. Tape an old kitchen rug with a carpet-like surface, to a piece of cardboard. If you find that your cat prefers scratching on a slope, then you can try placing a box that is cut so that it slopes, instead of just having a flat sheet of cardboard. If your cat likes scratching on a vertical incline, try using a mailing tube with a rug wrapped around it. You may have to trim the rug if it is too long. If the tube won't stand up while the cat is scratching, try attaching it to a cardboard or wooden base. To dress it up a little, tie a piece of yarn with a feather attached to the top, for hours of play.

your cat will be very grateful

If you made the flat scratching post, put it into a corner or under a chair, and place your cat's new bed on top of it. You can also give your cat its own personal room with the set up I just told you about. You can also make your cat its own homemade cat toys. Wessie loves the cat toys I made him, but hardly ever plays with his store toys.

Your cat will be very grateful that you gave him/her their very own place to play and relax. Wessie keeps all of his toys in his box, and spends a lot of him time in his own special area.

If you decide that you want to give your cat store bought items instead of making your own, here is a scratching post and bed.

Robin aka. rms challenged me to write a lens about the one cat product/book that I, as a cat owner, couldn't live without. While thinking about it, I realized that the one thing that Wessie really uses, is the area that I set up for him under a chair in the living room. He goes to it when he needs a nap, when he's scared, and even when he's angry. Most of the day he is in that little area. Almost the whole time I was writing this lens, he was curled up in his box. So I decided to write a lens on how you can create this sort of little getaway for your cat... it might not exactly be a cat product, but they will appreciate it more than anything you can buy from the store for them.

Click the tower to view the full sized interactive tower. Thank you gods_grace_notes for creating the tower!