I live with three sweet kitties (and one sweet boyfriend), and there’s nothing I won’t do for them…almost. We recently moved into a beautiful, new two-level town house with lots of space for our kitties to run around in. Finally, a little den where we could tuck away their enormous carpeted cat tree! One would never know we had a trio of fuzzy devils living in our house, save for them making appearances or not putting their cat toys away. I quite enjoy our home’s modern look, sleek lines, chic furnishings—and absence of corny cat scratchers and tacky cat trees.
Our cool new setup made me happy inside, but I didn’t actually stop to think if it made Zac, Harvey, and Aja happy. Nope, I didn’t put two and two together until I started finding peepee on the floor. My boyfriend denied any involvement with that, so I turned to the kitties. I had just started reading Catification when the pee mystery commenced, which was lucky for all of us.
This book helps you understand your cat, determine your cat’s needs, and gives realistic examples of how you can improve your home setup so that both you and your kitty can live in harmony. Why Catify? Simple: “Ultimately, if your cat is happier, you will be happier too, and the bond between you will deepen.”
We all subconsciously realize that a domesticated cat is hardly domesticated at all. As part of my new Catified vocabulary, inside each of our feline companions is The Raw Cat, “Even though cats have been brought indoors, their relationship with humans, as well as their nutritional, physical, and emotional needs, remain the same.” A confident kitty carries out their version of hunting, catching, killing, eating, grooming, and sleeping every day. Catification guides your cat through to the land (or living room) of confidence!
This book helps you to understand your cat’s personality, even providing a worksheet to help you figure out what type of kitty you have. It was enjoyable for me to think about our three cats and determine what kind of purrsonality they each have. It really helped me understand them a lot more and clarified their needs.
Planning is important, prior to Catifying your home. It’s explained the possible pitfalls to be avoided, such as dead ends, or the components needed, like escape routes and landing pads. There are so many simple and practical Catification options that you are left with no excuse not to make adjustments and additions. There are vibrant photos of actual homes and realistic solutions that range from growing a pot of cat grass, to building ramps, shelves, and cubbies.
I wasn’t keen on the idea of people entering our new home and the first thing they see is a giant ugly cat tree, but Jackson makes a good point: “We wouldn’t ask to hide our dogs’ existence any more than we would try to hide our children.” So why would I hide the fact that we have 3 cats?
The moment I moved the tree from the dark boring den, to the living room beside the big window, I could see how happy it made our cats. They could hang out with us humans while we pecked away at our computers or watched TV, plus they could watch their own version of TV; the huge window with trees, birds, insects, and people moving around outside. Seeing them happy makes me happy. I was smacking myself for not doing this sooner, plus the peepee mystery seems to now be solved. I have since added numerous scratchers throughout the house, cat beds that match our décor, a sleek water fountain, and heaps of interesting cat toys from meowbox. I have much further to go, but Catifying just makes sense.
Get your own copy of this fabulous book, addressed to you and signed by author, Kate Benjamin, plus a free toy, for just twenty bucks!