The Game Changing Cat Wall

10/30/2018

A Fix for the Fur-Siblings

While I lazed around after a horrible root canal two weekends ago, my incredible husband was busy building a cat wall in our bedroom as part of my continuing efforts to change the dynamic between ShiShi and Haku. Since we first introduced four month old ShiShi to ten month old Haku, sibling rivalry has been the name of Haku's game. ShiShi, on the other paw, always seems to tread extra carefully around him - just in case something set him off and he chased her screeching under the armoire. Again.

My goal with this cat wall was to create enough variety of prime viewing/napping spots in my bedroom that Haku would stop his efforts to claim ShiShi's new sliding door perch, and hopefully finally let her be in our bedroom again in peace. (Non-climbing Haku had actually started making the tall climb up to her new window hammock perch that I put together a few weeks ago, just so he could claim it. Unreal! )

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The Cat Wall Solution

It's not the most gorgeous decoration that has ever graced my bedroom, but shelf brackets plus an old kennel sling and a scratching post that has been very popular with both ShiShi and Haku have helped to turn our boring wall into a kitty palace. Especially when coupled together with the sisel rope covered tree branch/hammock perch that I put together on our sliding door for ShiShi. By this time I had become very picky about what I thought the cat's needs might be - I wanted to create an ease of climbing (for Haku), a comfortable variety of napping spots so that they wouldn't be fought over, all the while keeping the profile narrow so that we human's would still have use of our room.

Happy cats decorate my bedroom best of all! I love my cat's company, and was sad when they first started carving our house into separate territories a few months ago. And the improved situation between our cats is much better than I even imagined.

What we ended up with after a long day of drilling holes in the wall and cutting boards to fit has worked beyond my wildest dreams. Haku is quite comfortable with the short climb to get to his new favorite cushy window perch, and ShiShi seems to have no problem with simply choosing another spot if he is busy claiming wherever she last slept (common territorial behavior for Haku).

The reason that I say things are improved beyond my wildest dreams, though, is that the change in both cats' behavior over these last few weeks since that cat wall was built has been nothing short of remarkable. With Haku's eating spot already moved to another room a while back, and with the addition of several prime new napping/perching spots in the bedroom, ShiShi's level of confidence around Haku has somehow soared. And in wonderful synchronicity, he seems to be feeling less of his usual need to dominate her at the same time.

ShiShi is also obviously feeling extra loved and secure, because she has begun asking for cuddles much, much more frequently. And over the last week especially, I've seen her frisking and chasing Haku when she wants to play! The tables are dramatically turned there, because chase-time up until now has meant Haku chasing poor ShiShi until she was yowling for help from underneath the most convenient hiding spot. Needless to say, Haku seems a bit befuddled by ShiShi chasing him instead and the invitations to play, but he's also still his same happy-go-lucky, cuddlebear self. Just definitely less troublesome in his behavior with ShiShi.

And in case anyone is wondering, ShiShi and Haku can still be found together like the Wonder Twins whenever there is any kind of mischief to get into! If anything, it happens more than ever now.

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Cat Territory Thoughts

1. Cat psyches are easily as complex as humans' are, and full of surprises. I'm starting to think that I could write a life-long theses on the subject!

2. Cat behaviors, even those rooted in years-long relationships, really can be changed. I never, ever imagined that the bedroom alterations we have made would give ShiShi the confidence to become Haku's playmate rather than continuing as the subject of his occasional aggression and constant plays for dominance.

3. I had wondered for a long while if part of Haku's behavior was an instinctual need to worry at a pack member who wasn't behaving confidently. Since Haku actually seems to be happier now too, I'm thinking that was definitely true. Boosting ShiShi's confidence has definitely been a plus for both cats.

4. I spent days looking online at different cat trees and cat wall configurations before I finally decided that we should just build our own. I love that it doesn't have a big footprint, and plan to modify it over time to look a little more natural and tree-like. Designing my own wall allowed me to both stay in budget and adapt it as closely as I could guess to my own cats' needs. And - total success!

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