5 Reasons Why a Cat Wall Perch Will Make Your Healthier and Happier
To your cat, climbing and perching is where it’s at! Are you providing the environment that he/she needs?
Keep reading to explore five important reasons why your four-legged friend will think cat wall perches rock!
For your cat, being up off the ground means being in her comfort zone. Imagine the view from a few inches off the floor — your cat can’t see her surroundings from down there! Although we may forget that our feline pals evolved from wild cats, they certainly haven’t.
Your cat’s wild ancestors knew that a view from above would allow them to spot danger, and your cat still feels the instinct to reach a spot of safety by climbing whenever she feels uncertain. Not only does being aloft help to soothe your cat by allowing her to be aware of her environment, to her, it also means that she’s more difficult — or even impossible — for an enemy to reach.
Sometimes, cats climb furniture, cabinets, and railings to reach a “safe space.” Typically, this behavior isn’t ideal for owners, who value their furniture and homes. The best solution is to reach a compromise.
So, be cat-considerate and give kitty her own space by providing her with her own items to climb, perch, and lie on. In return, she’s much more likely to leave your couch and bookshelf alone!
A wall perch allows your kitty to get a good view of the room, or even the great outdoors beyond the window. Since cat perches are for “kitties only” your cat will feel extra comforted in her special space.
If cats love being up high so much, why not just let your cat outdoors, where she can climb a fence or a tree?
Allowing your cat to roam outside of the home is a terrible idea. It’s not cruel to keep your kitty inside — quite the opposite. While it might seem “natural” or “fun” for your cat to explore beyond the front door, she depends upon you to keep her healthy and out of harm’s way. Statistically, she is much likely to live a full life in your home: indoor-only cats often reach an age of 17 or more years. Outdoor cats generally live only 2–5 years.
Outside, cats face the threat of other species, both wild and domesticated. They are also likely to encounter other cats, parasites, diseases like feline leukemia and feline aids, traffic, and so many other dangers.
When considering your cat’s safety, it’s important to select a perch designed with felines in mind. A cat perch should be sturdy enough to support your pet’s weight, wide enough for comfort, and secured to the wall.
Please don’t buy one of those cat “hammocks” with the suction cups — breaking a leg is for actors, not kitties!
My own cat, Snowbelle, is picture-perfect on her cat perch in the photo above.
Snowbelle really loves the Deluxe Cat Wall Shelf by HumaneGoods, which I found on Amazon. It meets all of her specifications and mine. I’m glad that she can enjoy the neighborhood birds in safety and kitty comfort. She’s a plump cat, but this 19″ by 10.8″ perch is purrrfect for all sizes.
Another reason why cat perches are awesome is that they create opportunities kitties to exercise — just don’t tell your cat, and she’ll never know she’s doing any work!
Like all animals, cats need to engage in a range of physical activities to maintain their health. Feline obesity, which is often caused by a lack of exercise, is associated with a number of undesirable side effects, such as diabetes and arthritis. Yep, these conditions can occur in your cat, just like they can occur in humans.
Although cats can very playful, older cats, like mine, are often less responsive to stimulation than the younger crowd and are more prone to “lazing about.”
My cat’s wall perch has given her a new and exciting exercise — she loves leaping onto the cat perch to check out what’s happening outside. Because she’s a rather large and lethargic cat, this is great news — she can use the cardio!
Younger cats who are full of energy can also highly benefit from cat perches. Since young cats tend to be curious and active, they definitely need ways to burn energy and explore all corners of their homes.
Many cats highly enjoy having multiple cat perches staggered up walls in their home. Not only do multiple perches allow cats to climb even higher and get a better view, they also give kitties the ability to exercise more — by leaps and bounds!
For your cat, it’s a natural instinct to scratch in order to keep her claws in great shape and to mark her territory. Unfortunately, your territory is her territory. As a cat owner, I’ve definitely felt frustrated at times when Snowbelle’s sharp little claws have defaced furniture or caused blankets and clothing to pill.
The declawing procedure is very physically painful for cats. Furthermore, declawing is often accompanied by medical complications and it may cause pets to have severe psychological distress and lasting behavioral issues. Declawing surgery actually involves removing joints from your cat’s toes — yikes!
So, if you shouldn’t declaw your cat, what can you do as a responsible pet owner to deter scratching?
The answer is simply to give your cat her own objects to claw to her heart’s delight. Items such as wall perches, which belong specifically to your cat, make great scratching areas. Your cat will know the perch is hers and she’ll mark her territory.
Reinforce scratching the wall perch by providing your cat with treats and encouragement. You can also attract your cat to her perch by sprinkling it with catnip. If you catch your cat in the act of scratching your furniture or carpet, give her a calm, firm “No,” and immediately move her to her perch.
Once again, the Deluxe Cat Wall Shelf by HumaneGoods really shines as an ideal perch that was designed with kitty customers in mind. Although it’s made of attractive solid wood, it comes with textured scratching pads which adhere to the surface that your cat sits on.
Now that Snowbelle has her perch, I no longer look around the house in horror when I hear the sound of scratching, and she’s delighted to “dig right in” to the perch.
If you have multiple pets, and especially if those pets include more than one cat, it’s important to provide plenty of vertical territory in your home through the use of items such as wall perches.
Cats owners know that every feline has a distinctive personality. Some cats are shy, others are fiesty, and some are determined to show that they are in charge. Not all cats love being around other cats, and some cats will never become best buddies with other pets in the home, regardless of how long they have been exposed to other animals.
A cat in a multiple-pet household can, however, learn to get along with everyone else, even if she’s never going to lovingly curl up with just anyone.
Providing your cat with a wall perch is a great way to expand her sense of territory and to allow her to spend some time away from other pets whenever she feels its necessary. Less hissing and growling will make your home more pleasant for everyone!
Here are a few things to think about when selecting a wall perch for your feline friend:
- Is the perch sturdy and wide enough to hold and support your cat?
- Can the perch be securely mounted to the wall with screws?
- Is the perch designed for your cat’s comfort?
- Does the cat wall perch come with any additional features, such as scratching pads?
- Do you like the design of the perch? (Let’s face it, if it’s not attractive, you’re not going to want to install it.)
- Does the item have mostly positive feedback from customers?
Once you find the perfect perch, the only thing you’ll need to ask yourself is how many to order!
The perch I bought and recommend is called the HumaneGoods 19” Deluxe Cat Wall Shelf
If you’re interested in purchasing the perch I recommend and bought myself I bought from HumaneGoods, you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MCMP99C?ref=myi_title_dp
