Cat Trees

This morning SallyKnit sent me this ad for a cat tree-perhaps THE cat tree of all times! She said that she hoped that this was the one I had ordered for Baxter, since he is such an exceptional cat. Well, it sure is a cat tree-and ONLY $889.95.

Holy Cow!!!

The reason we need a cat tree is that Baxter climbs EVERYTHING. Yesterday dh had the ladder out when he needed to change some light bulbs. He turned his back and this is what happened:



The day before, dh happened to look into the dining room, and there was Baxter, on top of a large box I had put on the table, reaching up into the chandelier, planning his climb into it.

This boy needs a tree! But since he must be an indoor cat, he can't have a real one.

Why he is an indoor cat:

He was born under a deck where the home's owner had been feeding 24 wild cats and kittens. As soon as the cat-rescuer thought the kittens were old enough to take away from their mothers, she rescued them. Baxter and his siblings went to live in the rescuer's home, where there were also seven adult cats and two adult dogs. They all got along and as a result, Baxter has no fear of other animals OR of humans. As the rescuer said, he has no sense.

Last night, we joined some friends who live about three miles from us for dinner, and they had had a warning issued to their neighborhood that several coyotes had been seen repeatedly wandering through the area. Another friend who lives in that neighborhood had her cat killed by coyotes two years ago. That same evening, she went outside to see two coyotes standing at her mailbox--- as if waiting for dessert, perhaps?

We had a rabid raccoon on our deck last year, and recently another neighbor was chased through her yard by a rabid raccoon. She fell, and the raccoon leaped and missed; the woman was able to get up quickly enough to run into her house and close the door before the raccoon could get to her.

Who knew the suburbs could be so dangerous.

So Baxter is an indoor cat, and we have ordered a much less elaborate tree than the one above, and certainly MUCH less expensive, thanks to Overstock.com.

Poor deprived, under-appreciated Baxter!