CATLESS CONDO

One of my stops the other day while making a "retail run", was to visit the local Petsmart store. I wanted/needed some semi-floating aquarium plants sold under the name Anacharis, & sometimes sold as Elodea. The store usually has this plant in stock & did not disappoint me this visit.

I always purchase several bunches of this plant when I am working raising small -- or in this case, hatchling size -- turtles. I have the turtles set up in dishpans & the plants serve two purposes -- security & as a food source. Both are an important part of the process of "growing out" baby turtles.

While in Petsmart, I naturally had to check out the cat supplies. To my delight, I found that several sizes of "Cat Furniture" were on clearance sale -- half-off. [This cat "furniture" can also be called such names as "Kitty Condos" & "Cat Trees".] I had been "eye balling" these cat accessories at various times in the past, both locally & on-line. I just knew this would be something my "Girls" would love !! The 50% sale this time got me to withdraw my Visa card & bring the new furniture home.

Not being sure which of two possible locations in the living room was best suited for the new article, I started with the window at the North end of the house. I moved the chair which was there, vacuumed the dead bugs which had been under the chair & "installed" the new "Cat Tree" in front of the window. This would allow me to be close to the cats while I sit on the couch & would allow them to view the world outside from the window at this location.

Almost immediately, all three cats came to "inspect" the new item. [This is standard procedure. ANYTHING new or different, no matter how big or small, added to ANYPLACE in the home, is noticed at once by the cats & investigated fully.] The head detective -- & most inquisitive of the three -- is & was, Precious.

Precious ... testing ... to check the "fit".

Although the cats seemed to accept the new "Kitty Condo", I was not really pleased with the location & the placement of the chair in the opposite corner. So ... more furniture moving. [See fellas. No wives are necessary to be able to move furniture.]

I moved the chair back where I had it & moved the "Tree" to the window on the South side of the living room. Naturally, right on schedule, all three cats then made their inspection of the new location.

Then, they never went near the new "Cat Furniture" again.

No cats in this area of the house !!

It's been several days now & I have yet to see any of the cats visit, climb on, or come anywhere near the new "Kitty Condo". I just KNEW they would love this new object & would be snoozing in it, jumping up on it & enjoying both the height & the complexity of it.

My error: Thinking like a human ... not a cat.

I'll give them time to get used to it. But they NEED to start using their new "Condo", as I have $75.00 & a lot of furniture moving invested. They better not get me mad. I can always get a dog !!