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Obstacle course design

NapsAndDreams

Lairian
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Sep 13, 2023
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So i built this amazing cat tree and then put up a pair of shelves that were in their last home in a kind of obstacle course format, and after an initial inspection, they are not using any of it!

+Stomps my foot and pouts+

I put one of their favorite blankets near there, and a second water fountain AND towel they have been snuggling on for weeks! Nothing!

Come to think of it, they rarely seem to venture into my bedroom at all, except to check on me. Glomp has OCCASIONALLY cuddled with me. Pandora, I don't think has ever been on my bed.

So, two questions:

1) what can I do to this thing to make it more interesting and challenging?

2) how can I get them to use it more?!

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(Apologies if the artistic nudes in the frame to against forum policy)
 

Yoda mom

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@NapsAndDreams , a little warm throw blanket or towel from the dryer and or a couple of high value cat treats spread out.
keep us updated.

lol and praise encouragement! I tell Toby to "go fast" on his wheel and he peeks around meows and goes fast
I have a tall cat tree and put a couple of treats on it.

A warm blanet, towel from the dryer on your lap/bed with a couple of treats on it helped my adoptees with settling in cuddle time

keep us updated
 

Cleopatra Beers

Gold Lairian
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Try using a wand toy like Da Bird to direct them around the area. And, I almost hate to say it, but they might use them better if you relocate them to another room. We spend most of our waking hours in the living and dining rooms, so the cats gravitate to those rooms too. The advantage of having their play area out of the bedroom is that you aren't weakened by feline bodies hurtling around the room.
 

NapsAndDreams

Lairian
Joined
Sep 13, 2023
Messages
120
Points
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hate to say it, but they might use them better if you relocate them to another room.... our waking hours in the living and dining rooms, so the cats gravitate to those rooms too.

I'm still recovering from a medical thing, so I'm spending as much time in my bedroom as anything else and I don't have the energy to play with them as much as I would like. They hung out with me in the bedroom the first few days but now rarely come in, which is part of why I set it up in the bedroom. (The other part being I just don't have enough space anywhere else.)

How neat you have made them a parcour! Did you try putting treats or kibbles on the parcour?

I prefer not to bribe them for everything, but eventually I did and..... It worked!

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(I see video doesn't upload here. He made it across the mirror, with a bit of trepidation, and back!)
 

Cleopatra Beers

Gold Lairian
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Glad they're playing on their playground. You can try a laser pointer to play with them on their areas with very little effort on your part. You found that Sphynxes are all about bribes!when we got Cleopatra, I felt the same way. But she was so food oriented that we ended up turning it to our advantage. I clicker trained her, and she still does tricks. As you recover, training them with a laser and treats could be fun. Hope your recovery goes fast!
 
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