Woof Woof Wednesday

It's Woof Woof Wednesday here on our blog, which means you get a dose of pup Astrid.

That there is Astrid in what appears to be her usual pose in her usual window. That's not just any ol' pose this time, though. That's the pose Astrid uses when she's just been told her Pawpaw (this here human's dad) is coming over to visit. Pawpaw lives just down the street from us, and she knows to watch out the window to see him walk up. 

And that there is the look on Astrid's face when she first catches a glimpse of her Pawpaw walking toward our house. Though it's subtle, you can see a charge in pup Astrid's expression when she sees Pawpaw approaching out the window. What you can't see is her tail wagging. I tried to get a shot of Astrid when she excitedly left the window and ran to the door, but she simply moved too fast. This girl can go from 0 to 60 in half a second when it comes to her Pawpaw.

Happy Wednesday!

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Doodle of the Day

Today's doodle in our log cabin series takes us to the kitchen. 

Our tuxie kitty log cabin tour guide is gazing at quite a mess in that kitchen, isn't he?

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Did you know?

Did you know that our furbabies recognize us not only with their extraordinary senses of smell and hearing, but also by sight? It is true and widely known that dogs and cats have a heightened sense of smell, especially when compared to us humans. This allows them to know and recognize the smell of their favorite humans, among other things. Dogs and cats also hear quite well, of course, and so they can also recognize their humans by the sound of their voice, as well as by other recognizable sounds they associate with their humans. Even though our furbabies' senses of smell and hearing are significant ways they recognize their humans, they can also indeed use their sight for recognition.

Various studies have led to the conclusion that dogs and cats have evolved to recognize certain human faces, expressions, and body language. In all honesty, it would seem that some studies have concluded that dogs tend to recognize the sight of their humans more than cats do. Results of a study performed in 2005 indicated that when shown images of strangers versus their owners, cats displayed recognition of their owner's face over the stranger's face 54% of the time. On the flip side, the results of a study performed in 2010 indicate that dogs do readily recognize their humans' faces. In this study, dogs watched as humans walked back and forth in a room, and when dogs saw their particular owners, they typically watched them more intently and excitedly. The next part of the study, though, involved the humans putting on face masks. When the humans were wearing these masks, the dogs had more difficulty recognizing their owners as they walked around the room, and the dogs therefore displayed little to no preference for the sight of their owners.

Though it depends on which studies and information you find, there is proof that dogs as well as cats recognize their humans in various ways. They of course use their impressive sense of smell as well as their hearing. In addition, though, dogs and cats can to some degree use their sight to recognize their owners, such as by recognizing their face, behavior, body language, and so on.

A Tonks Toesies Tuesday

Tonks shared a sleepy selfie on Sunday. During that same photo shoot, we zoomed out a bit and got a toesies shot. Tonks especially wanted to show off her claws, for one reason or another.

Tonks had a nail trim the day after this shot was taken. She's not terribly fond of losing those sharp claws, but she is a good girl and does allow me to somewhat easily trim them. She's my sweet little calico!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

We've been sharing a new series of doodles set in a log cabin, and we still have quite a few doodles in that series to share. What's more, a couple of the other series I have planned for the near future take place in other types of homes, one of them being a Victorian-like home. I just really like doodling up different types of cozy home settings. I like them so much that the pages in my sketchbooks from years past also include lots of homey doodles. So, in addition to the new homey doodles we'll be sharing over the next couple of weeks, a lot of our flashback doodles will be the past homey ones I scribbled up. Since tomorrow we'll be showing you a quirky kitchen in our current log cabin series, we thought that today we'd share a flashback kitchen scene that was scribbled up last summer. Remember this one?

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Tip of the Day

Today's tip is about cat claws. We've mentioned at some point in the somewhat distant past that, generally speaking, it's normal for cats to chew on their claws. A cat's claws grow from the inside out, and when the outer layer becomes old and worn, a cat will chew at it and remove it. In doing so, they're essentially removing the nail's outer husk that is no longer needed. You might even have found some of these cat nail husks on the floor or elsewhere in your home.

The above being said, though, there are cases when a cat chewing their nails is not normal. One primary concern to look out for is if your cat seems to obsessively or compulsively chew on their claws. The claws being too long might be one simple reason why your cat is giving their nails extra attention, but it's not the only potential reason. Cats who over-groom, which can indeed include obsessively or compulsively chewing on their nails, might be displaying signs of anxiety, boredom, or loneliness. Just like some humans chew on their nails when stressed, often as a self-soothing coping mechanism, cats might very well do the same. Another example of over-grooming might include excessive licking, even to the point of baldness. If you notice obsessive nail-biting, excessive licking, or other signs of over-grooming, do consider contacting a veterinarian. Some furbabies might simply be more anxious by nature, or there might be stressful changes in family or home life. Regardless of the reason, anxiety and other behavioral concerns in your furbaby are best addressed, and sometimes even medicated, by a veterinarian. This is in the best interest of the kitty or even pup's health, safety, and happiness.

Mancat Monday

Yesterday, Tonks shared a sleepy selfie. Today, Evan is the sleepy one.

Is this how Mondays look for all of you, too? Sometimes you just have to sleep the day away. At least, that's Evan's motto.

Happy Monday, friends!

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Doodle of the Day

As we mentioned yesterday, our newest series of doodles is essentially a tour through a log cabin in the woods. The tour guide throughout the house is a little tuxie kitty. Can you spot him in the log cabin's living room here?

I realize there are at least a couple weird and wacky little details in this doodle. I really enjoy creating things with even just subtle whimsical feels to them. Overall, this doodled up log cabin shouldn't be anything totally outlandish, but I'll admit I just can't help but throw a couple of somewhat weird and wacky details in there here and there.

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Did you know?

Yesterday we gave a couple of factoids about animals who have been found to sleep the most hours per day. Today, how about we go to the other end of that spectrum? For example, did you know that some days, walruses get no sleep at all? This is because studies suggest they can go roughly 84 hours without sleep. And did you know that in a 24-hour period, giraffes, horses, and deer get something like 2 to 3 hours of sleep? Elephants are not far behind that, sleeping only 2 to 4 hours of sleep. Still in that sort of time frame, sheep require less than 4 hours of sleep per day. Can you image living off of anywhere from no sleep to 4 hours of sleep per day?

A Sleepy Sunday Selfie

Tonks volunteered to snap a selfie for today. So, I handed the camera off to her. She got her shot all lined up, posed, and then nodded off.

This seems to happen a lot around here. We'll be all ready to snap a purrfectly cute selfie of a kitty in a purrfectly cute pose, but then said kitty falls asleep. At least sleepy selfies are cute, too!

Happy Sunday to all!

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Doodle of the Day

We're starting a new series of doodles today. This series is set throughout the rooms of a log cabin. The reason for this is in part because I have always been fascinated by and fond of log cabins. I'd honestly love to live in one some day. Also, like many of our upcoming doodles, this log cabin series is some more concept art. When it comes to the stories I've mentioned I'm writing, it really helps me to draw out settings and other elements in my sketchbook. But I digress.

If you're worried there won't be kitties in these log cabin doodles, worry not. A certain feline lives in this doodled up log cabin, and he'll be taking us through the entire house. Today, he's starting the log cabin tour outside.

As you can perhaps see, this log cabin is nestled in a bit of a forest. I do think it would be lovely to live in a log cabin in the woods. That being said, in reality, I wouldn't want to live too far from civilization, as that's where the WiFi, grocery stores, and other necessities are.

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Did you know?

Sleep studies have been performed on many species in the world. Did you know these studies revealed that cats are not the animal who sleep the most hours per day? We've all heard and very likely witnessed that cats sleep an average of 15 hours per day. Dogs sleep an average of 14 hours per day. What kinds of animals sleep more hours than this per day? Certain types of bats sleep roughly 20 hours per day. Some armadillos and possums sleep an average of 18 hours per day, as does the python. Studies found that owl monkeys sleep right around 17 hours per day. As a bonus, and out of curious, I also researched the sleep habits of sloths, and like cats they average 15 hours per day. When compared to some members of the animal world, humans sleep very little.

Caturday Art

As I've mentioned once or twice this week, today we're sharing the last doodle in our current series of bookish doodles. This is certainly not the end of our bookish doodles. It's just the end of this newest series. I will never stop drawing books and cats.

Anyway. Today's doodle was actually inspired by my childhood bedroom. I had so many books as a kid (all of which I still have) that fitting them all into my bedroom was quite a feat. I happily grew up in a humble home, and when I was growing up my bedroom was roughly 8' x 10'. That fact never bothered me, except when it came to displaying and storing my massive book collection. My parents helped me gather and even build shelves that ultimately lined my walls all the way up to my ceiling. My dad even built me short but long shelves that fit on the wall above my door and closet. My favorite, though, was a suggestion my mom once made and one with which I ran. My mom once asked me if I'd like to replace the plain headboard above my bed with a bookshelf instead, obviously for extra book storage. I thought that was brilliant, and so for something like a decade I had a bookshelf filled with books for a headboard.

That's not exactly what my bedroom looked like as a kid, but that image was certainly inspired by my childhood bedroom. My childhood also did indeed include cats and dogs, all of whom often visited my bedroom and sat with me while I read. My furry childhood friends are all now angels and included of course my calico Rosie and her brother Sammy, as well as pups Banjo and Shellie. So, the shelves, books, and furbabies in this doodle were all inspired by my childhood.

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Tip of the Day

We made some comments today about trying to make things fit into small spaces. In line with that, we decided to make today's tip include some ideas on ways for storing pet supplies when space is tight. There are a variety of options, and these can all depend on the overall space you have, the layout of your home, and what kind of pet supplies you have to store. Regardless of the situation, we thought we'd throw some options out there in case they might give you some storage ideas.

Let's begin with an obvious one. You can of course start by dedicating one particular drawer or cabinet, or even one shelf in a closet, to just pet supplies. Whether you're needing to store away pet food, litter, medications, or other supplies, there might be a way to dedicate one specific storage space to them. Overall, keeping your furbaby's treats, medication, and other supplies out of their reach can often be the safest option for them.

Moving on to further ideas, there are pieces of furniture on the market that double as storage space. For example, there are footstools and even some coffee tables that can open and thereby store stuff. There are even some chairs, couches, and beds that either have drawers built in beneath them, or that have space for you to add drawers or storage containers under them. There's also simply the option of pouring food or litter into sealed containers that are able to stack. This can be especially useful in cases when food or litter comes in bags that might take up space without offering the ability to store other items on top of them or even beneath them. This type of option might also keep extra food and litter out of bags that your furbaby might be able to chew on, claw at, or otherwise break into.

Another option is using empty space on walls or even on doors. You can hang hooks on walls for leashes or toys, for example, or you can install hanging storage baskets or bins for a similar purpose. You can also get hooks that can hang over doors and thereby hang items like leashes on doors. There's even the option of hanging shelving systems, baskets, or other storage containers on doors. Again, there are products on the market that are specifically meant to hang from doors, often by offering a hook that can be suspended over the top of the door. These types of door-hanging storage systems might be good for storing pet treats, medications, toys, or even canned food, all while saving floor space and wall space. They can even be hung on the inside of closet doors, to keep items out of sight as well as out of your furbaby's reach. Another option could be to go for using shelves or stacking containers that more efficiently use space in areas such as closets and cabinets.

The above are all just random ideas for storing pet supplies, or even other household goods. There are many options out there, and your best solution will of course depend on a variety of factors. One of the most important considerations to make is ensuring that your kitty or pup cannot break into a storage space and get to spare food or treats, medications, and other items that they don't need access to, even if they are pet supplies.

Friendly Fill-Ins

I'll start by thanking those who informed me yesterday that the photos in our post were not visible. Lately, I've been having issues with Blogger allowing me to upload photos to our posts. I was having trouble with that when preparing yesterday's post, and I thought I'd found a way around it. Apparently, though, my solution wasn't a solution at all. I have since regained the ability to upload photos to my blog posts like usual, and I've also started using the new version of Blogger in case the older version was starting to glitch out on me (for those who have not yet tried the new version of Blogger and are wondering, the new version seems incredibly user-friendly and self-explanatory). I believe I fixed all the photos on yesterday's post, and I hope to avoid further issues of that sort. Thank you again to those who alerted me to the issue. If you ever see an issue on my blog, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Now, how about the Friendly Fill-Ins? In case you'd like to participate but missed the fill-in statements yesterday, we'll share them again here. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. June is a good month to _________.

2. I love to play _________.

3. I'm not ashamed to admit _________.

4. I'd rather not _________.

My answers are below in bold.

1. June is a good month to crank up the air conditioning.

(I'm not the kind of person who enjoys heat and humidity, especially when I'm just sitting around in my house. This is just one reason why summer isn't necessarily my favorite thing in the world. I'm more of an autumn kind of girl. We've been regularly having 90°F days since May, and so my air conditioning has been running for weeks on end already. Is it autumn yet?)

2. I love to play fetch with Tonks.

(My calico girl Tonks loves to bring me toys. What's more, I learned early on that she likes for me to throw said toys. Sometimes she'll run after them and bring them back, and other times she'll chase them and then bat them around on her own for awhile. Her favorite time to do this is when I'm working out in the living room or when I'm cooking in the kitchen. I have learned to play fetch with her while doing both.)

3. I'm not ashamed to admit my love for animals.

(My love for animals infiltrates almost every aspect of my life. I know there are people out there who would judge me for that, and I've had people do just that. Some people just aren't animal people, and I have literally no ability to comprehend a life like that. Luckily, I don't care what others think of my love for animals or my overall lifestyle, and my love for animals will simply always be one of the biggest aspects of my life.)

4. I'd rather not leave my furbabies home alone.

(I've mentioned this multiple times in the past. There's nothing I enjoy more than being home with my kitties and pup. I'm a homebody through and through. This is probably why one of my goals in life is to be able to work from home. Until I am able to find a way to work from home, I keep an eye on my furbabies throughout the day using some cameras I've set up in my house.)

Now it's your turn!

To add your link to the Friendly Fill-Ins Linky list, just click HERE!

You can also click on the badge below to add your link.

You are also welcome to complete the fill-ins in the comments below,

or in the comments on Ellen's blog, 15andmeowing.

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Now, how about your Eddy fix? 

Window whiffies are few and far between these days, given that opening the windows invites 90°F breezes into the house. The kitties enjoy them when they can, though, Eddy included.

Happy Friday, friends!

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Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's doodle is another flashback one starring books and a cat. Actually, it's an homage to the fact that my angel Rosie used to keep me company during my reading sessions. She did so from the time I was a child until I was an adult. My Rosie was the best friend I ever could have asked for. 

Tomorrow is technically the last doodle in our new, current bookish series. That being said, we'll of course have plenty more future doodles that star books alongside cats. It's just that for the time being we're moving on to a new series of doodles, which we'll start sharing on Sunday.

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Tip of the Day

In today's post I mentioned having cameras set up in my house to help keep an eye on my kitties and pup when I'm away from home. If you're not able to stay home regularly with your furbaby and are worried about what they might get into while you're away, perhaps consider using something such as security cameras that you can access when away from home. This might especially be beneficial if you have a cat or dog with a medical condition, if you have a new kitten or puppy who is active and not contained, or even if you simply are away for lengthy periods of time and want to be able to check in on your furbabies. To be honest, I also have a hopefully unreasonable fear that my house will catch on fire when I'm not home, and so I also bought cameras in order to regularly verify that my house and furbabies are not in danger of fire.

All the above being said, you do not have to save up hundreds of dollars to have security cameras installed in your home. You can buy relatively cheap cameras online, some of them for just $20-$40. Many of these simply need an outlet, WiFi, and some sort of app or program for a phone or computer. Some of them might need less than that, and some of them might need more than that.

I am very much so not sponsored, but I thought I'd go ahead and share the link to the camera I bought for my house. If you'd like to check it out, keeping in mind this is just one example of a basic home security camera, just click here. It's usually approximately $30 for one of those cameras. With this particular camera, I had to install an app on my phone. I bought 3 of those cameras, for different areas of my house, and all 3 of them can be accessed from the same app. In the app, I can pick which camera to view, I can both see and listen to what's going on in my house, and I can even press just a single button to talk to my furbabies should I need to. I can rotate each camera to see a wider view, and I can even record video or capture a snapshot from what the camera is viewing. Again, though, this is just one example of a camera you can set up in your house should you need to or want to keep an eye on your furbaby while you're away from home. There are many security camera options you can research, and these options might be cheap or expensive, might have less or more capabilities, and so on and so forth. Perhaps simply consider whether you are away from home often, if your kitty or pup might do well to be supervised even when you're away from home, and then do your research on cameras should you decide you need or want one.

Thoroughly Poetic Thankful Thimble Thursday

Hello and happy Thursday to all! How about we get right into Angel Sammy's Thoroughly Poetic Thursday challenge?

Our host always offers us a photo prompt to guide our poetic endeavors. This week's prompt is this intriguing image here:

This was one of those cases when I saw an image, had a sudden albeit tenuous idea for a poem, and just started writing. In such cases, I don't always know where I'm going with the poem. I have a vague idea, but I just sort of fly by the seat of my pants and see what ends up on the page. If you'd like to see where that led me this week, feel free to read the weird and wacky poem below.

Miss Brimble's Bookshop

Stella's car broke down in the middle of the road.

She was surrounded by nothing and had nowhere to go.

She was on a road trip and now found herself in a dead zone,

And all her attempts to call for help simply did not work, no.

With a sigh, Stella looked down the road this way and that.

The sun beat down and she adjusted her hat.

Stella knew she had just left behind a big bunch of nothing,

And so she headed in the other direction in search of something.

Stella walked miles, and then more miles, and then a few more.

She thought fatigue might drag her to the ground with a snore.

Finally, though, something could be seen up ahead.

It was a building built of brick that was a ruddy red.

A few more steps revealed more than just that one brick building.

Stella was actually approaching a town, albeit one not seemingly thrilling.

The quaint little place seemed to offer only a handful of businesses,

Along with only a few houses that someone could visit.

Stella puffed for breath after walking all those miles.

Nonetheless, finally reaching civilization made her smile.

She knocked on the door of the first brick building.

If someone was inside to answer the door, they weren't willing.

The buildings were truly quaint as could be.

They gave Stella vibes of absolute eccentricity.

She didn't really mind that, though.

She really just wanted to get her car running and go.

After trying and failing to find a single person who might be able to help her,

Stella suddenly caught sight of a little something with a tail and fur.

It was a black cat who mewed, twirled, and hopped.

It stood in front of a building with a sign that read, MISS BRIMBLE'S BOOKSHOP.

"Do you know anyone who can help me?" Stella asked the cat.

She was really quite desperate now, and that was a fact.

As if in answer to Stella's question, the cat headed toward the bookshop.

It looked over its shoulder and meowed at Stella as it did trot.

With no other options, Stella followed the feline.

As she approached the bookshop, she found it quite divine.

On the sign above the canopy rested giant statues of books.

The front doors were nestled in another tome with an inviting look. 

Inside, the smell of book pages met Stella's nose.

As a happy reader, on her face a smile quickly arose.
Remembering her mission, Stella did loudly say,
"Hello? Is there anyone here who can help me today?"

A shuffling could be heard somewhere quite nearby,
And then in front of Stella stood a strangely-dressed woman who said, "Hi!"
"Oh, hello," replied a startled Stella.
The other woman looked to the cat and said, "Did you bring me a friend, Bella?"

The woman, who wore a dizzying floral dress and clacking shoes, said,
"My goodness, dear, you look like you could use somewhere to rest your head.
Oh, but how rude of me to not introduce myself.
I'm Miss Brimble, and I own this shop and the books on the shelves."

Stella forced a smile onto her tired face, but it quickly fell.
She told Miss Brimble, "I don't want to impose, but I need some help.
My car left me stranded some miles down the road.
I think I need some help getting it towed."

Stella added, "I tried calling for help myself, but this place is a dead zone."
Miss Brimble chuckled and said, "Around here, you can't use just any old phone.

It's no surprise your attempts were to no avail,
So let me use our tried and true communication that never fails."

Stella thanked the kind woman for that,
And then Miss Brimble disappeared to the back.

Stella began perusing books on shelves and more shelves.

Bella the black cat jumped onto on a table beside her, as if to offer help.

Stella thought it strange that the books were lined up behind great big chains,

But she was happy to be surrounded by the pages and their tales just the same.

As she smiled and pulled from the shelf a tempting read,

She thought this wasn't such a terrible place to be.

She did have to lift the book over that strange, inexplicable chain,

But at least this book promised a tale far from plain.

Then, though, something went amiss.
Was the world twisting that way and this?

The floor at her feet began to jump and jolt.

Had the bookshop just been hit by a lightning bolt?

Stella realized it wasn't even storming outside.

Besides, now the bookshop was swinging from side to side.

She grabbed onto a nearby table,

And she realized bolts and chains on its legs kept it stable.

Is this why the chains were here, there, and everywhere?

Tables, chairs, and books barely moved even an inch or a hair.

Bella the cat, in truth, did not seem bothered.

She walked around the shop with barely an unbalanced totter.

"What is going on?" Stella, swaying, did ask.

Miss Brimble reappeared, saying, "Oh, don't mind all that."

The jolting and thrashing of the bookshop finally stopped,

And it settled back down with a few hiccups and pops.

Miss Brimble said, "Some of the buildings here have minds of their own.

Here at my bookshop, things are rarely ever boring, still, or slow.

No matter, though. Help is on the way for your car.

I can give you a ride so that you don't have to walk that far."

Still in shock at the prior event,

Stella could not help but ramble and vent.

After all the confused, bumbled words left Stella's mouth,

Miss Brimble laughed and chuckled all about.

Miss Brimble said with a smile, "You have some time before help arrives for your car,

And I think you'd find the rest of this little town just as wonderfully bizarre."

Then she added, "You think what happened here was something else, eh?

Well then, next you should go down the road and visit the Cartwheel Cafe."

***

We don't just rhyme on Thursdays, but we also use it as a day of gratitude. It is, after all, the day of Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop.

As always, Thimble is here to express her thanks on this Thursday. Today, Thimble is grateful for open windows, cat trees, and parental supervision.

That there photo is certainly nothing high quality, but it does somewhat illustrate Thimble and Eddy's relationship. Thimble and Eddy don't get along all that well, and Thimble often keeps an untrusting, watchful eye on Eddy. If I'm being honest, these two girls used to get along just fine. They were actually friends in the past. A couple years ago, though, Thimble spent the day at the vet for some diagnostic tests, and when she got home that night, Eddy had a major case of nonrecognition aggression. Eddy eventually got over the bulk of her nonrecognition aggression, but ever since then, Eddy regularly harasses Thimble. What keeps Eddy from picking on Thimble is when she has a distraction (window whiffies is one of her favorites), when she can be near Thimble without being too near her, and when I'm in the room to tell Eddy to be nice to her sister. And so, Thimble is grateful for all the things that make it possible to be near Eddy without having to defend herself or run away.

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Last but least, we have the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the first two, and I came up with the second two.

1. June is a good month to _________.

2. I love to play _________.

3. I'm not ashamed to admit _________.

4. I'd rather not _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Tip of the Day

Cats, especially those in multicat homes, need sufficient options for personal space. What's more, cats especially enjoy having the option to use vertical spaces. In the wild, cats often utilize trees and other vertical surfaces for surveying the area, hiding, lounging, and so on. Domesticated cats also instinctively enjoy and use vertical spaces in a similar manner. So, do your best to offer furniture and other features of your house that allow your cat to use vertical spaces. Cat trees, pet-friendly shelves, and other strategically and safely placed furniture are all great options for offering cats vertical surfaces for personal space and time to themselves. In multicat houses, especially ones in which not all the cats get along perfectly, having enough options for vertical spaces and other hiding places can reduce tension and stress amongst the cats.