I’m constantly looking for new diversions to amuse the furry little terrorist that lives with us. Most recently, Ripley discovered he could jump on top of our television. It’s a flat screen, so it’s less than an inch wide along the top, but that did not deter him from landing on it. The first time he did it, I was too stunned to react quickly and he leapt up to the center channel speaker that sits on a shelf just above the TV.
I couldn’t reach him up there, so I screamed for my husband. By then he had really dug his claws in, so my husband had to scruff Ripley in order to get him out. I put plastic carpet protector nubby side up under the TV, in an effort to discourage him.
Didn’t even slow him down. So far he’s proved immune to every deterrent. Sticky tape and citrus sprays don’t phase him at all.
When I go into the kitchen for his food, I have to shut the doors in the TV room, so I can get back through the kitty gate. They are heavy pocket doors, so I shut them just enough so he can’t get through. If I’m not quick enough returning, Ripley starts rattling the doors and meowing.
Finally, one day, he was able to push the doors open enough to escape. Now I have to shut the doors completely so he can’t get a paw in between them and start working them open.
He has a window perch in our TV room, but he likes to look out the window in our bedroom, which faces the park across the street. There’s just a lot more action happening out there.
That window only has a narrow sill, which he’s scratched all to hell. So the other day I ordered something from Amazon called a Kitty Cot. Essentially, it’s a little sling on a PVC frame that attaches to the window with giant suction cups.
It arrived last week and my husband put it up immediately. Initially, Ripley was a lot more interested in the box and the packaging, but he took to the cot pretty quickly. It’s now his favorite place to hang out when he’s in a mellow mood, at least during daylight hours. These photos of him were all taken with the Lensbaby Velvet 56.