Musical beds? Why does my cat keep migrating?

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Earl Lewis - 21 Oct 2003 16:14 GMT

Here's an appeal I put to this newsgroup in June 2003:

"My friend (who has since moved away), had some kind of cat bed on his
kitchen window(inside the house), sort of an extension on the window
sill, that was some kind of sheepskin."

People on this newsgroup referred me to some good sources and I
ordered a fairly pricy one from PetSmart. The old cat loved it, as I
thought he would. For about 2 months. Afterwhich he ignores it. If I
lift him up on it, he peers interestedly out the window for a bit,
then gets back down. He never sleeps on it anymore. And he NEVER gets
up on it by himself.

This neutered old male has always switched his sleeping abode every
couple of months or weeks, I never tried to time it accurately. After
he makes the switch he won't use the old bed for nearly a year.

Recently he has adopted my new Staples computer chair as his own. I
feel bad making him get out of it to use my PC.

Does anyone have an insight about why he's so fickle about his beds?
Do your cats have this bed-switch habit also? It really gripes me
that I was dumb enough to spend almost $40 for that fancy window bed
that he now ignores.
Earl
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Agua Girl - 21 Oct 2003 17:26 GMT

> Here's an appeal I put to this newsgroup in June 2003:
>
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
> that I was dumb enough to spend almost $40 for that fancy window bed
> that he now ignores.

Try moving it to a different window..and be sure it's one where the
scenery changes like a front window (if it looks out on the street)
or one with a bird feeder outside.

Sasha does have different spots she likes to sleep in. It depends
on the weather. I think it's been too warm lately (drove home from
work yesterday at 7pm, top down, 82 degrees F) for the
sheepskin. She loves hers but has also been choosing the tile instead.

AG

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Ted Davis - 21 Oct 2003 21:58 GMT

>Here's an appeal I put to this newsgroup in June 2003:
>
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>that I was dumb enough to spend almost $40 for that fancy window bed
>that he now ignores.

I simply install shelves on brackets (I don't really care what it
looks like) - there is one under the north kitchen window and an L
chaped one under the north and east windows in the mud room. The
number of cats using them seems to depend somewhat on how dirty the
towels and braided rugs I pad them with are. Which cats are using
which shelf varies somewhat with no obvious pattern. Opening the
windows (the big one in the mud room doesn't open) makes them more
attractive.

One important advantage to the shelf in the kitchen is that it is at
exactly the right height for taking cat pictures while I'm seated. I
have gotten some prime pictures there.

T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu)
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Marek Williams - 22 Oct 2003 16:38 GMT

>Does anyone have an insight about why he's so fickle about his beds?
>Do your cats have this bed-switch habit also? It really gripes me
>that I was dumb enough to spend almost $40 for that fancy window bed
>that he now ignores.

All the cats I have ever had do the same thing.

I've also noticed that mother cats move their kittens to a new
location every few days.

I think both are related, that is, they are instintive actions to keep
predators from finding them so easily. The longer they stay in a
certain place, the more that location takes on their scent.

I think covering up their waste is also related.

Well, that's my theory, anyway.

If I'm right, perhaps cleaning the window bed to remove all traces of
his odor would get him to use it again. But if he still absolutely
won't use it, then use it to cover your new Staples chair when you're
not sitting on it.

--
Bogus e-mail address, but I read this newsgroup regularly, so reply here.

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Earl Lewis - 14 Jan 2004 18:54 GMT

Date: 1-14-04, 3 months since I started this thread.

Catty is again snoozing on his $40 window-bed. Apparently his
attention span is about 3 months.
Earl

>>Does anyone have an insight about why he's so fickle about his beds?
>>Do your cats have this bed-switch habit also? It really gripes me
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
>won't use it, then use it to cover your new Staples chair when you're
>not sitting on it.

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