Cat Ladders around the World
Does your cat have a ladder to allow free egress and ingress to your home?
I’d never seen a cat ladder before I stumbled upon the Cat Ladder blog which features cat ladders from around the world. It’s a Euro-centric site; very few of the photos are from the U.S. Perhaps too many cat burglars in the U.S. view the outdoor ladders as welcome mats.
It’s a facinating site to browse. There are a gazillion different permutations of the basic concept, which is a narrow, stepped structure leading from an upper floor window or cat door onto the ground below. Who knew there could be such variety? I’ve pulled a few of the more interesting contraptions to share with you.
Some of the ladders are affixed to the sides of buildings, and this sort of herringbone pattern is popular:
That design appears to be more stable that the more traditionally styled ladders which rest against the house as in the examples below:
Some boast a rustic simplicity:
Others are anything but simple:
These are my favorites. They’re works of art:
This goes into my “Dream Home” file:
Some of the cat ladders are impossibly tall:
Some take circuitous paths:
And some do double-duty as interior decor:
For hundreds more cat ladder photos, drop by the Cat Ladder blog!
Do you have a cat ladder (and a photo you’d like to share?) Leave a comment!
Don’t currently have a ladder, but seeing these makes me want one. *Hey Ma…where’s the saw?* MOL
Most of those ladders are great, but some would give our mum a nervous breakdown.
Wowza, Violet and Newman would love those ladders! I have a two step stool I use to get on the bed. That is about the extent of my ladder climbing!
I saw a goat on one of those! But the woman likes it because it gives her ideas for ways to decorate to give us more play room!
Too cool!
Those are great!
Those Eurocats are brave!
I’d cry like a little girl on one of those tall ladders!*
*Ima guy.
these are fantastic! what a great idea. my cats would LOVE it.
Honestly, these are inspiring! I would love to do that to my house. While looking through the pictures I couldn’t help but wonder: are these REALLY cat ladders, or burglar ladders? (Only joking.)
Yes, they’re nice and, in fact, I have different levels in my home for my cats to explore. However, people seem to think that cats never fall or that they’re some sort of spidermen. They do slip and fall occasionally, especially if there’s ice on the ladders or if the ladders are loose; and so I don’t like the tall and flimsy versions of the cat ladders. Heck, even people fall down on level sidewalks. But we’re not two or three stories up over a cement driveway. A little common sense should be used if you really care about your cat’s welfare. I guess, for some, having something cool to look at is more important. Don’t get me wrong, It’s a great idea if It’s done in a safe and secure way. Don’t believe the myth that cats are super acrobats and can survive a fall from a high-rise without a scratch. They can hurt a leg just jumping from a table if they are old or land the wrong way. Just like us. I’m fine going up some stairs but I’d be more than a little leery if I had to climb ten stories on a fire escape without any railings to get into my apartment and that was my only option. Hope I didn’t ruffle any feathers but, like I said: use some common sense.
I like the fan one, but the rustic ones make me nervous, as it does Mistress. We also like the regular stair ones. I am too old to climb all those stairs though, and I don’t think I’d like a catwalk near the ceiling .. . well. . .maybe!
Wow, I’d hate to have my cats climbing some of those. I’d be worried they’d fall off. On another note, I think I’d like to turn my basement into a cat playground.
This is fantastic. We have a small inside garden surrounded by walls and our two cats would love to roam around the city block. I’m going to do this and post it here! Thanks for the inspiration, some ladders really look cute and even embellish the houses!
Great to see a lot of people do this kind of thing,although it’s a bit about being lazy obviously,in my case anyway,it keeps me from opening the door and walking down with them every time the ladies want to go out and they like to go in and out every 10 minutes. Just as soon as I sit they want to go.
I have constructed one myself for my dear ladies but had to use materials that would not damage the building or anything on it because I don’t own it,I hope to remember and take some pics and place them on this site.
Couple of weeks ago I was working on the ladder and because of that I had removed the upper fix to the balcony but the cat didn’t know and while I was with my nose close to the end of the ladder she came running up with high speed as she always does,did.
But since there was nothing there at the end I saw her flying by and landing a couple of meters ahead on the ground in total shock.
I almost fell from the balcony from laughter and was very happy to see her just hurt in confidence.
Next couple of weeks she came up very slow inspecting every step she made but by now she races in just like before so when you do some maintenance always secure the construction.
Greeting Joop.
i agree with alot of you, the ones outside look flimsy and would make me nervous letting my cat climb it. but the two inside that they showed are like what i want in my house.
have any of you seen the one where the married couple turned their house into like a cat jungle gym? where they cut the cat-sized holes out of the walls and ceilings for the cats? that’s awesome!
and one of the indoor ones they showed, with the two kittens and the momma cat, it looked like momma cat was telling the kittens not to play on it! MOL.
I’m so happy to know how you value cats! I love cats, in fact I have 5 when I was little! But I am so sad to say that here in the Philippines, some people are really cruel with animals, including cats… I really cried alot when my step dad threw all my cats at the riverbank… It was a sad moment for me… (but as I think of it now, I can remember how I rolled at the riverdike, just to catch them… hehehe!) Love u guys!
Cats should be kept indoors.
We saw one in Amsterdam when we were walking about – it made us smile to see how much someone loved their cat! We might have a photo of it somewhere, I will have to dig it out! The wooden spirals are a work of art though!
nice ladders.
some are creative, and practical.
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These are PAWSOME!
Hi! We used to live in a very small trailer, and we kitties slept in one of the overhead storage spots. Because I was rather “chubby” at the time, it was difficult for me to jump up into the “Hidey~Hole”. Momma took two old shutters, pulled the slats out of one, and glued them at an angle, so that they formed “steps” on the other one, then used cup hooks to hang it from below the opening, and down to a little table. It was perfect for us kitties, and we used it all the time! Momma even labelled the steps “this way to the Hidey~Hole”!
I must say how much I enjoyed the Cat Ladders. However, Rick (8-6-2009) made some very good points about cats falling and getting injured. Please consider his comments. I think they show some good thought.
Kewl
i think those are really awesome, but some of the commenters are right, it can be waaay dangerous, esspecially up the sides of buildings!
I live in Texas, and believe that I have indeed seen a cat ladder. I wondered what it was and now I know.
Though cats are cute and furry and oh so easy to love, they are also vicious predators that hunt and kill wildlife. Letting them run about whenever they like is actually a bad idea. A good idea is to let cats outside in the afternoons, never in the morning and never at night, to prevent them from killing off too many native species, which are usually active during mornings and nights.
Somewhat in contrast to what Sara said: They are predators, and that is there nature. So why not let them do their own thing and live how God meant for them to live? My cat Spanky comes and goes as he pleases, and quite frankly I don’t think that letting your cat kill a few random birds and such is a terrible thing. They are not going to have an impact on the wild life population.
Think about it, would you want your natural instincts bottled up and not be allowed to use them?
I’m just saying, I’m not trying to be mean or anything.
Asa idei fantastice pentru simpaticile animalute care ne daruiesc buna dispozitie DA ,FELICITARI.Voi pune si eu in aplicare cel putin una din idei.Multumesc.
This looks soooo much better than Axil jumping onto my new truck to get to the roof.
These are great! I’d love to leave a photo of the one we had in our stables compound, but can’t see a way to upload.
[...] jmuhj in Cat Ladders around the World meows “These are great! I’d love to leave a…” 18 hours 5 minutes ago [...]
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Lol you’re all like the catwoman from simpsons..
it’s animals ffs, get a grip. When people “talk on behalf of their cat” it really makes me laugh out loud!
the stairs are cool, i have one myself for my cat, but it’s a f*cking pet..
“Sandy posted a comment on August 6th, 2009 at 9:18 am
I like the fan one, but the rustic ones make me nervous, as it does Mistress.”
Mistress? I take it that’s your cat??! how the hell do you know what it’s thinking.. You’re a cat-whisperer? hahaha
u could tie a bloody rope to a balcony, and a cat would find it’s way up via that rope.. Cat’s arent drugged up retards like human beings.. They don’t just “fall over on the sidewalk” . Man, you’e all LOSERS!
(dont bother commenting, i stumbled this and will never be back again)
It’s a great idea! The cats will be free to explore.
Hello !!! I am talking from Rio de Janeiro. I have a cat, but I live in apartment, but my sister has 2 and lives in a big house. I will show it for her…. good ideia!!!
Kisses!
Adorei!! Além de muito criativos, facilita muito a vida deles, principalmente para os que vivem em apartamentos. Bjs