As you know when I was remodeling the lounge area of the house I took out the ceiling and turned the attic into a loft. (The builder was shocked and needed some convincing) This gives me lots of height above my head and if I must live inside I have to have height above my head.
I have a very tall old wardrobe against one wall in the lounge area that houses many things that I do not want to look at (everything except books and art) and Marmalade has worked out how to climb the ladder to the loft (which is hidden in an old wardrobe in a side room) he runs along the loft floor then jumps down onto the top of the wardrobe. High above everyone and warm.
But he cannot do all that backwards and has trained me to watch for the dangling legs sign. I then hold his basket above my head within reach, and heleaves his eagle perch and climbs into the basket and like a drunken sailor in a row boat rides standing in the basket elevator to the floor.
I am going to have to find him a bigger basket.
We had a heavy frost yesterday, then some sun, bits of rain and even a little snow, with a lot of wind. A strange day all up. But the peacefulness that has settled over the farm like a soft net around a bed, is still in place.
We eat a little, sleep a lot and try to keep clean. The firewood did a Loaves and Fishes overnight and after some splitting looks plentiful. So the fire is roaring, the barometer is rising and we have a few days to get ready for a second round with Old Winter.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
Your friend on the farm
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
80 responses to “A Kitty Elevator”
What a wonderful little cat you have .. and I love the idea of that “cat elevator”! (I mustn’t let my cat, JaneE, see this post .. it might give her ideas!!)
I had a ginger cat called Teddy about 20 years ago, who always wanted to get on top of some Grecian looking pillars with a base and roof (4 of them, about 7 feet high). I had them in the lounge with big leafy plants on top. One day I got home just in time to find the cat clinging to the top with his back legs dangling and is front paws sliding backwards as it was smooth and he couldn’t get a purchase with his claws. He must have leapt from an armchair. I caught him just as he fell off. He never did it again 😉
Oh Oh Poor Puss, I can just see it, that would have been great big mess if the whole thing were to fall down.. c
Our cat Lobo (Avitar) could manage to get on the chicken coop roof, but not how to get back down without jumping 10 feet to the ground. We were afraid he would hurt himself, so we put a board from the roof to the wooden gate and then he could go from there to a small apple tree and then to the ground. He would only use that route to get down but not up. Training humans is not easy. All cats know this. I will not tell him about hand held baskets.
Your farmy looks peaceful and gentle in the lull of winter.
Everyone needs to spend some time above our usual world for respite and a different perspective… like Marmalade, I find the difficulty is climbing down 😉 But you’ve got it covered; synergistic household that you have.
laugh!!
Marmalade has your number with the kitty elevator – Cute:)
How spoiled is Marmalade to have his own personal elevator! He was probably scoping out a new launch from which to spring himself onto a sleeping Boo.
Marmalade is a clever puss! Do you think he’ll learn to climb the chain lamp? This is Viv home again and ready to finish warming work in progress for you.. But not tonight!
Thank goodness you are home, I am working on a stunning idea for the chain.. it has been talking to me!.. I hope you are well on the road to recovery..
Maybe something more permanent? Basket, pulley and counterweight so Miss Ceiling doesn’t have to watch for paws and Marmalade can manage his own decent?
a cunning idea.. we could put a tail on it and call it a weasel!.. Don’t tell the puss! c
Funny how easy it is to train a dog and be trained by a cat.
“the dangling paws signal”…LOL…I just absolutely love that kitty!! Isn’t it the truth how house cats always “train” their owners…I used to have a wonderful Sweet Alice and she had me trained to her every beck and call…LOL!
This reminds me of a number of decades ago when every lift [elevator] in Sydney had an operator, who opened the doors, called out the floors and wished you a good day!! Hmm, now if you were to put a pedal-bell on top of the cupboard and teach Marmalade to ring that when wanted, the lift-service might even work more smoothly 😉 ! Talk about spoilt kitties!!!!!
Hmm. bells for marmalade cats! not there is a thing.. c
Maybe when the bigger basket is needed, it could be rigged to a simple pulley system. I would show Marmalade how it tap a desk bell with his paw to signal when he is ready to be lowered. I bet he would learn to ring the bell in a flash if rewarded with a treat. Since you can’t put your life on hold waiting to hoist & lower Marmalade’s basket on demand, train Boo to raise & lower the basket.by just pulling the rope. Those two are a smart team that I actually think it would work.
You are so right about high ceilings making a space feel so much more expansive. I went from a home with vaulted ceilings to a condo where there are not much more than 8′ high. I may only be 5’2″, but even I feel like I am living in a Hobbit’s home. Your loft was a great idea, My Mom’s home was built with an office loft over the garage which normally is just wasted space & that feature sold the house.
Enjoy the peace & warmth while you have it. How are the frostbite
Hi ellen, funny you should mention the frostbitten flock, i just took shots of them today.. more on that tomorrow.. they re ok tho.. c
This is totally off subject but I need to tell whoever recommended the ICEBUG boots – thank you thank you thank you!!! As long as it’s not below 0*F and/or there’s no hideous windchill I walk in the morning. I had been wearing my Redback boots with ice cleats, very comfortable for walking, not so much for warm. I got myself a pair of ICEBUGs and now I can walk comfortably AND my toes aren’t numb AND my traction is great. So whoever in the Fellowship mentioned them – again THANK YOU.
BTW here in East Central Wi. we got 5 or 6″ of snow yesterday, expecting a slight warm up over the weekend then turning colder again next week – bah.
Ok, i am ordering some poste haste.. !
That cat is ingenious! I have a ginger cat named Honey. She would totally do something like this. Only problem is, she’s a rather large cat so it might not be too successful.
You just need a larger basket!! morning marianna.. c
Marmalade is adorable. My own kitty, Fiona, has gone missing. She was fed up with being indoors and bolted the second time we let her out of her new house.