How Catification Helped One Family Integrate Their “Brady Bunch”

Combining households with multiple pets is always a challenge, but when you’re talking about introducing seven cats and three dogs, it might seem completely overwhelming. This is the story of how just such a family used Catification to make it happen.

Eliza and Tiffany bought a home together in early 2014. Eliza moved in with cats Kirby, Agnes, Monkey, Judd and Naked and dog Nora, while Tiffany brought cats Encore and Pluto and dogs Nova and Bebe. Needless to say, the couple was concerned about how this “Brady Bunch” of animals would get along.

They knew they needed to Catify, so Eliza and Tiffany enlisted our friends over at Mountain Cat Trees, to create a completely customized design that would help make it easier for the animals and the people to transition into their new home.

Rebecca Mountain, the founder of Mountain Cat Trees, knew that she wanted to install plenty of cat-friendly walkways and perches to let the cats move around the house. Because the household has multiple cats, some of which were just meeting for the first time, it was important for every walkway to have multiple on- and off-ramps to provide escape routes as needed.

The vertical spaces could also be designated as “cat only” areas, giving the feline family members a way to retreat from people or the dogs if they felt threatened or overwhelmed.

Together, Mountain and the homeowners embarked on a several month long project of installing cat shelves, window perches, a “leaf wall,” a cat tree wall, scratching posts and more than 30 feet of customized suspended cat walks. The cat trees and wall steps placed strategically throughout the house give the cats easy access to the walkways above, providing ample on- and off-ramps.

The move went smoothly with no major conflicts among the cats. Eliza believes that the cat walks, multiple level shelves and cat trees have allowed the transition to be stress-free for humans and animals alike.

One cat, Pluto, can be aggressive at times and it became clear that he is fearful and insecure. Giving him places where he could jump up and feel safe made a huge difference. He spends lots of time on the catwalk and on higher shelves. He is able to look around and is calm and relaxed.

Monkey is also very sensitive and would quickly retreat to his “safety” room at any loud noise. He will now take hours-long naps on the wall mounted shelves and looks peaceful and happy.

The couple was most worried about Kirby, who acts like a feral cat and runs if people reach for her. She loves to get up high and watch everything, and she even seeks out petting, including from Tiffany’s nine-year old daughter Julianna.

Pluto and Encore will play tag and run across the walkway, over the doorway, and through the staircase.

These spectacular photos are courtesy of Sugar Rush Studio. Find out more about Mountain Cat Trees and inquire about custom designs at MountainCatTrees.com.