Catification starting

If you've watched My Cat From Hell (on the Animal Planet channel), you've learned about Jackson Galaxy, the host of the show.  He does wonders with families experiencing what they think is a cat problem.  Many of his problem fixes have to do with changing the cat's environment in the house and he labels the process as "catification".  He's even co-authored a book called Catification with his designer, Kate Benjamin, just recently published (2014).

With our new cat, Scooter, I felt that we needed to do more to our house so she can fit into the household of 4 other cats in a smoother fashion.  This will probably be enjoyed by the other 4 as well.  So, I took a picture of the first area that will be improved as it will be the easiest to do and will solve one of the issues the first 4 cats have with each other.

As it is now, the cats like to sleep on top of the TV cabinet when we're in the room (there's a heater vent right above their beds (1 cat bed and 1 low-sided cardboard box).  They've only had that spot for a few months now as I cleared the "CLUTTER" off the top this past September and have a climbing post on the right side. It is the 3rd post we have in the house and one they use a lot, even the scratching posts on it.

 They love being able to use the post and sleep on the cabinet.  But they don't love having to get past Rainey or Rainey doesn't love having to get past them, all depending on  where they were sleeping and who got where first.  It does get kind of funny watching Butch or Gypsum try to get past Rainey as they will look for other ways down but end up having to run by Rainey (she swats them anyway).  They do the same to her if she has to get past them to get down.

Before

As you see, I've labeled the first 2 areas that will be fixed.  The deadend spot on the left and another route down on the right. (thank you Jackson Galaxy for explaining some of the finer points of catification to the world).

The left side will get some steps down and I'll have to clear the "CLUTTER" off of the end table, maybe even move it to another spot in the living room.  Though the house is large, the rooms are on the SMALL side so this will take some more thinking as to furniture placement.

On the right side of photo, the corner will get a couple more "steps" leading down. (and I really need to remove the "CLUTTER" in that corner.  The dark spot in the "tunnel" at the top of the post is Rainey, sleeping, her favorite spot at the moment and a spot the boys don't like having to go past to get down as she swats them in the butt every time as they go down over the end.

As you can tell, CLUTTER is my problem as I collect but I also like things orderly.  I will have to cringe and remove a lot of CLUTTER that I  no longer use nor can make orderly.  The cats would have more room to run around if I got rid of that CLUTTER.  btw (by the way) the cabinet looks stuffed because we have a small bird that we needed to keep out of places as she is destructive to anything paper or even cloth(anything that will make nesting material).  We ended up leaving her caged permanently, which in the long run is safer for her in a house now full of cats.

When this part of the Living Room is catified, I'll post an "after" picture and then move on to the next catification project.