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Our three cats have entered what we refer to as "Middle Aged" - roughly 10 & 11 years old.

While they currently have no issues jumping and running around, I thought I would make it a tad easier on them to be able to get to their food bowls. The bowls sit on a table that is over 40 inches off the ground.

Here's what I came up with.

Three steps sitting atop pairs of square pillars. I wanted something that wasn't bulky but was also strong enough to handle regular traffic from a 16+ pound cat.

I used quarter-sawn sycamore for the treads and red oak for everything else.

I also decided to use traditional mortise & tenon joinery for the entire project - no metal fasteners at all. Also, I used through-tenons on the treads and tightened them up with walnut wedges - mainly for the looks, really.

One final touch was using my CNC router to carve a pair of cat paws on each tread.

Pic 4 shows you can never have enough clamps - and different sized clamps work even better! :)

Finish was a simple oil treatment.

Pic 5 was taken only a minute after placing by the table. The fur-balls had no problem figuring out how to use it!

All-in-all, a fun weekend project!

Cheers!

-bob

Gallery

Comments

· Registered
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6,940 Posts
Very cool and also very thoughtful of you to think of their comfort! Our Richard's bowl is up on the top of the refrigerator. I may have to make a version of this in a couple of years!

Awesome project! Sheila
 

· In Loving Memory
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2,980 Posts
Your cat's have separate bowls and keep it that way?

Wow! That's more impressive than the steps, which is plenty impressive!

Our five cats line up one behind the other at a single food bowl…... except the youngest doesn't know his place yet!
 

· Registered
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400 Posts
Very nice steps and a nice feeding spot in the sunny window. I'm surprised they don't move the bowls over to lay there. Beautiful cali too. My cats eat on the counter in the utility room, it's just for folding clothes when they let me. I made a wooden container with hinged lid for their dry food and it sits a bit away from the counter and is mid-height to the counter so they jump on that and then the counter. They are old, just clumsy for cats. lol
 

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7,502 Posts
It's amazing what we do to help our 4-legged kids. Gr8 idea. I know they luv it
 
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