Orkid's hammock

When we first decided to get a cat, the husband decided that we should get one of those automatic litter boxes. It has a sensor that triggers when the cat goes inside, and after a set amount of minutes, the rake triggers. That way, you don't have to clean out the litter box as much as with a regular litter box. The device works out really well, and Orkid is fine with it, which is good. I've heard that some cats are too scared by it and won't go near it, so it's no use. She was kind of suspicious at first, but at this point, we think she's figured out what it does, because sometimes, she'll just go inside and come right back out, and then once it has raked, she'll then go back in and do her business.

Yeah, I know, peculiar cat.

Anyway, we decided to get a privacy tent for her litter box, and the other really useful thing about it is that Orkid has never given up her habit of flinging litter when she's trying to cover up, so having the tent keeps most of the litter contained to some degree. It's a kind of zippered canvas/plastic tent that has a frame inside that fits around the entire litter box, and there's a flap in front for her to walk through.

Well, the tent now has a use that I don't think the makers ever dreamed of. The litter box is near my computer, and Orkid likes to just hang out on top of the tent sometimes, like she's relaxing in an outdoor hammock underneath some shade trees. She'll roll around, almost like she's enjoying catnip, or she'll take a bath or just hang out or take a nap.

Here's Orkid relaxing in her hammock.






Sometimes, she jumps up there with her full force, which I don't think it's built to take, at least not for any length of time. The frame was made of some material that was starting to wilt under the weight of her repeated leaping up there, so the husband actually remade the frame with pvc material so that it holds up better. The tent itself is fraying a bit, but I think it'll last for a while longer, and we actually bought another as backup for when this one eventually crumbles.

Yeah, it's been many years since the last time I had a cat, but I tell you, Orkid does some things that my cats *never* did.