As a cat owner, sometimes you have to get creative when looking to keep your cat happy. For the cat owners of Switzerland, they got VERY crafty when coming up with a solution. They knew they needed to open their imaginations and invite creativity to flow freely. As freely and safely as they wished their cats could travel outdoors. Even if that sometimes meant on a flat a few stories up! Thus cat ladders came to fruition.
Check out that cute tuxedo kitty at the top of his spiral throne!
Note: I am fully aware of the fact that cats are safer when kept exclusively indoors. That aside, this is still super cute!
And the cat ladder phenomenon has created quite a buzz!
So much so, that Switzerland-based graphic designer and writer Brigitte Schuster decided it needed to be documented. And now her work has been turned into a book for cat lovers like you and me to feast our eyes upon!
Set to release in September 2019, Swiss Cat Ladders focuses specifically on the outdoor cat ladder structures in Bern, Switzerland. They are found in place on various residential buildings throughout the city.
And we must say, these climbing aids specifically for cats are pretty impressive and artistic.
The photobook is bilingual in English and German, and also includes diagrams and explorations of the broader cultural meaning of the ladders.
The intention of this book is to showcase the uniqueness of each cat ladder. Designs range from sleek structures, to DIY creations that serve one distinct purpose–allowing a cat to go outdoors when they see fit.
Despite the quality or price of the structure, the imagery is what sells these photos.
It opens your mind to the thought of cats traveling happily up and down as they wish. We know that cats are natural climbers, explorers, and perches, so really, this is right up their alley–no pun intended.
If you look carefully, you can see how a number of the structures rely on the neighbors combined assistance. As they must be willing to allow part of the ladder on their property. So it’s safe to assume that these cat structures photographed are viewed positively and not as an eyesore.
Regardless of material used, there’s no reason why these cool cat ladders can’t be viewed as art. Functional art at it’s finest!
Little white kitty perched happily
It seems that some of the structures are in place to allow cats to simply roam at their will. While others are built to entice a cat’s natural instinct to perch and climb. Either way, they are super cool!
This had to be one very brave–and careful–human to put this up for their cat!
A synopsis of her book, Swiss Cat Ladders, as found on her website:
The example of the city of Bern is used to research Swiss cat ladders. A cat ladder is a climbing aid for cats, which is usually attached to buildings. The research is based on photographs of cat ladders in the context of their surrounding architecture…A closer look at the cat ladders reveals sociological, architectural and aesthetic perspectives.
Check out a few sample pages from the 268 page architecture photobook set to release this coming fall…
If you’d like to pre-order Swiss Cat Ladders, you can do so at the bottom of this webpage by clicking here.
What are your thoughts on these cool little cat ladders? I bet my cats would love one and could certainly be done indoors as well! Think like a cat for a moment, and I’m sure you’d agree that your cat would love one too!
Please note: All Images Copyright Of Brigitte Schuster
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Isn’t that something! I have tried to visualize an outdoor cat stairway, not knowing the Swiss had already built them. The spark to my imagination has been the book “The Cats’ House” by the San Diego couple who put cat walkways near their ceilings & cut archways thru their walls, with small cat stairways up to the walkways. They had maybe 12 or 15 cats. He was an art museum director & she was an artist, primarily a Southwestern colorist. No kids. The place was beautiful, though they recently sold the house. Thanks for this wonderful new resource.