5 Things You Learn Not to Care About When You Have a CH Cat

My years in college and a few years afterward meant two things: Moving nearly every year to a new apartment, and watching every penny.

I don’t know if you’ve ever gone through a similar phase like that, but while you’re going through it, it’s easy to start dreaming about what you’ll have one day when you’re settled down and have some disposable income. For me, one of my wish list items was having a grown-up bed — you know, like one of those you see in a magazine. A lovely bed frame, a gorgeous duvet, perhaps even more pillows than I’d know what to do with.

Well, it only took a few days after I adopted CG to realize that getting a grown-up bed would likely never come to fruition. Instead, I would give up that wish list item for someone who was even better. It wasn’t because of cost or cat hair or anything like that — I simply realized early on that CG was a climber. And if he wanted to get on my bed, that involved having bedding that was durable and easy to climb.

Since that day, I’ve realized that a “grown-up bed” was one of several things I’d have to cross off my wish list. So, if you’re new to CHers, here’s a heads up: Here are five things you learn not to care about when you have a CH cat. 

Out-of-a-Magazine Bedding: As I just mentioned, I gave up dreams of this for this. I know, I won in the end. While bedding like that would be lovely, it just isn’t practical with a CH cat who climbs. Most of those comforters and duvets are so delicate and soft, that one cat claw could do a great deal of damage.

Instead, Matt and I opt for durable, utilitarian bedding. Right now we have a thick blanket on our bed that the cats can easily climb, and it doesn’t show any wear or damage like pulled threads. Our bed would never appear in Better Homes and Gardens, but a simple choice like this makes a world of difference when it comes to empowering CG and Ellie.

Put-on-Display Cat Dishes: There are some CUTE cat dishes out there. Unfortunately, if they’re made of ceramic or something similar, they may not last long. All it takes is one CH tumble, and the dish may end up chipped if not worse.  That said, using silicon place mats can help keep the dishes from sliding. PS — to be fair, I think I chip the plates while washing them as often as Ellie does! Want a simple solution? Opt for plastic or metal dishes, but there are pros and cons for those as well.

Looks-as-if-It-has-Never-Been-Sat-on Furniture: Yeah, you figure this out within the first few days. If your CH cat is a climber, you soon realize two things: One, your couch will never look perfect. Two, you start thinking about the best couch fabrics that are easy to climb and don’t show wear. By the way — if you find this magic combination, please let me know!

When Matt and I got married, he contributed his “bear couch” — a comfy red sofa that lived through several years of college friends. Unfortunately, after two years with CG and Ellie, it shows a very different, obvious type of wear.

Perfect Carpet: I know, this is an odd one, and it’s likely something all cat owners deal with. But one thing I’ve started to notice with our cats is that they seem to pull out threads from our carpet quite often — both on carpeted areas of our home and on our area rugs. Again, not a big deal, but it’s something I didn’t expect.

Delicate Curtains: OK, so I truly should have known better about this one. We put up some curtains in our front window — sheers in front, with heavier curtains to pull over them. Well, the sheer curtains are usually pulled mostly across the windows, right up to Ellie’s cat tree. Needless to say, every time she gets down from her tree, the sheer curtains, um, “help” a bit. Consequently, one panel is all torn up from cat claws.

Again, these things are just that — they’re things. They mean nothing in the grand scheme of things, especially since we’re blessed to have Ellie and CG in our lives. That said, if you are passionate about any of the items listed above, you may want to get creative in either how they co-exist with your CH cats.

Do you have more things to add to the list? Have you come up with any solutions so you can live with both these items and your cats? Please share in the comments!