5 Reasons to Install Cat Shelves for Your Cat’s Happiness

If you’re looking to offer your indoor-only cat some variety, enrichment, and a fun playground, then you might want to install cat shelves. We now have two rooms in our house with cat shelves, and today, I will discuss the benefits of installing them.

tortie cat sitting on a cat shelf — Olives perches on her newly installed cat shelf.

Disclosure: We received the cat shelves free of charge from Catastrophic Creations. This post contains affiliate links. This means that at no cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click the link and complete a purchase.

5 Reasons to Install Cat Shelves for Your Cat’s Happiness

If you’ve ever debated installing cat shelves, here are some reasons why they are beneficial and how they will enhance your cat’s living space, making for a happier, healthier cat.

A new area to explore

First and foremost, installing cat shelves will give your cat a new area in the house. Since an indoor cat’s environment doesn’t change often (if ever), cat shelves will give them a new space to explore and relax. Change can be good sometimes, especially for a cat who spends most of their time in the same environment and surroundings.

two cats sitting on cat shelves on cat wall in office — Woodrow checks the sturdiness of the new cat shelf (it passed inspection).

Vertical space

Cats are natural climbers, and they will love the new opportunity to climb up (and down). Depending on how many cat shelves you install, spacing them out properly will allow your cat to jump or climb up that vertical space. In one area of our cat wall, our cat shelves go near the ceiling. Use all of that vertical space to your advantage!

Some cat shelves come with poles for climbing – like the Crossroads Wall Cat Scratcher from Catastrophic Creations, and these poles definitely take advantage of vertical space.

Here, Sophie walks along one of the scratcher poles.

white cat walking on scratching post mounted on wall — Sophie looks below to decide which cat to pounce on. (It was Olive. It’s always Olive.)

A place to call their own

In my house, we have a one-year-old dog with lots of puppy energy. One of the reasons I wanted to install cat shelves was to allow our four cats to have a safe place off the ground and away from where the eager puppy could reach them.

And while the shelves offered that safe place to escape to (if needed), it’s also where I put the cats’ feeders, truly making the shelves their own space.

Keeping fit

Depending on how many shelves are in the configuration you design, cat shelves can offer your cat a new place for zoomies and to run around. Many indoor cats don’t have as much opportunity for exercise as outdoor ones, so offering them a cat shelf agility course would be a fun way for them to stay active.

Adding scratcher poles and scratching surfaces is also good for deep stretching and claw maintenance, helping to keep your cat’s overall body in good shape.

white cat using scratching post mounted on wall — Sophie sharpens her kitty daggers on the wall-mounted horizontal cat scratcher pole.

Help reduce boredom

And finally, installing cat shelves is a great way to help reduce your cat’s boredom. In addition to offering physical exercise and a place to explore, cat shelves can be a great place to just sit and have a think.

Why not hang the shelves in a place where your cat can look out the window while they relax? Bird watching, squirrel watching, neighbor watching! Cat shelves offer a nice vantage point for your cat to observe the outside world and keep their mind engaged.

tabby cat sitting on cat shelf — Woodrow watches out the window for his pizza delivery.

These are just a few reasons to install cat shelves. But overall, your cat will have a new, exciting area that will offer them enrichment, exercise, and happiness!

Our New Cat Wall Setup

Some blog readers may remember my first cat shelf project from earlier in the year. Hayley Williams from Cat Therapy designed two cat walls in our cat room. One of the cat shelf brands she selected was Catastrophic Creations.

After completing that first project, I got to know the owner of Catastrophic Creations, Mike, and he generously offered to design another cat wall in our house to feature some additional products his company offers.

Of course, I jumped at the opportunity and decided on a wall in my home office, where the cats and I spend a good amount of time (I work remotely from home).

And here is what that cat wall looks like! Mike designed everything above my existing furniture and used the entire width of the nearly 17-foot wall.

Mike incorporated many pieces from the Crossroads Wall Cat Scratcher, which is a pre-designed cat condo set. For those who aren’t good with design or want something already designed and ready to install, the Crossroads Wall Cat Scratcher is a good choice.

Check out this video of the cats exploring the new cat wall.