Cat Baskets

Etta Girl has checked several potential napping baskets and settled on this one. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Cat Baskets

If you live with a cat, you know there are a lot of cat gadgets on the market, from cat “trees” to a wide variety of cat “beds.”

Over the years of living with cats, I have found that the best cat “beds” are baskets. The cats themselves will decide on their favorite so I usually have several scattered around the house at windows so they can choose their favorites.

The most used baskets tend to be ones with lower basket rims so they can curl up and still see out.

All three of these window baskets are currently occupied. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Now not all windows are easy to populate with baskets. This one has a short bookcase that provides a good height for the baskets. A good height is usually one that easily allows the cats to see outside, in this case there’s a nearby hummingbird feeder.

In other parts of the house, I have inexpensive black shoe racks that serve as low book cases in front of chairs facing casement windows. The shoe racks again provide a good spot for the baskets to sit in sunshine, a favorite winter napping spot.

Shoe racks fill in as low book cases and support for cat napping baskets. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I have our local glass shop cut plexiglass pieces to fit the shoe racks to protect the tops. The shoe racks are inexpensive particle board so the covering helps to prolong their life, especially when I plop a plant on them.

Our local glass shop cuts plastic pieces to protect shoe racks. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

In terms of the baskets themselves, I tend to shop thrift stores and consignment shops. I look for three basket shapes; round, about the size of an adult cat; square, again about the size of an adult cat, and rectangle, which allows for two cats to sleep together. Or one very long cat to stretch out in the sun.

The other feature I personally like is a handle, that may I can easily move the basket, and cat, to a new location.

Old pillow sham makes a nice lining for a cat napping basket. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

To make the cat baskets comfortable, I do add something soft in the bottom; it can be a pillow sham, an old towel, even an old piece of a blanket. These get washed regularly, usually twice a month.

Some cats will claim a basket as their own; others will share. Half the fun is watching them discover the baskets and make themselves comfortable. And discover they will, it still amazes me that I can sneak a new basket in the house and someone will be in it within minutes checking it out.

When not in use, you can use baskets for book, magazine, blankets - they make handy easy to reach storage containers.

One more challenge if you use baskets for cat napping spots. This little oblong basket used to be a napkin holder in my kitchen.

I was washing all of the napkins one day when I found this in it instead.

James A Mess takes my napkin basket out for a spin. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I can’t blame him, it is after all a basket and he’s allowed to nap in any other basket he finds.

Now to find myself a non-basket napkin holder….

Charlotte