So my little furballs finally figured out what the sisal wrapped cylinder is for… climbing and playing. They did so between the hours of 4 and 6 in the morning though.
The room is lit by the IR from the two Wyze Cams in the room as well as a LIFx + set to 50% infrared. The room is nearly pitch dark to human vision (a little bit of diffuse light from streetlights outside).
These guys are fast and agile, so the 10fps isn’t ideal for when the are going all out in a game of chase/tag.
Neat set up for the cats!
I’ve considered doing the catwalks in my own home! Do they use it often?
I agree, what a cool setup! Cute looking cats too!!
Every day. The 18 month old likes it more than the older cat, but that is because he (the older cat) has his own favorite spot directly over the computer (different room).
There are two ways up to those shelves (low at 9’, high at 10’). The top of the sky house is 11’ off the ground. They have just now started using the sisal wrapped pole as a shortcut up to the shelves. The shelves are modified Ikea Lack with added 1/4" steel brackets underneath (bought on eBay). The pole is 3" PVC w/ flat caps, wrapped w/ 3/8" sisal rope. The inside of the sky house is lined with faux fur. Everything is painted black (or was black when bought).
very cute indeed, and believe it or not, hypoallergenic.
Siberians are known to lack certain enzymes in their saliva which have been attributed to the most common types of cat allergies. If you are allergic to horses, you would likely still be allergic to Siberians, but that’s an odd allergy.
That’s really interesting! I’m wondering if my old cat had Siberian in him then cause one of my friends who was badly allergic to cats never got a reaction around mine. (He was a short hair orange tabby)
It’s the Fel-D1 enzyme. It is possible for a cat to have a genetic absence of Fel-D1, but I am not sure if that is dominant or recessive gene. Siberians are a newer breed, founded in the 1980s by cat lovers in St. Petersburg finding astounding beauty in many of the street cats. They captured the most attractive and healthy and started the breed. This is therefore a natural trait and not one that is bred into the cats. It would be possible to cross breed the Siberian and through selective breeding, possibly get this trait into other cats. An interesting side note, the Sphynx (hairless cat), typically has the Fel-D1 enzyme in its saliva and sebaceous glands, meaning that although hairless, not all that hypoallergenic.
There is a possibility that your friend’s allergy isn’t to the Fel-D1 enzyme but another compound or substance in feline dander. That would seem to be more likely. Personally, I have had a slight cat allergy my whole life. I have owned multiple cats over the years and have had a persistent antihistamine habit. I haven’t had to take one dose since these two joined my life.
Siberians are long haired, triple coat, very muscular, phenomenal jumpers, colorations vary (there are Nevas which are Siberians that have Siamese in their bloodlines - where you end up getting blue eyes and color-point markings in the breed). These guys are full bred traditional Siberians with no Neva back to foundation.
Wow! Thanks for the information! You should post a picture of your cats in the daylight so I can see their pretty coloring!
They are still in their shy mode, getting used to a new human, so photos are hard to come buy, but here are the best so far. On the couch is the 3.5 year old (silver-grey classic tabby) and the 18 month old left in the shelf image (blue classic tabby but with very subtle variations)
Look at those cuties!!!
Daytime tag today. The older one (silver & white) definitely has the strategic advantage, but the younger (blue) is definitely more athletic
