Graphic designer, photographer and writer Brigitte Schuster was travelling around the world and came to Bern, Switzerland about six years ago. There, she realized how popular cat ladders were and began taking hundreds of pictures to document them.
Her book “Swiss Cat Ladders” was published in German and English in fall of last year by Schuster’s own book imprint, Brigitte Schuster Editeur.
A lot of countries are fans of cats, take Russia for example. It is the highest country in Europe when it comes to cat ownership and household cat population, but it does not have cat ladders. Istanbul also has thousands of cats without any cat ladders.
“I was questioning if cats really need these cat ladders, or if humans impose the cat ladders on their cats because they find them practical,” Schuster said.
Dennis C. Turner, a veteran cat behaviorist, said they do need the cat ladders! “They’re very important. But they’re rarely mentioned in books about how to properly house cats,” he said.
Turner explained there are two reasons why cats do need cat ladders – for their physical safety and their mental well-being. Cats actually do not always land on their feet and could injure themselves from leaping to and from high buildings.
Photos by Brigitte Schuster
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