Barbara Geier: Cat houses? Only in Switzerland

TEXT & PHOTOS: BARBARA GEIER

Did you know that Switzerland “may be the best place in the world to be a housecat?” National Geographic wrote this a few years back in an article on Swiss cat ladders that I came across recently, opening up a whole new world for me. Because, reader, I had no idea that Swiss cat owners are (or seem to be) masters in providing their pets with cat-specific house architecture. And I’m loving it!

Needless to say, I have a soft spot for cats, too. Among their many special traits, it’s their independence that I find fascinating. Something that should be supported by humans wherever possible. Which is exactly what those Swiss cat ladders on house fronts up and down the country do: enabling cats, even the ones living on higher up floors, to come and go as they please.

Those custom-built structures that range from simple wooden planks and scaffolding-like structures to spiral staircases and zig-zag structures are even celebrated in their own book. Brigitte Schuster, a German photographer and writer, was so amazed by those cat ladders and ramps when she moved to Bern, that she produced a whole book about the city’s cat ladders and the relationship between urban residents and their domestic pets. According to recent statistics, cats are by far the country’s most popular pet, with more than 1.5 million felines living in Switzerland. According to our cat ladder scholar Schuster, the key reason why cats are the number one pet is because around two thirds of Swiss households live in rented housing – and landlords prefer cats to dogs.

Based on my research so far into this particular segment of Swiss infrastructure, it also seems that Bern not only is the capital of Switzerland but also the capital of cat ladders. But please, any Swiss cat ladder experts out there who might be reading this, feel free to correct me! Readers might also wonder (as I did) about the legal situation, that is can anyone just build a cat ladder on the house they live in? Well, yes and no. There’s no mention of cat ladders in Swiss tenancy law, so individual tenancy agreements apply. Meaning, if your landlord is happy and your neighbours too, cat ladder building doesn’t seem to be too much of a problem. I’m sure there are more rules to consider (assuming they need to be burglar-proof!) but given how many there are, the regulations can’t be too forbidding. Again, I’m happy to hear from any Swiss cat ladder experts with more insights – and otherwise, give it up for this great example of Swiss pet-friendly pragmatism!

Barbara Geier is a London-based freelance writer, translator and communications consultant. She is also the face behind www.germanyiswunderbar.com, a German travel and tourism guide and blog that was set up together with UK travel writer Andrew Eames in 2010.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Discover Germany, Switzerland & Austria.

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