By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Curiosity is thrilling the cats at the Wood County Humane Society.
Lily Rader, a member of Boy Scout Troop 9344, has built an obstacle course for cats at the Wood County Humane Society. There are swinging bridges to navigate, soft hammock to sink into, and steps for cats not crazy about jumping.
Lily, a freshman at Bowling Green High School, decided to combine her fondness for felines with her desire to achieve an Eagle rank with her troop. So she approached the Wood County Humane Society for some options.
The organization had a “cat wall” of sorts, with wire mesh shelves that would sometimes fall. So humane society staff suggested that Lily create a new cat wall to give the felines in the shelter space to exercise their physical skills and their mental curiosities.
So Lily – who prefers cats over dogs – went to work designing a challenging and safe “cat wall,” to install in the feline play room at the shelter.
“They’re playful. They’re cute. And they’re a little more calm than dogs,” she said.
Lily selected surfaces that could easily be cleaned, sewed a couple cat hammocks, put together PVC piping, painted beads piecing together the swinging bridges, and constructed little “hidey-hole” beds for cats wanting to curl up rather than climb around.
With the help of troop parents, holes for the cat wall shelves were drilled into the concrete. Then several of Lily’s fellow troop members helped her install the elements of the obstacle course, including pom poms for cats to bat around.
The cat wall has proved to be quite popular with the feline population at the humane society, according to Kelly Wolbert, interim manager at the shelter.
“We really appreciate the work they did – and so do the kitties,” Wolbert said.
Acknowledging that any shelter setting isn’t ideal for cats, Wolbert said the wall gives the felines vertical space for climbing, and is good for them physically and mentally.
“It’s a wonderful addition,” she said. “They really enjoy it.”
The cat wall is built to hold up, Wolbert said.
“They were trying out the hammocks,” and staff was worried about them bearing the weight of the largest cat at the shelter. But the structure did not buckle under the 15-pound feline, Wolbert said. “Which is how we knew they were going to be OK.”
Despite the temptation to take home another cat from the shelter, Lily already has one rescue cat at home. Pebbles came to the Raders’ home a few years ago, during the COVID pandemic.
“She just showed up on our porch,” Lily said, explaining that her mom, Andrea, couldn’t resist feeding the stray.
“She slowly made it into the house” and is now a family member, Lily said of Pebbles.
Lily followed in the footsteps of her brother Quinn, who was already a scout with Troop 9344.
“It seemed more interesting,” she said of Boy Scouting. She is joined by a handful of other girls in the troop, all who have brothers in scouting or fathers as scoutmasters.
