When i lived in apartments i had separate rooms and if something was off limits to the cat i could just close the door. In the tiny house, everything is open. So i had to come up with a way to cat-proof my grandmother’s rocking chair. I stretched trash bags over the cushions and put them on top of the free standing closet when not in use. However, there was still a square of felt stretched across the seat of the rocking chair. The cat would definitely christen this if given a chance. I decided a piece of wood would be the way to go; a flat piece of wood i could slide in place when the chair was not in use. Just to make sure she abhorred it, i would rub it down with lemon oil. I bought a piece of plywood at home depot. I knew from past experience that they did not do diagonal lines. They could only cut things into perfectly straight squares and rectangles with their jigsaw beast. So, i watched a youtube video and taught myself to use a circular saw. I laid the board of wood on an overturned bucket and marked where i wanted it cut. I anchored the piece with my knee and made the cuts. Then i sanded all sides and edges of the piece of wood and drenched it in lemon oil. Once it had dried i blotted the excess oil away with paper towel and tested it out. As soon as the lemon scented piece of wood came within 3 feet of the cat she squinched up her nose and ran. I slid the piece of wood into place on the rocking chair and my place was officially cat ready. Eventually our cat would pick something else to pee on (the stove burners) at which point she would join my friend and her family. However, at this point in time we were still moving mountains and air trying to make sure the environment was set up for her best level of success in our family.
