I'm setting up some shelves on my wall for my cats to run and jump on, but I'm a bit stuck on how much support I'll need. The supports are usually made for static objects, not for when a cat jumps down onto them. I did some calculations assuming the highest drop between shelves is about 2/3 meters, giving a landing velocity of around 3.6 m/s. After landing, if the cat takes about 0.25 seconds to stop, that would mean a deceleration of 14.4 m/s². Considering my cat weighs about 6 kg, it looks like he'd exert around 145.2 N of force when he lands. That translates to needing support rated for roughly 15 kg. Is that right? Should I be looking for something even sturdier?
3 Answers
Hey, your math looks solid! But let's be real—cats are like little furry ninjas. They jump and land in ways that defy logic! I'd recommend you double the weight support just to be safe. Imagine if you’ve got two cats jumping at once or if one lands a bit awkwardly. You don’t want to risk a shelf disaster! Better safe than sorry, so aim for supports rated for at least 30 kg just to cover all bases. It's not worth the headache of cleaned-up cat chaos if things go wrong.
Thanks for the advice! I think I'm gonna go for two heavy-duty supports per shelf. Safety first!
You’ve got to remember, cats operate outside the laws of physics sometimes. They do their own thing, so it’s always good to overestimate how sturdy your shelves need to be. Trust me, you don’t want to be dealing with a broken shelf and a bunch of startled cats later on. Better to invest in something that can hold a lot more than your calculations suggest!
Lol, cats are definitely not bound by gravity! They’re going to jump wherever they please. Play it safe and just make sure those shelves can handle more than what you think. It’s better to have too much support than not enough!
Totally with you on that! I’m in the same boat trying to figure out how to support my shelves safely. I think I'll go for the more heavy-duty supports just to keep it cat-friendly!