How many cats do you have at home? Since you are already here, I assume you are either a cat-slave or a cat entertainer. My cat is a middle-aged boy who truly believes he is great at trekking around all the furniture in the house. From day one, when he scooted about the house as a kitten intent on scratching and peeling away every bit of fabric from my sofa to my curtain, to the current day – when every new bag of plastic or a chair gets scrutinized by the sniffy nose and scratchy paws, my cat owns my furniture before me. So when I saw the furniture you will read about in the below article, I knew how much he would like it. It is like having a Japanese cat-cafe at my home office (I knew this day would come one day). So now keep your paws on your mouse and scroll below!
My needy, pet-loving self has tried to create a comfortable resting space for this cat. I’ve left nests of beach towels on my floor, hoping he’ll curl up on top of them. Sometimes I wonder, What could I do to make my bedroom his favorite place? The Gatrimonial bed frame, made by a company called CatLife, made this dream a reality. They make furniture that doubles as an adventurous cat’s dream. At first glance, the bed frame looks like a hollow base with circular entrances in each corner. It has plenty of space for your cat to stretch its limbs underneath your bed. When you lift the mattress, it reveals an elaborate maze to keep your feline entertained. The frame also has two sections with a splattering of tiny paw-sized holes that could either be peep-holes or a little trap for unsuspecting paw swipes. Your ankles will not appreciate it, but your cat will love the hunt.
In all the desk designs I’ve seen over the years, this is a first for me! It’s called ‘Ascend,’ and it’s been created by Dan Devine for all the cat ladies and fellas out there. Like any cat person will tell you, the moment you give attention to anything but your furry friend, they’ll find a way to lounge on your keyboard or knock over your utensils until it’s back on them! So designed with this in mind, the wood desk has been crafted with multiple ramps and landings for cats to perch up and play. So if you can’t fight ’em, invite ’em!
The Cat Flat has been carefully designed based on the advice of Sweden’s first cat psychologist, Susanne Hellman Holmström, who brought to light the 10 necessities apart from essentials that cats need for the best emotional and physical health. The needs range from scratching, cleaning fur, playing, discovering, being social, etc., and Cat Flat takes care of them all, keeping in mind they spend most of their time indoors. So think of it as a hybrid of a home and a jungle gym for your cat.
Pulpet initially consists of eco-friendly paper cutouts, which are ultimately handcrafted and put together to assemble a cat house in the shape of a geometric, sitting cat. Users can easily assemble Pulpet without any additional building components. Prepared with all the necessary contents for assembly, Pulpet is easily constructed by adhering the geometric faces together to form the shape of a cat. If, like me, the shape of a cat doesn’t readily come to your creative eye, an assembly manual comes included with the paper house cutouts.
Cat Person provides ‘whole cat care,’ as they call it, which means they’ve considered everything, even giving the shipping containers a second purpose. The team at Cat Person knows that your cat will inevitably find its way to a cardboard box in the recycling corner, so they’ve made their shipping containers convertible into feline-friendly toys. Cat Person looked to industrial design to make further use of cardboard boxes and found transformation possible in corrugated cardboard and seams. Chris Granneberg, a California-based industrial designer, SLATE, a San Francisco-based strategic design studio, and Paul Davis, a UK-based illustrator, were all called on by Cat Person to seamlessly turn their cardboard shipping boxes into playhouses fit for felines.
The Circle Zero from PLUTO is a smart litter box that takes care of your cat’s business. Designed to be fully automated, fully enclosed, and exceptionally silent, the litter box comes with a completely enclosed design to provide a private experience. Sensors on the box detect the cat’s presence and wait for a full 7 minutes after they’re done to automatically (and silently) scoop the waste from the litter and store it separately while completely containing and eliminating any odor. Once the waste compartment is full, you can use any bag or liner to collect it and throw it away.
Industrial designer Jong Hoon Yoon from Seoul, Korea, pondered the unique idea of thinking from a pet’s perspective and designing an intuitive TV stand. Christened “With,” the space-saving TV unit doubles as a cozy spot for your cat to never let go of. All this while being considerate of the kind human too. Yes, With considers the positioning of the cat and the fellow human, they both are in their comfort zone and don’t bother each other. For us, the TV is a mere entertainment source and lousy around on our couch binge-watching streaming content. But, on the other hand, the heat produced from the TV and the accompanying electronics is an opportunity for your pet to curl up and enjoy in their own space.
People in small living spaces use low furniture (such as rugs, floor chairs) to build intimate, relaxing areas, while cats prefer covert spaces, but there are not many places to hide or play due to the limited space. CatYou in a Circle by Jack Dogson (ironic, huh!)didn’t want to separate the pets from their owners, so it is designed to bring them together while also maintaining boundaries cleverly. The hollow armrests and backrest offer cats a playground and hiding territory, while the coffee table provides a place to sleep. The woven bamboo texture makes it possible for owners to see their cats even when they hide and play through its holes. The size of holes is different in different parts of the furniture to adapt to the pet’s needs and humans. For example, the backrest holes are smaller to make the cats feel more secure. But holes above are bigger so that when people lean on the sofa, they can see through the backrest and find their cats underneath.
Sharing space has become more challenging post-pandemic as our work and non-work lives have merged into one home, but we have also started spending a lot more time with our pets, who may be thinking, “why is this human taking over my favorite chair?” So Space International created catHAUS that encourages harmony between you and your cat when you are in the same space! The angular furniture piece was envisioned to be a domestic retreat for an undomesticated species. However, it incorporates your needs and your pet’s needs too – two different functions but in the same piece of furniture. For you, catHAUS is a seating option, and for your cat, it is a landscape of different textures. Playing off of the iconographic conventions of the familiar gable roof, catHAUS operates at the scale of both shelter and furniture.
Forget those ugly carpet-covered cat towers! Instead, give your furry friend a place to perch up and keep an eye on things with the Spaceship Gamma Clear Cat Perch by MYZOO. Feline tested and approved, the easy-to-mount design provides an elevated sanctuary for your cat to nap and hang out. A see-through dome provides your pet with panoramic views of your room, while well-placed vents keep the inside fresh. Crafted from a combination of transparent acrylic and wood in light and dark finishes, it’s also designed to accent your interior.
