In the 1950s, the famous Frank Lloyd Wright designed and built a house for a cat named Felinus. This little house, painted Cherokee red (the American genius's favorite color), belonged to the cat of Gerald Tonken's daughter, for whom Wright had also built a home, The Tonkens House, in Ohio. This house can now be seen at the Feline History Museum in Ohio, along with other inventions designed for feline enjoyment.
Photo: Feline History Museum
Although Lloyd Wright was a pioneer in this aspect, we cannot say that cat-specific creations have their epicenter in the United States. Rather, it's Asia. From Japan and China, we've long heard the first news of cat cafés, gourmet food for felines, and even beers… What was initially considered by many to be Asian eccentricity or weirdness, has spread across the globe to become an unstoppable trend. That's why today we must acknowledge that, when it comes to cat matters, Asians have always been visionaries.
It was probably in these pioneering cat cafes that what we now know as “Catitecture” originated, an architectural trend already established worldwide, where creativity and imagination are used to improve the quality of life of ARISTOCATS in modern homes.
This trend is partly a response to today's lifestyle, where ARISTO-PARENTS spend long hours away from home, while cats are left alone. While cats are generally quite independent, they also need stimulation and an enriched environment where they can unleash their curiosity, explore, play…
Aware of this, the team at LYCS Architecture (a prestigious Hong Kong studio) has developed a desk for your cat to play on while you work on the computer. This desk, called CATable, contains holes and hiding places that will drive your cat wild with joy because, in addition to being close to you, they'll be playing and discovering the possibilities this ingenious desk offers. And as for you, what more could you ask for: you get your work done, while your furry friend is close by and entertained.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIUPr3jBGb6/?taken-by=lycsarchitecture
Such was the success of this table that CATable 2.0, which is more of a modular wooden shelving unit, was soon released. Truly beautiful.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIUXjRZhoxQ/?taken-by=lycsarchitecture
Another wonderful example of catitecture comes to us from the Taiwanese studio INDOT (yes, it's still Asians who are at the forefront of cat design). In this case, it's not a piece of furniture but rather a small house with capacity for four cats (a family). This house has been built with glass and wood (like a glass box) and has been designed to be a centerpiece in the living room (of course, only suitable for large living rooms), so that the cats have a complete view of everything happening in that space, while also having fun in their house or resting.
The wonderful thing about this house is that it also contains small holes so that cats can enter or exit freely. Of course, this is not about confining cats or restricting their freedom, but about offering them a home where they can see and be seen by their owners, and where they find everything they need to be comfortable: scratching posts, mats, slots… And where they can roam freely.
Photos: Pixnet
Undoubtedly, these are quite sophisticated options and probably not suitable for all budgets. But as cat design becomes more democratic, they will eventually be. Give it time! Meanwhile, we will always have the option of enriching our ARISTOCATS' home environment, as we told you here.