In the 1950s, the celebrated Frank Lloyd Wright designed and built a house for a cat named Felinus. This little house, in Cherokee red (the American genius’s favorite color), belonged to the daughter of Gerald Tonken, whose home, The Tonkens House, in Ohio, had also been built by Wright. 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 regard, we cannot say that creations specifically designed for cats are centered in the United States. Rather, their epicenter is in Asia. From Japan and China, quite some time ago, came the first reports of cat cafés, gourmet food for felines, and even beer… What many initially considered Asian eccentricity or weirdness has spread across the globe and become an unstoppable trend. That is why today we must acknowledge that, when it comes to cats, Asians have always been visionaries.
“Catitecture,” as we know it today, probably originated in those pioneering cat cafés. It is an architectural movement now established throughout the world, in which creativity and imagination are used to improve the quality of life of ARISTOCATS in today’s homes.
This movement is partly a response to today’s lifestyle, in which ARISTOPARENTS spend long days away from home while their cats are left alone. Although cats are generally quite independent, they also need stimulation and an enriched environment where they can give free rein to their curiosity, explore, play…
Aware of this, the team at LYCS Architecture (a prestigious Hong Kong-based firm) developed a table for your cat to play on while you work at your computer. This table, called CATable, contains holes and hideaways that will drive your cat wild with joy because, besides being close to you, it will be playing and discovering the possibilities offered by this ingenious table. And what more could you ask for? You can get your work done while keeping your furry friend close and entertained.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIUPr3jBGb6/?taken-by=lycsarchitecture
The table was such a success that the CATable 2.0 soon followed, with more of a modular wooden shelving format. Truly beautiful.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BIUXjRZhoxQ/?taken-by=lycsarchitecture
Another wonderful example of catitecture comes from the Taiwanese firm INDOT (yes, Asians are still at the forefront of feline design). In this case, it is not a piece of furniture but rather a little house that can accommodate four cats (a family). This little house was built from glass and wood (in the style of a glass-fronted box) and designed to preside over the living room (of course, it is only suitable for large living rooms), giving the cats a complete view of everything happening in the space while they have fun in their little house or rest.
The wonderful thing about this house is that it also contains small openings through which the cats can come and go freely. Of course, this is not about locking cats up or restricting their freedom, but about offering them a home where they can see and be seen by their owners, and where they can find everything they need to feel comfortable: scratching posts, mats, slots… And where they can also roam freely.
Photos: Pixnet
There is no doubt that these are rather sophisticated options and probably not affordable for everyone. But as feline design becomes more accessible, they eventually will be. Just give it time! In the meantime, we can always enrich our ARISTOCATS’ home environment, just as we explained here.