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6 Cat House Designs That Prove Just How Purr-fect They Can Actually Be

Cat houses and play structures may be great for the felines in your life, but in terms of home decor, they often leave a whole lot to be desired. So if you’re embarrassed by the sight of that jute-wrapped pole or rug-covered cat tree in your living room, you will be delighted to know that cat houses have come a long way.

Want proof? Check out these too-cool-for-school cat houses from the annual Architects for Animals’ Giving Shelter event to raise money for FixNation, which provides free spay/neuter services for homeless cats. The gorgeous cat habitats are created by a group of architects and designers in Southern California, shown off at the Herman Miller Showroom in Culver City, and then auctioned off for the charity.

While these pedigreed cat residences are all one of a kind, the architects all say it’s quite easy for anyone to knock off their work with a bit of balsa wood, scraps of felt, and a glue gun. We asked these designers about their rules on how to build a DIY cat house that satisfies the felines as well as their design-oriented owners.

1. A cat house doesn’t have to look like a ‘house’

Why does a cat house need to look like a cat house? Well, it doesn’t. Why not create one that looks like modern art instead!

To build this structure, Abramson Teiger Architects took big pieces of PVX pipe, lined the insides with red felt, then connected them into a cat house that evokes a giant game of jacks.

2. A cat habitat should be playful

The beauty of this cat habitat is that kitty can not only nap in it, but also play with it, batting it right off the stand and across the room. Then there’s the ersatz hamster ball potential—the possibilities are endless!

And best of all, you will never believe how easy it would be to duplicate this giant “Ball of Twine” by Abramson Teiger Architects. Architect Douglas Teiger confided that he’d made this adorable abode by simply dragging brown twine through Elmer’s Glue and wrapping it around a beach ball. After the glue dried, he punctured and removed the ball, leaving the sphere of twine. That perfectly round opening? He taped a bucket to the beach ball. And the round base is an Elmer’s Glue–coated rope coil. Place a colorful round pillow inside, and voila! You have a shelter that’s as fun to play with as it is to look at.

3. A cat habitat can be upcycled junk

This kitty structure is the size of a sturdy piece of playground equipment, and d3architecture designed it to evoke the outdoor world of feral cats. The designers used materials found in alleys—in this case, discarded HVAC equipment. They created a wild array of tunnels and passageways for kitties to explore and play in, but at the center is a tranquil space where they can chill.

If you live in an area where you have a decent amount of space and a number of cats, feral or otherwise, this one would be relatively inexpensive and easy to assemble.

4. A cat habitat should feel good

Susan Grossinger of HOK Product Design knows that texture is important to cats, so she lined the interior of these circular chambers with the softest plush fur she could find for cozy cat napping. Then she wrapped the entire kitty condo structure with a banner of sturdy burlap, not just to help hold it together, but to also give the cats something to claw, meeting a greater number of feline kneads, er, needs.

5. A cat habitat should be cozy

This “Catosphere” has a bit of a Sputnik vibe and was designed for outdoor use, but we think it would look great inside in any Mid-Century Modern setting. This one is made of a prefab concrete shell, but if you’re going to try this at home, you could easily use clay or concrete planter bowls, says architect Jeff Allsbrook. He raised the structure off the ground with brass legs, but you can use whatever inspires you at your local home improvement store.

This one has gorgeous teak pivoting wall panels, but if you don’t want to go that fancy, you could simply use wooden dowels to let the sun in and separate the ceiling from the floor. But whatever you do, don’t forget to put a comfy (washable) pillow inside. This shelter was meant for cat napping, after all.

6. A cat habitat can be fun for humans, too

“It’s hard to say what cats like to look at,” says Nathan Mattson of Perkins + Will, who designed the UnFURled cat structure along with colleague Louis Peiser. They came up with something sculptural that humans would like to look at, and something functional that would give cats varied experiences. By the way, humans get varied experiences as well, because those parts fit together like Tinkertoys, and the whole structure can be reconfigured to fit your space. 

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