Homes focus on cat friendly design

Some cat owners in Asia are designing their apartments with their cats in mind.

Transforming their homes into so-called cat flats, cat owners in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are adding cat friendly features at home. These include tiny arched doorways connecting rooms, shelves that serve as climbing frames, scratching surface doubling as decorative features, and staircases build for a cat’s size.

Taking Taiwan as an example, since 2001, cat popularity has increased by 91% and owners are spending $598.4 million on pet-related products and services a year, according to the Council of Agriculture.

Firms like the Taipei-based ST Studio Design, the Tokyo-based architecture firm Key Operation, and the South Korean OBBA architects are being commissioned more frequently to make these accommodations. Sometimes the challenge isn’t easy, considering the size of apartments in the city. Take one home in Hong Kong, that measures only 309 square feet and needs room for three cats. Cat walks up near the ceiling give the cats more places to go and make the living space less crowded.

The article on CNN provides a slideshow of these new and emerging cat flats.

Photo credit: © iStock/debibishop

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