Designer Cat Shelters
When we think about buying or building a home for ourselves, we look for the most creative ideas. We want our abodes to be eye-catching, cosy and functional. Then why should the homes of our pets be any different? Imagine your pet cat. When you are away from your home on a short getaway or at the office, it is the home you build for them that provides safety and shelter. So, would you not want it to be as creative as your own house? Mr. John, during an interaction with Maitre Mao Team, said, “When I was working with Besten, I interacted with a lot of international architects. In my overall experience, a lot of cat parents asked for artistic cat homes”.
The Industrial Architects were requested frequently to create shelters that not only kept pet tabby’s warm and snuggled during long winter months but were also inventive. The aim was to build cat homes that moved beyond pure functionality. Even though a simple structure made out of Styrofoam and duct tape is more than enough for a feline, it is the sensibility of humans that urged them to look for inventive solutions.
Points For Design
Any cat-owner who is considering making a creative home for their pet or thinking of asking someone else to design it, there are specific pointers that need to be kept in mind.
• Always build a shelter that can be quickly picked up. The maximum weight it should have should be only that much that one person can lift it with ease.
• The inside space of the cat home should not exceed the height of sixteen inches. Any higher than that and the house doesn’t retain the body heat of the feline which is the foremost reason for building the home.
• Some sort of bedding like straw or stuffed cushion is essential. It allows for the heat to be captured.
• Always, always make the shelter waterproof, especially if you are going to keep the cat home outside for long periods. Weatherproof construction materials are ideal because water is the main reason why cat-homes get destroyed. Remember it is not snow that is the enemy number one but water.
• For those cat parent who is thinking of DIY, a Rubbermaid container is an easy solution for shelter. Such vessels can be found anywhere, and they are incredibly functional.
• For a more creative bend to a DIY cat shelter, think of upcycling. Re-use an old cardboard box and seal it using standard duct tape. Line the inside cavity of the box with Styrofoam which can be upcycled from old packaging. If you live in an area where the temperature rises remarkably high, add one more layer of insulation to keep your cat warm.
To give the cat home a unique touch, use old, discarded jeans to decorate it. Cut up some pairs of jeans into strips. Use the pieces to make a braid and then stick the braid around the cardboard. The entire look of the pet shelter transforms into a rug that is reminiscent of old storybooks.
Wonderful shelter ideas for cats! I feel that cats too deserve customized shelters like dogs. Sadly, most cat owners are not realizing the importance of cat shelters. This article nicely emphasizes the importance of cat shelters. Love the photos too!
This is one of the interesting and useful posts on cat shelters! I agree to all the points mentioned here. I particularly love the DIY cat shelter ideas. I have lots of experience in making DIY cat shelters using the scraped household items.
Yes! Water can be more harmful to cat health. I had to learn this in a bad way when one of my cats suffered from serious health problems due to staying in shelter damaged due to water. It is good that this post neatly highlighted this issue.
When it comes to cat bedding, I prefer straw version over the other synthetic counterparts. Apart from being organic, straw beds provide an exceptional level of comfort and safety to the feline during the winter season. You can check some amazing cat straw beds online.
Short, crisp yet highly informative article on cat shelters! All the key points are neatly highlighted and I like the cat shelter photos too. I would also like to add that cat litters should be kept away from cat shelter as far as possible, as the cats are sensitive to odors.
Cat needs proper shelter, but most cat owners do not realize this. They think cats don’t require a proper shelter like dogs. Hope this article, enlightens all the cat owners in this regard. Cat shelters can be made at low cost using the left of materials.
Very informative post about cat shelters! When designing and constructing our new home, I asked the builder to make a proper shelter for my cat and he did it happily. Cat deserves a proper shelter like us and they can be easily affected due to excess heat and cold.
This article clearly explains the need of providing a functional and appealing shelter to the pet cats. One can make the cat shelter more functional by equipping with proper bedding. Good bedding should be amply cushioned and should provide adequate warmth during the winter season.
This article clearly highlights the importance of creating a waterproof shelter for cat. Contrary to what most people thinks, water is more damaging to the cats than the ice. So, if you are building a outdoor cat shelter, make sure it has a waterproof construction.