You probably don’t want to hear this, but you need cat furniture if you want your cat to lead a happy life. Even if that’s not your main concern, your cat will develop behavioral issues if they don’t have their environmental needs met.
If you’re concerned about your cat’s stuff ruining your aesthetic, I have some good news: you can blend cat furniture into your home. You will need to make some compromise and alter the appearance of your home to some degree, but it doesn’t need to be filled with bright pink cat trees. Here’s how to hide cat furniture while still keeping your cat happy.
Choose Upscale Cat Furniture
The easiest solution to keeping cat furniture out of sight is by going with furniture that blends in with your other furniture. I have a whole guide on picking out modern cat furniture with more details, but companies like the Refined Feline, Tuft and Paw, and others make some really nice pieces of furniture that actually look good in your home.
You can also look on Etsy where there is a LOT of options for furniture that looks nice or may look like something entirely. For example, you can get a geometric cube cat bed that just looks like an interesting end table, but is actually a cozy cat nook. There are so many options that I can’t possibly highlight all of my favorites so check it out if you’re curious. You’ll find something you like!
Something That Sticks Out, But Make It Classy
You could also embrace the cat furniture look and go for a classier looking piece. I am obsessed with this fun cat swing cat tree that looks like an actual tree. It will stick out a bit, but it’s nice to look at and I bet your guests will take notice of how nice your home looks, cat furniture included!
Repurpose Human Furniture
If you can’t find something you like that’s marketed toward cats, why not use human furniture? Cats don’t care about marketing. Many pieces of human furniture can be used for cats including:
- Bookcases as cat trees (or bookcase cat trees, which are close)
- Chairs as perches or resting spots
- Console tables or enclosed shoe racks as vertical space in narrow hallways
- A cheap chair can be used as a scratching post
Combine Cat Furniture And Human Furniture
If you really don’t want to give your cat furniture of their own (even if it looks nice), you can still meet their needs by choosing human furniture with features for cats or cat furniture with features for humans built in. For example, you can get a desk with a built in cat tree that comes in a nice wooden finish. If your concern is adding a scratching post that isn’t super conspicuous, an end table with scratchers solves that issue.
For other items, you may have to modify the cat furniture slightly. For example, getting a cat shelf with a water bowl in it could be repurposed to plant a cat safe plant (as long as your cat isn’t prone to chewing plants). While I don’t recommend litter box enclosures for actual litter boxes, you can use them as a cozy resting spot for cats. For you, they can be used as an end table or a TV stand (just make sure you protect cords so no injuries occur).
Make Modifications To Your Existing Furniture
Do you have a cube bookshelf or, one of my favorite piece of human furniture can be modified for cats, a staircase bookshelf? Remove stuff from a few of the cubbies and replace them with a cat cubby. A cozy blanket (especially a soft, cloud like one) can be a great choice.
To add in scratchers, you can either use a furniture cover scratcher or an adhesive backed scratching carpet to give your cats somewhere to scratch. This can be used on both hard or soft surfaces, but make sure you test a bit on a discreet location first. Depending on your preferences, you can get a variety of colors so it blends in or sticks out. Totally up to you!
If you have a desk or table, adding a Desk Nest will keep your cat off your desk while you work without taking up usable space for you. They’ll stick out a bit, but you can pick from two different wood finishes so they actually look really nice in addition to being incredibly functional.
You Can Have A Nice Home With Cats
While yes, you absolutely need a place for your cat to climb and other cat furniture, that doesn’t mean you also can’t enjoy your home. It just means you have to compromise. If you aren’t willing to make any changes at all, honestly? You may want to reconsider having a cat.
You can hide things in plain sight, though. Whether it’s a creative cat tree or a bookshelf that can be turned into a gorgeous secret cat tree, you can make your home look nice while making your kitty happy.
