7 Ways Cats Help You Decorate

indiasnowden Bump. Love this - when can my simple minded human companion buy the book for my cocktail table? Drawings of all my favorite activities! Maxwell (the king of rescue cats)

groveraxle Too funny. I don't have cats; I find dogs do much the same thing but with more breakage and a lot less class.

Laura Gaskill So awesome! And the drawings are delightful! :)

salex This Is Awesome! Funniest (and truest) ideabook ever!

Lanie Brown Our alpha girl cat definitely adds a sense of elegance to our home - at least she thinks she does!

MERAV enjoyable post!!!!

olldbobbi "They bring an element of texture to your decor"!!! Love that! It's not easy to laugh at 4 AM, but this ideabook did it!!!

Molly Brandenburg Meow! my tabby and two tuxedo cats thank you, as they are shredding up my couch!

Laura O. Sweet and funny...love the drawings!

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR So timely. I arrived at my client's home for our photo shoot to find their kitty trying his hand ... well okay, his paw ... at photo styling. He has apparently taken a course in advanced bed fluffing.

Sara Makki very funny :) and yes it is true what you have mentioned about cats..we used to have one long time before...and it do the exact things

Claudia Bereshnyi I do cat rescue and have, ahem, 10 *cough* cats. Yeah, I know.

Anyhoo- my point is I know very well these scenarios! However, in my case? "They ground an open floor plan" means all the SHATTERED pottery I have in my house.

I think my tuxedo Moo is far too interested in mosaics. Now if he only had the thumbs to be able to set them in the mortar!

In the Spirit of Decor what a fun, unique article--I love it!

Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel They are the first to repurpose furniture. Here an armoire becomes a cozy sleeping loft.

kimber11 Love this article...very true and funny. I have always had cats and the angel that I have now does warm up the entryway...as soon as I leave the house (even if to take garbage out) she sits at the door and meows and trys to open the door. When I return she pretends she has been just chillin' on the mat.

bennycatgirl *applause* All very funny and accurate drawings. Hard to choose a favourite as they are all so good. Three paws up (one each from the family of Humane Society Specials who rule, uh, share this house)! :)

ozeekat Love this article my three cats and I aplaud it is so true

Wow Great Place Love this Ideabook! Well done!

Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel They prevent down quilts from becoming airborne.

Fine Art & Portraits by Laurel Cats maintain patio furniture meticulously.

pettus87 I have a cat and this so true she does all of this

ginger22 Yep, they do all that and more! Gotta love the little furry kids!

ddelora Years ago, I used to have a decorative item on top of a microwave (non-breakable, thankfully). He decided the microwave was a perfect, high, central location in which to survey his kingdom. Each time he lit on the top, he would swipe his paw at the item and send it crashing to the floor.

Thanks to this article, I now understand he was simply giving me a decorating tip - "It doesn't look good here...place it on the floor, next to the buffet to anchor that corner!"

J Brulee Home Awesome, thanks for sharing :-)

beatricel My cat totally affected my decor! I purchased a lovely litterbox furniture, and a scratch post that looks like modern art! I have framed photos for my little darling

nzdanovich Our kitties love to help us with each one of these decor ideas - especially the cardboard box salvaged item idea!

mcd53 I love they bring the outdoors in. My daughter's cat is very proud of all the things he brings in, but she called her dad the other day wanting to know how to tell,the difference between snakes. She thought Milo had brought in a coral snake.....he had. She was to afraid to take her eye off it and google it.
She is twenty seven now and we have butted heads over her cats since she was 5 yrs old. I could never get past the cat smell.
I was at her home the other days and I would have never known she has 3 cats living there. She loves them as much as her sister lovers her children.
Oh I wish they had had whatever great products they have now then. We could have saved a lot of arguing. But those are her babies and where she goes, they go. The only thing that looked the same was the roll of toilet tissue rolled all,over the house. No odor though.

ltbeck My cat serves as a toss pillow in my den.

jassylou Love this, so true! My baby also loves shoes, just like her mom!

blfk LOL! We are always joking how our Siamese Snowshoes match our decor--completely coincidental, BTW. But I didn't realize how much more they were doing to add class to our home. What useful creatures they are! (indiasnowden, Maxwell reminds us of Musashi, our little Samurai Siamese, a king in his own right.)

jassylou @ donnaciano I would be interested to know what products your daughter uses that work so well. thanks.

Twana So cute! And true too!
(I just love cats.)

Casart Coverings My first Maine coon, who went from Tom to Sir Thomas when I decided I'd had enough of his roaming ways and had him neutered, influenced my decor when I had this chair done by a Kentucky folk artist. That's Lucky (lucky we rescued her from SPCA and pending demise) trying it out. The artist told me she made a set of 8 chairs for a client with each one capturing the personality of the cat as my chair does!

Molly Brandenburg how fab-- that chair is the ultimate! love all the cat stories from everyone!

Kingsboro Lumber Co I was just at customers house that has all of the above going on.Amazed to see this it is as if I wrote it myself.I am going to email it to her.Thanks for the laugh I am a cat owner.

sugarpienorman Haaaaaa! Love this! So funny and so true!

UPSTAGING YOUR HOMES Well Done!!!! Cats add all of that & more to a home!!! Gracie is a food tester & Gigi checks out the housekeeping....

debrawakeland Four kittens ready to drop ship, so adorable, Mom arrived and delivered, keeping Mom, however they do add to the atmosphere on the back porch. Oh and check Dub out being overserved!

Molly Brandenburg oh adorable! already have a full house here...maybe some of the other commenters have some leads for homes??

debrawakeland Nothing better than very tight quarters!

Cheryl Morgan Mine loves a stool for checking the view. Great "funnies".

darleensaunders They are great for giving garden advice too. Here Sami peruses the Western Garden Book for new species of catnip.

stargazer51 I always look forward to Sunday and Wednesday mornings because I enjoy the Houzz Update with my coffee. This was a great way to start the day! My cat is especially appreciative of natural light. He moves around the house all day to find any warm patches of sunlight!

lorrismith We are the parents of fifteen feline children--mostly the result of helping an organization that saves cats, and captured, neutered or spayed ferals. I had five of my own and when mom feral cats were trapped and spayed they no longer nursed. I became mom (bottle feeding, etc). We had two litters that were not adopted and as my babies they remained with us--all neutered and with shots, Science Diet food, and lots of love. My husband--bless him--refers to this as my "hobby", a rather expensive one. They do all the shown activity and more. We converted the house to all tile floor, and even with regular vacuuming you will see fuzzy lumps blow across the floor. We have a changing group that share our bed at night and our laps daily. They are a joy.
Kittymom

Molly Brandenburg a lot of work but a lot of love too!! m

michelle renee they make sure the clothes are dry, soft and covered with cat hair! re wash, dry, repeat!

anneinthegarden Have you got a camera in my house or what!!??

bacci does anyone have our problem of bed sharing, just look at our cheeky cat ! he owns the place

dibobi I love this! I never realized how much my cats add to my decor!

skhrib Too funny, mine brought me a mouse this morning ( from outside )

Margery Momma kitty rescued her baby who became lost for six days after we moved to our new home. I posted signs,searched and called to no avail.
I decided to let the momma out to go searching. After 5 hours Rosetta was back with her baby!
They are what makes my house a home!

patscats2 How adorable and true.

jeromediaz i think maximillian agrees...

Molly Brandenburg love the kitties!! thank you! Maximillion appears almost royal!

Pratt and Larson Ceramics We couldn't agree more! They also make great models for product shots :)

anneinthegarden a day in our life...

Molly Brandenburg ha, these pics are great, what a riot. my two females got in an all out war last night over the perfect spot on my bed...almost kiling me in the process! m

Claudia Bereshnyi @Casart Coverings and @Wow Great Place- LOVE those pieces of furniture! Where did you get them???

And seriously? These photos? ADORABLE.

punk63 Absolutely love ALL the cat pictures!!! Don't know how I could not live with a cat or two or 6!!!

ozeekat I totally know what you mean I purchased a special piece of furniture for the cats also. Wonderful company though. Have to give them something to scratch if you want your good furniture to remain pristine.

anneinthegarden more of our day

ozeekat Yep sure do all three share if it is cold....it is still winter here ( down under )

janecalle Space saving techniques

Molly Brandenburg cat pileup!

Leslie Dawn knowles WE just redid our bathroom and I realize we seem to have picked marble by what goes with our cats! They of course love the new space and make themselves into wonderful ever changing accents. I'll try to post some pics later :-)

Molly Brandenburg the cat and marble or rug or wall color matching syndrome is referred to as "blender" pets. there's even a website about it!

Leslie Dawn knowles I didn't know that - cool. Funny thing is I didn't think of it per se but I can't help but think they had some influence. I love your cartoons and funniness btw thanks for sharing

tkap5 Love this article and seeing all the photos! Here is Perwinkle showing how to dual purpose the bathroom.

patscats2 When I was a volunteer at the local shelter people would actually come in to dump their pet because it didn't match the new furnishings or rug. No kidding, there are uncaring idiots like this in our world.

Casart Coverings @ Claudia Bereshnyi-the Sir Thomas cat chair is a piece by Donna Cook who lives in north central Kentucky and exhibited at the Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation in 1994 when it was commissioned. The seat is a checkerboard and Tom's long fluffy tail curls up in the back of the chair over his smoking jacket. I sent Donna photos of the room where I was going to place the chair and a description of the cat.. The bench is another example of her work.

Molly Brandenburg wow the bench is beautiful! also kitty in the sink. cat heaven!! yes google "blender pets" some pics come up that are hilarious. my grey tabby is a blender on my grey sofa...

yogapaws Cats give a "tail up" when the bedding is a perfect.....mess.

mona1964 Very cute article, im maintaining it is all accidental but another way cats can cosy up a home is that ive got two oriental cats- in chocolate and black and they go so well with my taupes/whites/ latte colours in my house

Molly Brandenburg neutral cats are great with any color scheme

imissliberty Just like a bi-metal thermostat, you can tell how warm or cold it is by how tight the cat curls.

Lana Macintosh Chanel is definitely a focal point of our house...

Tatjana Martinez so so true! gotta love them :-)

trunksy Unfortunately our cats bring mess, noise and smell. They are very highly strung... they have more hangups than our wardrobes. Our dog on the other hand... legend!! He makes the house better!

olldroo I had a great decorator cat, every year he insisted on being the Fairy on top of the Christmas tree. Cute as a kitten, but as a 7kg cat ..........he really added "shabby" to my "chic" tree.

Catherine Gardner Not to mention their stunning accoutrementes such as the huge domed plastic litterbox in the bathroom and their shag carpet covered 2x4's in the living room.

sbodiker A great piece! As a "pet parent," I have often wondered why cat fur is not considered a design element. Here's my take on animals and decor:

Molly Brandenburg yes...litter boxes should be created in a new designer line...they do rather ugly up a room!

iseult :) ^-^

imissliberty I have a book on passive solar architecture in which they take pride in hiding the solar mass (water, metal, rock, or concrete that soaks up the heat during the day and releases it at night). However, if there is a cat in the photo (and there often is), it is always a dead giveaway; no need to read the captions, the cat is on the solar mass.

Molly Brandenburg i call it the cat flatness concept. as the heat increases, they get flatter and flatter across the floor to stay cool...becoming like live bear rugs. very decorative for sure!!

anneinthegarden So what is it with cats? It's like having a houseful of two year olds.
You buy them toys, and they want to play with the boxes.
You let them go out, and they want to come in.
You let them in, they want to go out.
You're ready to go to bed, they want to stay up and play.
Time to get up and play (or do housework), and they want to sleep.
Time to go to the doctor? it is like trying to put a angry TIGER into the carrier, but once we get there a sweet little lamb on perfect behavior comes out of the carrier, and the vet wonders why I think it's such a hassle to bring them in?

patscats2 anne, don't you know we work for our cats? We are their employees. LOL

As for as having a Christimas tree, I haven't had a real one in my home for 23 years now thanks to the cats. At some point I always have one bad one who won't allow it. Our first year of being married we put up a tree. By the time Christmas day arrived there were no ornaments on the tree!! She taught us well.

Our cats bring us entertainment, love and the most beautiful accessory a room can have.

patscats2 This is Snow when he would play "surrogate mom" to all the rescue kittens I'd bring in. I truly think he should have been a girl. LOL The large orange one is Pete. Pete mock nursed on Snow till his passing a year ago, at the age of 7. Poor Pete had cancer.

Margery All I need to be happy are my wine and my cats! Luckily, I dont have whiny cats, or I'd need more wine, which gives me a headache.

roseteixeira hilarious!! Besides helping at decoration cats really bring love and fun to your house!

SERANTONI Designs Fabulous!

jofi44 Tell me about it! I have two boxes in my Fla room because I have no other place to put them.

mcd53 Mt youngest daughter says her sister would die without her cats. She has had one 7 yrs that she rescued from dumpster when she was going through the drive up at McDonalds one evening.
She jump out of her car after placing her order(others just had to wait), went right in that nasty thing and saved a baby kitty. Bottle feed it for weeks. I'm not a cat person but how can someone do that?
She calls it her watch cat. If it sits a stares at the door you can bet within 8 or 9 minutes someone shows up. And everything in her home is cats ...cats pictures, cups etc.

ktbwolf They taught me the value of leather & silk - hair does not stick to it. They work out on a woven door mat so the leather couch is intact.

blackchamois My cat helps me pick paint colors. Although, I'm not sure if she lays on top of the ones she likes best ... or if she is telling me I can only choose from the ones that are still visible ...

Lana Macintosh They do think that they rule the house and keep dogs at their paws...:)

Molly Brandenburg beautiful dog! dog as bear rug....love the kitty with paint colors!

mcd53 I don't know but i'll find out for you because she has 3 cats and she's in an apartment right now. And her place was a little messy so it wasn't like she had just cleaned everything.
I sent her the best cartoon of how a cat sees. The cat is looking around, pillow...bed, couch...bed,counter...bed, window sill...bed, floor pillow...bed. Then the cat looked at her owner and the words can opener pop up.
She got a tad on the defensive side...'.my cats know what I'm thinking and they love me'. Her words. And she was right. While we were talking they were in her lap rubbing her neck or laying on her feet. She's a nurse so the 1st break I can get her I'll find that out for you because that was something we always argued about as she was growing up. But whatever it is, it's good because I was really surprised.

mcd53 This is to funny. Just a few cartoons of cats and look at the response. My daughter says she doesn't cat rescue. She has 3 that are her children, but I think if you dive in a McDonalds dumpster to find a cat you think you hear(and she did), find it a good home and cry when you give it to the new owners(who happen to be friends), you are doing some help.
And why do they like very small boxes and very high places. She even plans all time off and vacations making sure they can visit me. And the list of instructions is longer than I get from from daughter for my grandsons.
I had 5 kids and I managed to get them to adulthood....I don't know what they think I am going to do.

mcd53 Patscats2, if someone is dumping their cats because they don't go with their decore, then I can't count them as real people. There are always those fakers that are worried more about what people think.
They don't have enough sense to realize that most people don't think it's a home unless there is a loved pet there.
6 months ago my husband had to go on home diaylisis and to be absolutely safe Molly had to go outside. She loves it, my poor husband couldn't stand it.
Homes without children or pets can be wonderful homes, but they aren't as fun as the home with one or the other or both in them. Proof is in the pictures!

mcd53 Molly, I will find out how my daughter hides the litter box and the odor and have her takes pictures for me(I am not that techno advanced).
That was something we argued about all the yrs she was growing up, and when I walked in the other day( i had stopped to pick her up a few groceries, emergency in the ER)her babies were in their special places and I could not smell anything.
She didn't ask for the groceries, I was just being nice......she asked me to check in on her babies. Her babies are smarter than me!

Molly Brandenburg yes the warm up the home...and the home office! Here's my tabby ava, helping me at work...

dpmccain We have 11 cats of various ages (and colors), and the priorities in any decorating choices are "will it withstand claws ( we have added 6 cat trees), and will cat fur brush off easily...and/or show? Many cat boxes line the back hallway (they all live inside). Thank you for the images...so true..so true..

yogapaws I had to comment again- This is my "outdoor" cat. Poor Letty & Bobcat have stare downs(thru the window) Drove Letty to aggressive behavior & peeing on tile flooring. After multiple visits our Vet suggested Prozac... and I finally agreed. Please no negative comments- unless someone has solution when a "lumpy, sweet" cat starts prowling, howling, growling & biting. Two weeks of meds & affectionate, kitty is back-even playing & eating again.

Molly Brandenburg thank you so much for your comment. we've been going through this with our cat Angel...and i'm taking her to the vet monday. she's a great cat but gets upset and starts peeing on everything...i'm at the end of my rope. so thanks for telling me that worked! m

yogapaws Molly- I hope all goes well. The rx is generic Fluoxetine 10 mg . 1/2 tab a day. funny is that it is called into Walgreens & filled to Collette Louise (my last name).... LOL

Molly Brandenburg thank you, the vet has mentioned it and i think it's time to do it...if it's generic then not too expensive i guess. thanks again. mb

olldroo My moggie ended up on Prozac once too, we had a very aggressive male down the road who had not been desexed and he actually came into my home and really made a mess of my little bloke. He wouldn't go out of the house for months afterwards and his whole personality changed. His toilet habits were cute though, he wouldn't use his litter tray but went into the shower recess and peed directly down the drain. Who says cats aren't intelligent!!! He wasn't on the Prozac very long and it worked a treat.

Lana Macintosh colour, texture,scale...

Teri Turan First of all, I think this story has had the most posts I have ever seen on Houzz. Hence, I'm thinking of starting a sister blog to Houzz. CatHouzz.com :)

Savena Doychinov, CKD/Design Studio International This is now officially my favorite Houzz discussion! I hope it keeps going forever.
I don't know how I had missed it until now. I'll be back revisiting all the adorable,
funny, gorgeous creatures posted for posterity here that bring so much beauty to our interior design, but also immeasurable love and happiness to our lives.
Thank you all for your great photos and funny, moving to tears comments! Please keep them coming...

Molly Brandenburg it's been such a delight to read the comments and see the wonderful pictures! I love Cat.Houzz.com!!!

Melanie Crabtree melanienc
Loved the article and reading all the posts! Cats (or any pet) really do make a house a home.

In addition to my sweet cat, the best investment I ever made in my home was a sturdy scratching post and scratch loungers. Every time my sweet kitty tried to use the furniture or rug as her scratcher -- I'd gently pickup her up and move her to the scratch lounger or scratching post. Now, that's all she uses!

Margery I did not know cats could respond to Prozac if needed! Amazing

Molly Brandenburg yes...another solution for behavior problems is the feliway wall plugin...calms them down with pheremones. really has calmed down our kitty, much more playful and affectionate.

Tatjana Martinez yes, feliway works great. havn't tried the plugin but have used the spray on couch corners and similar objects. they'll stop clawing the sprayed spots and surroundings

Jacquie I run an organization called Luxe Paws, which promotes adoption in L.A. & our rescue kitties are true design divas who adore faux fur & lucite!

Molly Brandenburg Awwww they are beautiful!!!! thanks for sending!! love the divas!! mollb

Casart Coverings Hi Molly, just wanted you to know we thought this ideabook was so entertaining that we mentioned it in our blog post today along with one of your drawings. Thanks so much.

http://www.casartcoverings.com/casartblog/who-knew/

Molly Brandenburg oh that is wonderful!! Thank you so much!! ps. new cartoons coming this week!!
love your blog! Thank you!! mollyb

minda24 Sharing is good!!!

mccutcheon1 Re smells (as if humans don't make any) Tidy Cats powdered deodorizer is like magic. It worked when one of my cats was on a diuretic. And it smells so fresh and a little citrusy that I put it in the bottoms of trash cans and bag it up to make sachets for my clothes.

Also, well worth a look is Animal House Style by Julia Szabo, featuring lots of stylish and clever suggestions.

Molly Brandenburg Thank you! also the arm and hammer powder is really good. And Nautre's Miracle spray to clean up spots. it's amazing. love the kitty drinking pics!!

daveyao Great summary.

ptjody What a good chuckle! As a cat owner, these 'toons are not far from the truth!

debrawakeland Rein in the cat! :) Not to be missed.

Jess @ homevolution Using salvaged materials - repurposing a shoe box into a stylish bed

olldroo Especially if it is 3 sizes smaller than the cat!!

jbdesignsusa We've been accessorized by this little guy for 20 years, not a room that he doesn't make better...Valentino

bacci I would like to thank you for my 31 votes so far! It's such a pleasure to check the site. I'd like to add that my cat Silvio in the photo usually has his head on a pillow too, I'm sure he thinks he's human AND that's his side of the bed. I'm not in the photo - guess where I sleep?

Molly Brandenburg Purr-fect!!!

fishingheart This is so true . When my daughter and I went to adopt cats we choose a pair that had been living together with an older gent. I choose the light marmalade colored one because he matched my hair and rugs! My son's grey Maine coon cat is now living with me.

yogapaws Had to revisit after an extremely rough week.. Thank God for our forever loving & forgiving animal friends!

Molly Brandenburg take care and Happy thanksgiving. They are incredible comfort to be sure!!

Roberta Ross Mine add so much...even a little animal to go with animal print!

roseglow3 This is the best Houzz comment thread ever! I had 4 cats, when each of my 4 adopted kids "had" to have one. I was a dog person but fell under the spell. Oldest passed away at age 18, but #3 , age 9, (my absolute favorite) was in a "freak" accident and died 2 months ago. I think the vet was as traumatized as I was. Moppey me now, but I adore the 2 beauties the kids left home with me as they moved into adulthood. This great thread has me brighten to the idea of redecorating my bedroom...and getting another cat for some texture and a focal point....What's a home without people and pets?

Molly Brandenburg the comments are all great, and the pictures everyone sent in are priceless!

tjayer Cats are wonderful. I have two black cats and they love the white blankets I have around the house. Decided to change everything to black so that I wouldn't be able see all of the cat hair. It's all back to white again. I almost sat on one of them since they blended in so well. I can deal with the hair but I can imagine hurting one of my babies even by accident.

Lindsay Wulff I am loving this feed. It's so wonderful seeing other peoples' goofy kitty pics. Here are a couple of my children. Juniper seems to prefer the wood stove over her cat tower. And Jack likes to steal my side of the bed. And Wylie's bed is my shoe closet... All cats have their own funny little quirks :)

ptjody I commented a long time ago but couldn't resist revisiting to post a pic too!

ptjody P.S. We call him Lars the Norwegian Bachelor Cat; Lars for short & he's 15!

heatherd1968 My cat likes to help with the painting jobs!

alinton Love the drawings and so true. Here is my little decorator Harry who thought the decorative bowl needed a little something...him.

Sobeida Manan jbdesignsusa, one of my cat's name is Valentino :-)

Jo Unrau This is cat lovers paradise. I'm posting a photo of Cody, our Manx cat.

Molly Brandenburg Purr fect! Also check out our piece on cat design ideas here on Houzz!!

Jo Unrau I like cats but I'm more into dogs. This is my angel. He goes everywhere with me & is the most loyal, loving friend anyone could have. Love Cody but he's only nice when he wants something.

roseglow3 This has got to be the most popular thread HOUZZ has ever had!

Molly Brandenburg Beautiful puppy dog!

Jo Unrau Thanks, he was only 8 weeks old when I adopted him. He'll be 7 yrs. on July 8 & I can't imagine not having him with me. He loves everyone & everyone loves him. Can't tell you how many people have said what a wonderful boy he is. He's really smart & tries hard to please.

Jo Unrau This is Bailey at 5 Months old. We had a lot of snow that year.

Molly Brandenburg Beautiful puppies!!!

jeanniedrawer Our Schmoo was a repo! My youngest daughter had a friend who had gotten him as a 5 week old kitten and realized he was too much work to care for, so my daughter volunteered us to be his new bff...lol! We love the socks off of him! Even though he has lived with us for almost twelve years he still acts like a little space cadet with a tinfoil hat helmet...so odd and unworldly!

jeanniedrawer Oops, i thought that this had been sent to the kitty thread...so sorry!

bacci Isn't he beautiful

amellee Lucy, Lucina, Lucinka... my perfect girl, friend, mother, assistant, alarm clock, nurse and puurrrfect companion...

Molly Brandenburg Awwww....beautiful kitty!

Jo Unrau I love them all. Our furry friends are the nicest, most beautiful people.