As a cat mom or dad, you want your furry friend to feel comfortable, safe, and happy in your home. Creating a cat-friendly environment can help reduce your cat’s stress levels and improve their overall well-being. This post is all about catatizing™ your home to reduce cat stress when you have company.
Here are some tips on how to design a cat-friendly home
These are tips to reduce stress in your cat especially when you have company.
Create a Cat Safe Haven
The number one, proactive, cat stress buster is giving your cat their own room.
Your cat needs a place where they can retreat and feel safe when they are feeling overwhelmed or stressed. Consider setting up a dedicated room or area in your home that is just for your cat. This could be a spare bedroom, a closet, or even a corner of your living room.
Make sure this space is quiet, comfortable, and cat-friendly. Add a cozy bed, some blankets, and a few toys to keep your kitty entertained.
Provide Vertical Space
Cats love to climb and perch up high, so providing your cat with some vertical space can help reduce their stress levels. Install some shelves or cat trees where your cat can climb and play. This will also give your cat a great view of their surroundings, which can help them feel more secure.
Create a Cat Room
If you have guests over frequently, consider setting up a dedicated room for your cat to hide out in. This could be a spare bedroom or a quiet corner of your home. Add a litter box, food and water bowls, and some toys to keep your kitty entertained. This will give your cat a safe space to retreat to when things get too noisy or overwhelming.
I said it before, I will say it again; a cat room will greatly reduce cat stress before it gets real bad.
Offer Multiple Cat Beds
Cats love to sleep, so providing your cat with multiple cozy beds throughout your home can help reduce their stress levels. Place a bed in your cat’s safe haven, as well as in other quiet areas of your home. This will give your cat plenty of options for napping and resting.
Create a Calming Environment
Cats are sensitive to their surroundings, so creating a calm and peaceful environment can help reduce their stress levels. Consider playing soft music or using a diffuser with calming essential oils. This will help create a relaxing atmosphere that your cat will love.
In conclusion, designing a cat-friendly home can help reduce your cat’s stress levels and improve their overall well-being.
By creating a safe haven, providing vertical space, offering a cat room, providing multiple cat beds, and creating a calming environment, you can help your cat feel happy and comfortable in your home. So go ahead and catatize™ your home, your furry friend will thank you for it!
Is Your Cat Stressed? Look for These Signs
After your guests have left, keep an eye on your feline.
Stress is not just a human problem, and cats can experience it too. Some cats are extroverts, but there are plenty who are introverts. If you just had a house full of guests (especially little ones), you might have a frazzled kitty afterwards.
It is important to recognize the signs of stress in your cat so you can help them feel more comfortable and relaxed. Here are some common signs of stress in cats:
- Increased hiding: If your cat is spending more time hiding than usual, it could be a sign of stress. This could be under furniture, in closets, or other secluded areas.
- Changes in appetite: A stressed cat may eat less or stop eating altogether. This can lead to weight loss and other health problems.
- Aggression: Cats may become more aggressive when they are stressed, especially towards other pets or people.
- Excessive grooming: While grooming is a normal behavior for cats, excessive grooming can be a sign of stress. This can lead to hair loss and other skin problems.
- Urinating outside the litter box: If your cat is urinating outside the litter box, it could be a sign of stress. This can also be caused by other health problems, so it’s important to take your cat to the vet.
If you notice any of these signs in your cat, it’s important to address the source of their stress and help them feel more comfortable. Some ways to reduce stress in cats include providing plenty of hiding spots, toys, and scratching posts, as well as creating a calm and quiet environment.
Catatize™ Your Home for the Holidays
If you are having guests to your home, making a chill area for your cat can relieve her of any stress the extra foot traffic brings. “How to Make a Chill Area for Your Cat this Pawliday Season” might help.
Below are 5 ways you can catatize™ your home that will bring a kitty cat flair to your festivities.
Catatize™ – the act of taking anything and bringing a cat style to an otherwise non-feline focused project, object, product or service. Including but not limited to, DIY cat toys, repurposed furniture with cat aesthetics, and/or in a way that cat’s can use.
Catatize™ Christmas Tree
If you are a cat parent, you know the Christmas tree struggle with kitties. The balls, lights and tinsel are a cat’s dreams come true. One lunge the entire tree can come tumbling down.
Even if reducing cat stress is not necessary, you may need to catatize™ to reduce your stress!
If you have not experienced a Christmas tree with a kitty cat yet, here are a few videos that will show you what can happen, and make you laugh. Laugh only because it is not your tree LOL.
How to Survive Christmas With Your Cat
One way to distract your cat from your tree is to make the furry destroyer one of his own. Get a small , artificial tree and hang kitty cat toys all over the tree as decorations.
Catnip ones are preferable, but jingly balls and felt toys are perfect too! Be sure to put the cat tree in a place she will appreciate it. If she is on the timid side, a low traffic area might be best.
Some kitties (especially younger males) love to be out in the limelight so putting it where everyone can watch him show off will be a treat for you and the cat.
If you are especially smitten with your kitten, you might even be satisfied with replacing your regular tree for a cat friendly tree.
Monogrammed Stocking
“The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, your cat didn’t see his, and gave you a death stare.”
Make your cat his very own Christmas stocking and fill it with treats, toys and anything else that he needs or will enjoy.
There are department stores that now sell personalized pet Christmas stockings, but if your kitty has a unique name that you cannot find already made, you can simply make his for him.
Purchasing a stocking and adding his name can be super easy, but you might be ambitious and make the entire stocking yourself. Either way, you both will feel the thought that went into including your feline!
Catatize™ Kitty Cat Wrapping Paper
If you love cats, then kitty cat wrapping paper will be a fun way to add a feline flair to some or all of your holiday gifts! Cat wrapping paper can be used on only your kitty cat’s presents, or on all of your gifts. Having those adorable kitty toys wrapped in cat paper, underneath the catatized™ tree is such a cute and adorable way to celebrate Catmas! (Oh, please DO send us photos if you do that!)
Kitty Cat Christmas Cookies
Catatize your holiday cookies by making cat shape festive treats. Use cat cookie cutters to bake some homemade cookies and then add green, red and white colors to make them super festive. Amazon even carries kitties with Santa Paws hats on so all you have to do is make your cookies!
Cat Paper Plates
If you are having an informal get together with other kitty cat lovers, I encourage you to think outside the litterbox, and go all in on a cat Christmas themed pawty. These kitty cat plates from Amazon are adorable. Even better, you don’t have to clean up after your holiday party. Simply throw away your cat themed plates and be done with it!
Have fun with your pets this holiday season. Include them in your festivities, the more you give, the more you’ll get. Cats can sense when special attention has been put on their needs and desires; and don’t worry, they’ll be sure to let you know if they want more!
For more cat decor and home design ideas check out this list of ‘cat-friendly home design ideas’ blog posts we rounded up:
Essential Food Tools Ever Cat Lover’s Kitchen Needs
Fading Indoor With Outdoor Using Pet Furniture Design Ideas: Pet Lover Decor
How Biophilia Designing Can Improve Your Pet’s Well-Being
Cat Beds That Will Modernize Your Home And Make Your Cat Happy (2022 Updated)
How To Get Urine Off Hardwood Floors
How To Make A Chill Are For Your Cat To Reduce Stress And Anxiety
Create A Cozy Home With Cat Themed Furniture And Decor
