Top 10 Cat-Friendly Home Decor Ideas

Is it possible to design a home that's chic and cat-friendly? Obviously, no one's going to tell you that it can't be done, but, well... it takes work. I used to struggle with striking a balance between the two, and at one point I had almost resigned myself to the thought of dealing with scratched-up upholstery and constant lint rolling for the foreseeable future.

But as I've become more experienced with both interior design and cat parenting, I've learned how to give my cats the comfort and enrichment they crave while still maintaining my ideal aesthetic at home. If you're also looking for ways to make your home decor more cat-friendly without compromising your style, let me run a few suggestions by you!

1. Window Perches

Let's start by focusing on some special furniture for your cat. A window is a houscat's favorite place. They love staring outside, dozing in the sun, chattering at birds and animals in the yard... it's a constant source of comfort and entertainment for them. Why not give them a dedicated window perch they can enjoy it all from?

What I like about window perches is that they're fairly unobtrusive. Even if you don't have room to fit a full cat tree by your window, you can still stick a window hammock onto the glass, and as long as your cat has enough space to climb or jump up to it, they're good to go. Just make sure to not only read the reviews, but check the weight limit before you buy a window perch for your cats!

2. Cat Wall Shelves

If your cat's a climber, cat shelves are a great, minimalistic way to add some "jungle gym" fun to your home's decor without taking up too much space. Our cat Apollo used to use a bulky old cabinet to get up to his favorite nap spot on our kitchen's dividing wall, but we got rid of the cabinet and are making him a much less obtrusive wall ladder out of a few floating shelves instead! Some cat wall shelving systems also come with cubbies and hammocks to function as self-contained hangout spots. They're lightweight, modern, and a great option if you don't have the floorspace for a big cat tree!

3. Hidden Litterbox Furniture

It's hard to make litterboxes that aren't eyesores, even when they're covered. However, many furniture manufacturers create great-looking, functional pieces of furniture with hidden litterbox areas incorporated into their designs!

For example, this stylish Wayfair shelving and storage cabinet also has a secret litterbox accessible through a hidden hole in the lower cabinet. You can find similar hidden litterbox furniture pieces that double as side tables, coffee tables, cabinets... heck, Good Pet Stuff even sells a litterbox that doubles as an artificial palm planter!

4. Match Your Cat Trees to Your Aesthetic

Speaking of matching cat furniture to your home's decor style, let's talk cat trees. You can pick up a basic generic one for cheap at a local pet store, but if you don't mind spending a little extra for a premium product, why not find a cat tree that fits your home's aesthetic?

For example, if you've got mid-century modern decor, this sleek walnut Vesper High Base cat tower from PetIt would likely make a great fit. If you're into a more earthy, organic minimalism, Mau makes innovative cat trees built from natural materials like wicker and real wood branches. I could keep going, but you get my point. A cat tree is a sizable piece of furniture - it ought to complement the rest of your decor!

5. Corner Scratching Posts

Cats need to scratch, and if they don't have a scratching post or scratch pad, they'll take it out on your furniture, carpet... even your walls. One of our cats drove us crazy by ignoring his scratching post in favor of scratching the paint off the archway casing in our hall! Thankfully, that's when we discovered wall corner-mounted scratching posts, which finally gave us an answer to our prayers.

Even if you're not trying to redirect the specific destructive behavior we struggled with, corner scratchers can still be a fun, low-key way to blend some extra cat-friendly decor to your home. Wall corner scratchers come in a variety of styles, are generally affordable, and are typically easy to remove and swap out when they start to look tatty!

Related: Couple Decorating Their Cat's Bedroom for Christmas Is Festively Over the Top

6. Coir Doormats

Coir doormats are another godsend for people with cats who love to scratch. Coir is a bristly material made from coconut husks. It's durable, natural, non-toxic, and best of all, it holds up well to cat scratches!

When we bought this Multicolor Mushroom Forest Coir Doormat from World Market, we didn't intend for it to become our cats' unofficial favorite scratching pad, but they zeroed in on it immediately. Despite their daily abuse, however, the doormat's design still looks as good as it did the day we bought it. As far as I'm concerned, if it's keeping their claws away from the furniture, they can have a blast with the doormat!

7. Throw Blankets

It's hard to beat a plush throw blanket as a piece of multi-purpose decor. We love throw blankets because you can cozy up in them on the couch; cats love throw blankets because they're soft, warm, kneadable, and perfect for curling up on for a nap. Investing in a few cheap, machine-washable throw blankets is an easy way to add some oomph to your seating for humans and felines alike. Plus, they can help shield your couch from excess cat fur, scratches, and the occasional accident.

8. Be Choosy About Fabric Upholstery

We learned the hard way that open-weave upholstery fabric and cats are not a good mix. After our cats scratched our old chenille couch to shreds, we bought a new suede couch, and we've barely had to discourage our cats from scratching it; they've just naturally left it alone.

Open-weave fabrics - think burlap, tweed, chenille, etc. - are full of tiny holes that catch cat claws and encourage scratching behavior. Tightly-woven fabrics have much fewer holes to snag onto, and thus are way less appealing to scratch. Consider buying furniture upholstered with smooth fabrics like microfiber or microsuede, or purchase furniture covers made from tightly-woven fabrics like denim or canvas.

9. Cat-Friendly Greenery

Real indoor plants are an easy way to add color and freshness to your home. The problem is, a lot of popular indoor plants like pothos, English ivy, and aloe vera can be very toxic to cats if ingested. If, like mine, your cats like to take "investigatory nibbles" when encountering a new plant, that's a danger you don't want to risk.

The good news is you can have your cake and eat it too, because on the flip side, there's also tons of beautiful and low-maintenance houseplants that are non-toxic to pets. There are plenty of great online guides to pet-friendly indoor plants, but the ASPCA's Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List is one of the most comprehensive I've seen.

10. Invest in "Forgiving" Flooring

Look, there's just no getting around it: carpeting is a nightmare for pet owners. The stains, the smells, the snags, the trapped animal fur... If you have the option, hard flooring like hard wood, tile, or even linoleum is much harder to scratch or stain and much more forgiving when it comes to cleaning up accidents, hairballs, and the like. But if, like me, you've already got carpeted floors that you can't afford to fully replace yet, it never hurts to invest in a couple colorful, washable accent rugs!

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