Who said you can’t pamper your cat or give it a super-nice home of its own? Nowadays, many architectural firms design cat shelters that aim to please your kitties and give them a suitable place to play in, but that is not all. Some of these firms have an additional humanitarian purpose which is to raise money for feline charities. Those charities sell the houses in auctions to raise funds which finance their responsibilities and activities.
Many different designs of cat shelters were built using a variety of materials like wood, metal, concrete, and colored strings. Some cat houses even have a touch of greenery, adding style and a sense of nature to them.
Check out this selection of amazing cat shelters designed by famous architects:
1. Cat in the Fish Bowl
Courtesy of Architects for Animals – Photography: Meghan Bob
Inspired by the yin-yang Chinese symbol, this tiny house, which is built to accommodate cats, takes the form of a fishbowl. Designed by Abramson Teiger Architects, the structure is composed of separate layers to allow the cat to see the world outside.
2. Silhouette
Courtesy of Architects for Animals – Photography: Meghan Bob
This cat shelter is made up of curved wooden slabs conveying the mystery in a cat’s personality. The modern design is the work of global design firm CallisonRTKL.
3. Cat-à-Tête
Courtesy of Architects for Animals – Photography: Meghan Bob
The enclosure was designed by Formation Association and Arktura in collaboration with Buro Happold engineering firm. Although it is made of recycled plastic containers, the structure is not hard and is more similar to felt. The S-shaped house has many openings for the cat to move easily.
4. Kitten Family House
Courtesy of Architects for Animals – Photography: Grey Crawford
This Kitten Family House comprises four transparent little structures which are playfully encompassed in a larger wooden house frame. Designed by HOK, the feline house has an artificial green area to its front, giving it a nice and refreshing look.
5. Kitty Tunnel
Courtesy of Architects for Animals – Photography: Grey Crawford
A cat shelter was designed by Perkins and Will to imitate the shape of a tunnel. The tunnel is made of several triangular panels. The structure, in addition, has three openings at different levels.
6. Blue-Strings House
Courtesy of Architects for Animals – Photography: Grey Crawford
Designed by DSH Architecture, blue strings are woven around several metallic rings to compose several sleeping places.
7. The Concrete House
Courtesy of Architects for Animals – Photography: Grey Crawford
The main building material for this cat house is concrete. It was designed by Standard Architecture Design. Two wooden shelf-like structures, inside a concrete cube, as well as a canopy-like extension, are available for cats to lie down and rest.
8. Lunar Cat Lander
Courtesy of Architects for Animals – Photography: Meghan Bob
Designed by Knowhow Shop, this cat shelter seems to be sending its inhabitants through an adventurous space voyage.
9. String Theory
Courtesy of Architects for Animals – Photography: Meghan Bob
Cats are known to have a deep affection for “Strings”, and this cat shelter, designed by RNL, seems to have plenty. The red strings appear to be sewn into the wooden structure and stretched on the front and back sides of the little house.
10. Teatro de Gato
Courtesy of Architects for Animals – Photography: Meghan Bob
Pfeiffer Partners Architects built a cat theatre with a red curtain for cats with “artistic” talents.
11. CatSCAPE
Courtesy of Architects for Animals – Photography: Meghan Bob
A maze-like structure for naughty kittens was designed by HOK. It is composed of crossing wooden rods with several entrances to fit the cats.
12. The “Catleidoscope”
Courtesy 0f Architects for Animals – Photography: Meghan Bob
Designed by Perkins and Will, the house features four windows on its two sides. Each window is covered with a different colored-lens to give cats multiple unique views of their surroundings.
13. California Catcube
COurtesy of Architects for Animals – Photography: Meghan bob
This is another cat shelter designed by Standard Architecture Design. Concrete was used to build the shelter’s exterior frame and to provide warmth for the little residents, while the inner frame and the vertical shading screens are made from recycled wood.
14. Kitty Kurves
Courtesy of Architects for Animals – Photography: Meghan Bob
Lehrer Architects designed this feline shelter with undulating features for the cats to play around.