Making You Home into a Cat-Friendly Space
Cats can be particular little creatures, especially when it comes to their home base and routines. Making your home into a cat-friendly space requires some planning, but is simple enough to do. Your home should be a sanctuary — a safe and pleasing space for both you and for your cat. While it may seem like “aesthetically pleasing” is not compatible with “pet-friendly,” that is not necessarily true. There are simple, small changes you can make to turn your home into a true cat haven without sacrificing your own design preferences. In this cat care guide, I’ll be sharing how to create little cat havens throughout your home, including cat-friendly home swaps that you and your pets will love! If you’re looking for more cat care tips, be sure to check out my new cat checklist here.
Table of Contents:
- How to Make Your Home a Cat Haven
- A Cat-Friendly Haven That is Cozy For Everyone
- Top Finds for Creating a Cat Haven
How to Make Your Home a Cat Haven
Designing a Cat-Friendly Home Without Compromising Style
If you’re wondering whether your home can be pretty and cat-friendly at the same time, the answer is certainly yes. First and foremost, you will want to consider your cat’s own habits, as well as the types of activities cats typically engage in and care supplies they’ll need.
Pet-Friendly Furniture Solutions
When choosing furniture, for example, keep your cat’s behavior in mind. Remember that they like to scratch and stretch out, so choose durable fabrics and supplement with machine-washable slipcovers where necessary.
Slipcovers are great because they’re easy to clean, and they can also help hide existing scratches on furniture you already have. I use these on our couch cushions in a blue that closely matches the couch, and we have a set for a recliner that had previously been scratched up.
Aesthetically Pleasing Cat Trees and Scratching Posts
Relatedly, while it is important to consider your cat’s behavior when picking furniture, you should invest in a good cat tree and scratching post help make them comfortable in their cat haven.
Cat trees have come a long way from the simple plain carpeted tower type. Now, you can find a variety of pretty cat towers and scratchers that are equal parts aesthetic and cat-approved.
For example, we have a Mau Cento Cat Tree that is absolutely lovely. All three of my cats love this cat tower, alternating between the two basket beds and the cave bed at the base. They also like to scratch on the rope covered pillars of the tower. We’ve had the cat tree for about three years now and it basically looks like new, despite daily use from my three cats. I have a full review of this pretty cat tree here, and you can check out some more of their designs here.
When it comes to scratching posts, there are so many great sisal options that you don’t need to even consider a cardboard option. Mau offers some pretty cat scratchers of their own, for example. However, my cats love taller scratching posts like this one, which allows them to fully stretch out, and wider ones like this one, which challenges their balance.
Creating Cozy Spaces as cat havens
Dovetailing from the pretty cat trees above, creating cozy spaces as cat havens throughout your house is a great way to keep your furbaby happy. This can be done in line with your home decor preferences, as illustrated by the cat trees and minimalist scratchers described above.
Beyond these, though, consider the different cat bed styles you can choose from. Be sure to take advantage of windows and areas of natural light when planning these little havens. Cats often like elevated spaces, and they love to nap in the sun, so a pretty window seat like this one might be the way to go. This cat bed and scratcher duo is a great, affordable option.
For cats that love to burrow, a cave-style bed or this felted option could be a great choice. Both styles come in a variety of colors that you can choose from based on your home’s decor. To give your cat another cozy option, check out this heated bed option; we have three of these (read my full review here) and my cats love them!
Not sure which of these cat beds to get?
Read my guide to pet beds your cat will actually use here!
Managing clutter & storage Solutions for Cat Supplies
Clutter is a constant battle for me, and cat toys and supplies do not help the matter. Cats — like us — prefer calm, clutter-free environments, and you may notice them acting out if the house gets a little too congested for their liking. This definitely happens with our cats, leading to cat fights and territorial behavior that is no good for anyone.
So, besides keeping abreast of your own clutter (for me, it’s the kitchen counter and piles of mail that plague me most), there are a few options for dealing with cat clutter.
First and foremost, cat toys are a huge source of clutter. For us, they tend to wind up all around the living room floor. A simple solution for this is to keep an open-topped basket or bin where you can store cat toys when they’re not in use. This way, they’re easy to get to if your cat wants them, but they’re not constantly under foot.
Cat Food Storage Solutions
Check out hidden storage solutions for things like cat food, along with spare boxes of cat litter and other such supplies.
As for cat food, whether you opt for a separate little storage cabinet like this or dedicate a drawer or shelf in a pantry for the supplies, removing the cans or pouches from the cardboard boxes they come in immediately saves space and makes your life easier when it’s time for them to eat.
If you are keeping extra cans and pouches of cat food in your pantry, consider pantry organizers or storage bins like these to keep everything contained.
Litter Boxes & Pet Odor Problems
There aren’t a ton of elegant options for litter boxes, especially if you’re dealing with limited space. Even if you have lots of space, you might just not have a great spot for a box. Trust me, I get it.
If you have the space and want a traditional litter box for your cats, there are some great hidden litter box options on Amazon, Chewy, and Wayfair. These enclosed cabinet-type structures help manage litter box smells, while also disguising the box. Furthermore, they often have storage compartments for extra litter, cleaning supplies, and so on. If you don’t have the space, a guest bathtub can be a great hiding spot for a litter box.
We are big fans of the Litter-Robot and have one in our bedroom. I have a full review of the Litter-Robot here, if you want more details (and a discount!); suffice it to say, I think it’s definitely worth the money. You can get specialty furniture to cover these automatic litter boxes, but it is sleek enough that we haven’t bothered with one.
As for odor control, beyond regular litter box cleaning, I highly recommend this litter deodorizer and these deodorizing scented gel pearls.
Making an enriching environment for your cat
As for keeping your cat happy and engaged, the cat trees and scratchers discussed above will certainly help in this endeavor, along with the comfy cozy cat beds strategically placed in prime sunbathing spots. A well-engaged cat is a happy cat, and they’ll be less likely to act out or pick up bad habits if they’re not bored.
However, your cat will still need some more mental and physical stimulation in order to keep in good spirits and health. Try to create interactive play zones for your cat, and center them around where you spend most of your time in the house — namely, the living room in all likelihood. In these spots, rotate through the toys you keep out (see the cat toy basket referenced above), along with a fresh stash of catnip to entice your cat to play. My cats are huge fans of catnip toys and these silver vine sticks from Ryercat.
Consider getting interactive cat toys or automated cat toys to help banish feline boredom. Lately, my cats have been obsessed with this automatic cat toy, with each of them enjoying a different facet of it most (see what I mean on IG here)! For a more analog option, engage your cat’s hunter instincts with these feeder toys or other puzzle feeders filled with their favorite treats or kibble.
Creating a Calm & Stress-Free Home for You and Your Cat
Taking all these suggestions together, you will be well on your way to creating an ideal cat-friendly living space.
To further optimize your cat haven, though, consider how you might minimize stress triggers in cats. These are not always triggers we can control — for example, if you live near a busy road, traffic noise is going to be there no matter what — but they can be mitigated.
Feliway pheromone products are great for promoting tranquility in the home, whether the stressors are external to the home or from conflicts between cats. I have more details on how the pheromones work here.
Similarly, catnip spray is a great option that can both engage and sooth your cat. I always keep some of my cats’ favorite spray on hand in my office and around the house to “refresh” the cats’ beds, scratchers, and toys.
A Cat-Friendly Haven That is Cozy For Everyone
In all, you know your cat best, so consider the behaviors you want to both promote and discourage. For example, you may want to promote physical play for exercise while discouraging scratching on your furniture. To do so, you may consider a taller cat tree with a built in scratcher to encourage climbing and offer a spot for your cat to scratch appropriately.
You also know your style and budget. All of these things can coincide neatly with a little bit of research. Chewy is my go-to spot for all my cats’ supplies, with Amazon and Wayfair closely behind. Bearing this in mind, you can create small tweaks to make a big difference in your cat’s comfort and happiness.
And we all know that a happy cat means a happy home!
Top Finds for Creating a Cat Haven
How have you personalized your cat’s haven and happy place?
Share your favorite ways to make a cozy cat space in the comments below!
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*This post was originally published as part of my Cat Mom Life series in August 2025. It was most recently updated on January 13, 2026.
