If you want your pets to be happy, healthy, and fulfilled, it’s vital that you let them express their natural behaviors. A core part of this means adapting your home and yard to give your cattos the ability to move around as they would in the wild.
That’s where the ‘Catification’ Facebook group (stylized as ‘CATifiCATion,’ which we utterly love) comes in. Run by John Lobban and Elizabeth Berndt, it’s a wholesome and supportive community that unites feline lovers from around the globe. Its friendly members share creative and interesting ideas to create environments that cats are going to enjoy. We’ve collected some of their best ones to share with you! Scroll down for some DIY design ‘cat-spiration,’ you'll find the credits under each photo, and don’t forget to join the group if you’ve become a fan.
Bored Panda got in touch with Lobban, a professional graphic designer and photographer by trade, and the founder of the group. He was kind enough to share some practical safety advice that new cat owners should keep in mind when designing their feline environments. You'll find his insights below.
More info: CATifiCATion | John Lobban Creative | Elizabeth Berndt Books

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Lobban, shared with us that he started the community in late July 2016 after building a kitty condo and a catio (i.e., a cat patio but punny) for his cats.

“There didn’t seem to be a Facebook group for those doing the same, so I created ‘CATifiCATion.’ The name was inspired by my cat mentor Jackson Galaxy.”

According to Galaxy, the star of Animal Planet’s ‘My Cat from Hell,’ the concept of catification revolves around creating feline-friendly environments. The goal is to cater to a cat’s natural instincts. Those include jumping, climbing, perching, playing, sleeping, eating, hunting, and claiming their own space.

From a design perspective, the aim is to balance function and form in order to create a stylish and optimal living environment for your cats.

The founder of ‘CATifiCATion,’ shared some extremely important safety concerns that new owners should be aware of when catifying their homes. "These are my personal opinions formed by what I have seen posted over the years. Be conscious of dangers a home or enclosure can expose your cats or kittens to. Mechanical or reclining chairs and some beds have internal mechanisms that will kill or injure animals. Cats love to explore and hide out. Those internal parts are extremely dangerous if they are engaged and an animal is inside," Lobban explained.

"The strategic placement of shelves for cats to climb provides them with a lot of entertainment and exercise, but be mindful of the dangers should they slip and fall. Are there hazards below that make an injury possible? Do you have young kittens or older cats where heights could be dangerous?" Lobban shared what owners should consider.

Meanwhile, the founder of the group noted that when designing enclosures, cat owners should be mindful of strangulation hazards. "Netting can be a hazard if your cat can get its head caught inside or become tangled," Lobban suggested choosing a stiff metal or plastic mesh with 1/2 square openings for enclosures.

"Avoid sharp edges or protruding nails or screws. For window perches, NEVER use a window perch that is suspended from the glass. These are popular and often use suction cups on glass as a means of support. The shock load of a cat landing on the perch can shatter glass! Instead, support a window shelf with brackets attached securely to the wall or window frame. Placing a table in front of a window is an excellent option. There are portable camping tables that work quite nicely in front of a window and might look better than placing a heavy piece of furniture there," he said, adding that this is what he personally uses.

Aside from these safety concerns, Lobban points out that owners don't have to be excessive in how they design cat-friendly environments. For instance, you don't have to go overboard with adding shelves. "Simple toys for daily interaction with your cats are important. My cats have several of the 'PowerBall 2.0' toys. These are the size of a golf ball with flashing LED lights and an internal mechanism that makes the ball move and bounce. My younger cats love these, while the older cats prefer to watch the younger ones play. These can be found on Amazon," he said.

"Keep in mind that the occasional paper shopping bag (never plastic) or cardboard box can provide something entertaining for them to explore; my cats love these just as much as the expensive toys. Most importantly, human interaction is the most valuable entertainment you can offer your pet."

Both Lobban and Berndt, who run the group, live in Greencastle, Indiana. It’s a small college town and home to DePauw University. Berndt, who has an MBA in economics, is a fiction writer whose books you can find on Amazon. Both of them also do an occasional webcast on YouTube.

‘CATifiCATion’ has been around on Facebook for quite a while. This year, it’s celebrating its 8th birthday. At the time of writing, the public group had an impressive 116k+ member count.

The project was initially created as a DIY resource for cat owners to share their ideas, plans, and successes in adapting their homes to their pets’ needs. The group is all about everyone supporting each other, all for the sake of their beloved cats.

During an earlier interview with Bored Panda, Ingrid Johnson, a certified cat behavior consultant and the founder of ‘Fundamentally Feline,’ was kind enough to share her thoughts on introducing new pets to new environments. The important thing here is to go slow and not rush anything.

"For cats, change of environment is one of the most stressful things they can experience. Start a new cat off in a SMALL room, like a bathroom or home office. Many humans think this is cruel and want to give them a lot of space, but vast open areas that are unfamiliar are very threatening and scary to cats," she told us previously.

“Once they are eating, drinking, and using the litter box normally, then you can slowly give them access to a little bit more of the house, slowly over time. Another VERY important point is to ensure that they keep eating in the face of this stressful change," the cat behavior consultant said.

She added that patience is key. It’s essential not to force anything.

"Let the cat come to you and get used to you and the household slowly.If the cat is timid, go in, sit down, and read out loud to them or scroll your phone and allow them to approach you IF they want to and at their own pace,” Johnson told Bored Panda.

“Direct eye contact is threatening, so avert your eyes, stay quiet and calm, and hopefully, your cat will blossom, realizing they are safe.”

According to the expert in cat behavior, playing with your new pet is a wonderful icebreaker.

“Playing with interactive wand toys decreases stress and increases confidence, so try to engage the cats in play and explore a variety of toys, as many cats can be ‘prey specific’ and maybe only like feathers, small mice, or snakes, so you have to explore to find toys that interest them.”

During an earlier chat with Bored Panda, Vet Nurse Nina Downing from PDSA, the UK’s leading vet charity, walked us through what cats do for fun and spilled the beans about how we can tell that they’re enjoying themselves. She explained to us that cats are solitary and watchful creatures by nature.

“They love to watch the world go by from high places, and they also sleep a lot and do not appreciate being disturbed! While many do love to play, it needs to be on their terms and only when they’re in the right mood!” she told us.

The PDSA Vet Nurse pointed out that cats play in a way that tends to mimic their natural hunting behaviors, from chasing and pouncing to stalking, diving, hiding, and throwing.

“You can tell when cats are having fun, their faces light up and their eyes go wide and bright as they become excited and alert; their senses heighten and their pupils can widen. Their whole body language becomes animated and light,” Downing said.

According to her, cat owners can tell that they’re doing well if their pets feel confident enough to have “a mad half-hour” where they “become full of fun and excitement, running around, chasing imaginary mice, sometimes whizzing up curtains, and being so full of fun that they can’t contain themselves.”

She continued: “If your cat is happy and confident enough to display this kind of behavior, you can congratulate yourself on being a great cat owner as your cat feels very comfortable in your company.”

So, dear Pandas, which of the feline environment pics from ‘CATifiCATion’ impressed you the most? Which ideas do you think you’d like to replicate for your own pets? What advice would you give someone who’s completely new to owning a cat?

If you have a moment, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Oh, and tell your cat(s) we said ‘hi!’