Cats in the cradle

• Source: Global Times
• [10:35 August 04 2010]
• Comments

Top of the list

Probably top of the cat furnishings list, according to Sha, is the bed. This would normally be either a simple cushion or a box but Sha has adapted another wooden cabinet to fit the pur-pose. It also features an all-important cat scratcher.

"Cats scratch and this is related to the growth of their claws," said Sha. "And of course this becomes a problem because of the effect on furniture and wooden floors. This purpose-built scratcher is designed to prevent such problems.

Sha first came up with the idea of her business when she adopted an abandoned cat while studying in London. The litter box and cat scratcher she purchased were of poor quality and had to be replaced within a couple of months. She encountered similar issues when she returned to China and, while chatting with other pet lovers online, realized this was a widespread problem.

She then decided to start her own business, selling her first products to the online friends who had inspired the move. Today she has clients all over China and also in New Zealand, America, France and Singapore.

Her ambitions don't end there. Sha Tian has plans to incorporate cat furniture into the preliminary stages of home design, so that both aesthetics and functionality are fully maximized.

"It will save precious space in small apartments, and homeowners won't have to worry about mismatched furniture. I've been asked to design cat-friendly houses before, but declined because of the amount of work involved. I have to get to know the characteristics of the cat involved, and to get a grasp of how the space will function in general. So, this is something I hope to start doing in the future."