Stylish and Cat-Friendly Home Decor Ideas

If you have welcomed a new cat or kitten into your home recently, perhaps for the first time, then you may have noticed some unwanted damage. Cat claws, in particular, can be destructive to certain materials and decorations around the home.

It’s not the cat’s fault, of course, as it’s entirely within their nature to scratch and claw, so it’s up to us cat parents to find practical but stylish solutions. We have put together some helpful decor ideas to ensure that you and your cat can live in stylish harmony.

Cats in the home, what to look out for

Scratching is normal cat behaviour, driven by their need to express emotions like excitement or stress, to mark their scent and remove dead parts of their nails. Sometimes they simply do it just so they can stretch out and relax more.

We must remember that cats don’t think like humans and they aren’t concerned with where we want them to scratch but what they prefer to dig their claws into. Fortunately, we can buy stuff for our cats, like scratching posts and trees, that they mostly enjoy getting to grips with more than our furniture.

There is also a risk of scent marking, urinating and, in some cases, vomiting that can damage upholstery and carpets. Depending on the type of cat you have there is also a risk of fur shedding that can be a nuisance to remove.

Colour match to your cats

Cats shedding fur is common and it can be unsightly for some but one home decor trick that is helpful to hide it is to match your colour scheme to your feline friend. Having your cats match your home might seem like overkill but it really helps to make their fur blend in with the rest of the decor.

Of course, becoming a cat owner comes with an understanding that you are in it for the good, the bad and the unsightly. If you wish to have the pleasure of a cat in your company then accepting some of the things they do is important.

While becoming a cat mum or dad means letting them take over, it can be a little easier to take when it’s on your terms, such as changing your colour scheme. This tip is ideal for a one-cat home, but if you have cats in a variety of colours it will be hard to match your walls and decor to suit. A regular grooming routine, a pet hair remover or a vacuum designed to more specifically tackle the removal of pet hair are all options that will assist with managing cat fur within your home..

Hard flooring

Carpets are a commonly attacked part of the home by cats as they often like to give them a good scratch with their claws. One of the best upgrades you can make to the decor in your home is to swap carpet for hard flooring. For example, Karndean flooring is a waterproof, durable, hygienic and family-friendly luxury vinyl, making it a great choice for every room in the house.

Hardwearing flooring makes it easier to clean up any spills, scents or accidents to avoid staining and smells that are hard to remove. Choosing hard flooring allows for greater versatility when styling your home as they are a feature of themselves or can be enhanced with rugs.

Opting for a rug rather than wall-to-wall carpeting allows for regular updating and changing if it becomes too worn or damaged. Patterned rugs are a great solution for hiding some persistent stains while adding some flair and personality to a room.

Create cat zones in each room

We all know that buying a toy for a cat sees them prefer to entertain themselves inside the box it came in rather than the toy itself. This may also feel like it’s true when introducing something for your cat in a room, such as a scratching post or nesting materials for snoozing. There is no doubt your cat will snuggle up to you if it feels like it but, adding cat zones in each room gives them their own space.

A common mistake people make when buying scratching posts or cat trees is picking something huge that dominates the room. It’s better to buy cat furniture that is scaled to the room, space or zone it will be kept in.

If you feel like your cat would enjoy a large post or tree, try creating a space where it won’t look out of place. Stylish but cat-friendly decor should be well considered and not just thrown into a room. This might require a change of colour scheme or some decluttering to make work but it’ll be worth it for the final result.

Add blankets or throws to your furniture

Trying to keep a cat off your furniture isn’t always easy, and boundaries like this don’t always exist to our feline friends. One way to protect your furniture from claw marks is to add throws and blankets.

These throws protect the upholstery underneath while also preventing cat hair from embedding itself everywhere. However, for some people their furniture is a work of art in itself and deserves to be shown off in its best light.

If you are looking for cat-friendly furniture that doesn’t require a blanket for protection then more durable materials such as wood and metal are better suited. Of course, when it comes to sofas then upholstery is a must.

Sofas and chairs with recessed wood or metal legs are better protected than those with prominent legs or ones covered in upholstery. With hidden legs, your cat will be less inclined to scar your expensive sofa with their claws and turn to their scratching post instead.

Find creative solutions to hide litter boxes

One cat essential that you can’t do without, particularly if your cat is solely the indoor type, is the litter tray. It’s not exactly the most attractive decoration to add to any room, and while improvements have been made to limit odours, they can still linger. Hiding a litter tray in a cupboard or closet is a great solution but while cats are great, most don’t know how to open doors.

However, creating a little cat door or hole in tucked-away areas of the house can act as a water closet for our pets. Picture a little arched doorway leading to your cat’s very own bathroom where they can do their business in private. By making a feature out of it, you get to unleash your creativity by thinking of ways to style your secret kitty litter hideaway.