HomePet-Proofing with Style: Tips for an Aesthetic, Cat-Friendly Home
hellokokoro
1180sqft HDB in the Northeast | Modern Farmhouse | Kitty Keepers
Pet-Proofing with Style: Tips for an Aesthetic, Cat-Friendly Home
530
- Modern Farmhouse
- HDB (Resale)
- ~1,100 sqft
- 3 br
- Couple Living
Welcome to our humble nest! We are a couple living with our cat, Daikon, who's sure to make an appearance in some of our posts. Keep an eye out — you never know when she'll pop up in the background! As we open our home and showcase the little treasures within, we hope you feel the warmth and love that fills our heart. After all, our handle is @hellokokoro, where "kokoro" means heart! *** In this post, we're excited to showcase a variety of cat-friendly items and features and how they seamlessly blend into our Modern Farmhouse-themed home. Fun fact: When we were doing our home reno, we never imagined we'd end up with a cat! Every one of these additions was thoughtfully incorporated afterward to accommodate our furkid. 
While our sofa is the statement piece in the heart of our home, the wall-mounted cat climbers have also become a standout feature. Initially, we planned for a gallery wall, but after some thought, we decided to install the climbers instead — and we have no regrets! We wanted to avoid drilling into our half-wall panels, so to create a path for Daikon to reach the top landing, we added a cat tower made from the same wood material. It acts as 'steps' and blends beautifully with the rest of our home. 
Daikon absolutely loves perching on her lookout tower, and we enjoy every moment of her playful antics up there. We're still planning to incorporate some photos into the empty wall spaces, and we're excited to see how it transforms into something truly one of a kind! 
For all of Daikon's bulkier toys that stay out in the open, we make sure to choose neutral colors or styles that complement our home's theme. 
Isn't the mushroom scratch pole just the cutest?! 
Here's another one of her adorable toys — a milk carton lookalike! 
To make our bedrooms more cat-friendly, we had cat flaps installed on our doors. They've been incredibly useful, allowing Daikon to come and go freely without causing aircon leaks. The design of these cat flaps is minimalistic, blending seamlessly without doors and the rest of the home without being visually jarring. 
Cat-proofing is essential for a home with cat, but it doesn't have to compromise on aesthetics! 
We installed vertical invisible grilles with a 2-inch spacing for all our windows, and for enhanced safety, we also included a magnetic mesh that the mister painstakingly measured and set up. The mesh is barely noticeable unless you're up close. Plus, it's removable, making it incredibly easy to maintain. It also helps to keep pesky insects out! 
As with Daikon's toys, we keep her essentials, such as her kibble dispenser and water bowl, in colors that are easy on the eyes. Fun fact: her water bowl is actually from Hooga and wasn't specifically designed for pets! 
At the entrance of the kitchen, we installed a retractable mesh using 3M tape (no drilling required) to help integrate Daikon into our home during her first few weeks and keep her out of the kitchen when needed. The mesh blends seamlessly with our home's aesthetic, adding both function and style. Note: the height of this mesh works perfectly for us, as Daikon — and most cats — are actually not inclined to jump over it unless tempted by food or distracted by something, like a bird. There is an option for a full height one, and alternatively a safety gate. 
In our common bathroom, we've set up Daikon's litter box. She's 1.3 years old now and still growing, and since her breed can get quite large, we chose a larger little box from the start. 
True to our aesthetic, it fits perfectly with its neutral colors. The design features a front flap that only opens one way, allowing her to enter but requiring her to jump up to exit. With grooves on the lid, there's minimal tracking (ie. litter spillage). The enclosed design also gives her some privacy. We really love how unassuming and practical this litter box is! 
With a long-hair cat, having air purifiers is essential — they help minimize flying fur and ensure we have clean air throughout the home. Behind the air purifier, you can see that we use cable spiral wraps to prevent Daikon from nibbling on the wires and also keep everything tidy and safe. 
Last but not least, here's Daikon's play area, which you might have seen in our bedroom post. While we don't have a dedicated cat room, this playmat helps define her space, and she absolutely loves it — we often find her here every morning and the play mat is also really easy to clean. This wraps up our post! We hope it give you some ideas on how to incorporate pet-friendly elements into your home without compromising on aesthetics — especially if like us, you only got a furkid after your renovation. Be sure to check out our other posts for more home and decor inspiration!
