The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Furniture The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Furniture
Showing posts with label Furniture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Furniture. Show all posts

Sunday, October 28, 2018

This Giant Cat Couch is For Both Cats and Humans


Couch or gigantic plush toy?

If you love cats and have ample space in your apartment, then you’ll love this giant cat couch. It was created back in 2010 by Unfold, a design studio based in Antwerp, Belgium, as part of a five-piece feline-centric art installation. It’s actually described as a sculpture and it’s called Felix Domesticus


It’s awesome for so many reasons, I don’t know where to start. For one, it looks mighty cushy and comfortable. Because of its size and how it’s built, I’m sure up to a dozen people can lounge on it comfortably. The legs add a modular feel in the sense that you can use them as a pillow or as a hand rest of sorts.




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Friday, July 14, 2017

How to Keep Your Cat From Scratching Furniture – and Why You Should Avoid Declawing at All Costs


As much as we adore them, it can drive cat lovers crazy to see their beloved feline claw at their furniture. Cats are capable of precious snuggles, amazing acrobatics, and hilarious antics but watching furniture get torn to shreds is not fun! 

Of course, clawing is a completely natural behavior for cats. According to PAWS, cats will scratch at furniture, carpet, and other objects for numerous reasons, such as to remove the dead outer layer of their claws, to mark their territory by leaving a visual mark and scent (cats have scent glands on their paws), as well as to stretch their bodies and paws. Unfortunately, for some inexperienced guardians, a cat’s need to claw might drive them to return or abandon their new feline. 

70 percent of shelter cats end up being killed including strays, feral and surrendered cats, so it’s important we keep cats happy and safe in their home by any means possible, and keep them out of shelters. So, if your cat is scratching at furniture and other items in the house, here are some tips for how to deter them.

To read more on this story, click here: How to Keep Your Cat From Scratching Furniture – and Why You Should Avoid Declawing at All Costs

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Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Is Your Cat Clawing Up Your Beautiful Furniture?


New furniture already destroyed by your cat? If this scenario sounds familiar, there are things you can do to limit the damage.

Consistent Training

First, even if your cat is an adult when it joins your home, you can still train it not to destroy your best furniture. The key is to start training from day one and be consistent. Discouraging the cat sometimes and turning a blind eye at other times only teaches the cat to keep clawing until you cause a fuss.

Understand that cats need to scratch to keep their claws from growing too long. You cannot discourage this impulse completely, but keeping claws trimmed will reduce the need. Buy a claw clipper at the pet shop and make sure you don’t cut close to the quick.

Your cat may not let you do a whole paw at once, so keep the clippers in your pocket and get a nail or two at a time, and be sure to reward your cat with praise and petting afterwards. If your cat likes to be brushed, follow claw clipping with a good brushing as a reward.

They need to do it

Cats also claw furniture because the stretching, flexing and resistance involved feel good. Since most of our homes don’t have mice to chase, domesticated cats have few opportunities to get natural exercise. Playing with your cat is the only way to ensure it gets the activity it needs. A daily play session or two will keep it from clawing out of boredom.

Because the need to scratch cannot be completely suppressed, you must provide the cat with something it enjoys scratching. This, as most cat owners learn, is seldom the expensive three-tiered gym that takes up most of a room. It is your job to keep trying items until you find something to the cat’s liking.

The inexpensive scratching box of corrugated cardboard is appealing to most cats, but preferred items also include a split log with the bark on and facing up, an old wicker basket, a coir doormat, a discarded leather purse or an old running shoe. Rubbing catnip on the item increases its appeal.

Chairs & Such

For living room chairs, opt for upholstered swivel rockers. Cats don’t like sharpening their claws on things that don’t provide resistance for them to pull against.

To safeguard the couch and other good furniture, invest in attractive, good quality throws and drape them over favorite scratching spots. The cat won’t scratch the throw because it isn’t anchored down, and throws can be quickly whisked aside when company comes.

Make sure your cat has a comfortable place to sleep. Cats often take over furniture because they have no spot of their own. Once a cat adds a piece of furniture to its territory, clawing is likely to follow.

Finally, don’t overlook the power of scent. Cats have a keen sense of smell, and mark furniture with their scent to let others know it’s theirs. You can win the battle for territory by misting your furniture with a fabric-freshening spray or buying a cat-repelling product at a pet store. Smells cats particularly dislike include citrus, mint and pine.


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Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Have You Seen the Animal Chairs of Maximo Riera?


When you’re designing your dream room, you may find yourself thinking about the one piece of furniture that will really make a statement.

And if making a seriously unforgettable statement is for you, then the animal chairs of Maximo Riera just might be for you. But don’t say we didn’t warn you! These things are intense.

Creating, or even making over, a piece of furniture is a serious project and takes a considerable amount of time, just like this conversion of a century-old sleigh.

And these amazing chairs are no different. Each one is custom-made using cutting-edge technology in a process that can take up to eleven weeks to produce just one.

But take a look at them and you’ll see why. While they might not be the perfect complement to your living room, you have to admit these are pretty fascinating.

Riera’s furniture is certainly not for every home, but there’s something undeniably captivating about it. The pieces are both playful and sinister, celebratory and solemn, and when you look at them, you can’t help but think of humans and their often damaging relationship towards the other animals on Earth. You can see more of Riera’s designs on his website  and Instagram, and if you know someone in the market for a new chair, you can always share this article with them — but you probably shouldn’t expect a giant toad to show up in their living room.


Riera creates these massive chairs that look like the bodies — or at least the partial bodies — of animals.



They are, to say the least, rather strange.



Each piece is manufactured to order, and on average, 480 hours are spent creating just one.



The chairs are made of a high-density polyurethane, which is very durable, and inside, each one has a metal frame for extra support.


What's more, no two are ever alike. The coding that determines their color is unique to each piece, so while the shapes will be the same, the color or color combination never will be.



So...with all this labor involved, why would anyone do this?




For Riera, this series is an homage to nature and the many forms it takes.




Riera took inspiration from each of the animals featured in the collection, using his own feelings about them, as well as cultural associations and scientific information.



Plenty of time and care was spent to create an accurate portrayal of the animals' unique characteristics, shapes, and textures.



They also make us think, uncomfortably, of trophy walls and taxidermy. They make us aware of the way humans that have exploited animals, and how we should be protecting and not damaging our planet.

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