Miniature Furniture For Cats Is A Thing, Because Your Pets Deserve A Better Life Than You

For many people, pets are the new kids, and a lot of people treat their fur babies like humans. There's a name for this: Anthropomorphism, the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to an animal or object. Along these lines, there is now miniature furniture for cats, because let's face it — your human furniture just isn't good enough for Whiskers of Fluffy's sophisticated taste. Just like people purchase pint-sized furniture for their kids, pet lovers can now get real, handcrafted furniture for their cats, which begs the questions — who's really in charge in your pet/person relationship?

According to The Spruce, 83 percent of pet owners now call themselves their pet's mommy or daddy (guilty right here). And as your pet's parent, it is clearly your responsibility to make sure your four-legged friend has everything they need to live a happy, productive, and luxurious life. If your cat has been snubbing your plain old human furniture, or perhaps they've taken it over and caused you to have to sit on the floor, this custom-made cat furniture can restore order to your restless kingdom.

And, while your cat is enjoying its new digs, why not treat them to a special bath with this LICKI Brush you can attach to your tongue to enhance your feline/human bonding time? After all, life is really all making your cat happy. Because, upset cats can be vindictive, and they like to express their feelings in passive aggressive ways. Like, by peeing in your underwear drawer.

Everything To Know About Feline Furniture

IKEA recently released a line of pet furniture, and it's basically just stylish furniture-type items for pets. However, Japanese furniture designers are taking the trend one step further by creating miniature human furniture for pets so you can create a room for your pet that looks pretty similar to a dollhouse. Okawa Furniture makes handcrafted, quality feline furniture that will satisfy even the most selfish and greedy cats, according to its website.

Tired of kitty getting your human couch all furry? Now, your cat can have its own couch and bed, and these pieces are nicer than most furniture people buy for themselves. Because, only the best for Fluffy. If it sounds a little indulgent to buy such an extravagant set of furniture for your cat, a lot of people are doing it. While this doesn't make it any less strange, it's always good to know you're not alone in your weirdness. In fact, The Spruce reported that pet care spending has surpassed that of children's toys, which means that people are spending more on their four-legged kids than on their two-legged ones.

OK, I have a confession to make. My dog has a $200 dog highchair, but before you come to the conclusion that I've gone totally around the bend, its only because she also suffers from a disease called canine megaesophagus. This means her esophagus is paralyzed and she can't swallow her food unless she is sitting upright like a human child. And because she has to eat two meals a day in her chair, I thought it might as well be attractive as well as functional because I am a hardcore Libra, and how my home looks is pretty important to me. So, not just any old dog highchair will do. This is how people rationalize pet furniture.

If getting realistic-looking human furniture for your cat makes you feel a little too much like a crazy cat person, another company has created a line of adventure furniture for kitty so they can pretend they're starring in an Indiana Jones movie. The company Catastrophic Creations designs cat furniture that evokes feline instinct, which might trend more toward climbing on a swinging bridge versus lazying around on a designer couch. But, hey, all cats are different.

The cool thing about Catastrophic Creations is that it's pleasing to the eye, and it actually looks like art so your house or apartment doesn't look like a cat obstacle course. Because, there's a fine line between indulging your cat and letting your feline friend take over the house when they're not even paying any rent. I mean, really, when are these cats going to start pulling their weight around the house?

"By buying pets human-type gifts, we are making ourselves feel good and making them happy," Bob Vetere, chief operating officer of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, told The Spruce. In Los Angeles, where I live, treating your pets like people is totally normal. After five years here I'm not even fazed by dogs riding in strollers or peeking out of purses, cats walking on leashes, or birds perching on shoulders. Me and my dog highchair fit in just fine here.

My cats, however, are a different story. Generally they are more fascinated by the cardboard box a gift comes in, and a ribbon, than anything I buy them. And, because they are indeed cats, and they don't have regular playdates with more affluent cats, they have no idea that the cats next door might have more sophisticated furniture and toys than they do. Additionally, cats are not dogs. They are pretty invested in doing whatever they want whenever they want. They have no interest in making you happy, and they don't care about hurting your feelings.

Just because you buy them their own bedroom set, it doesn't mean they're still not going to prefer yours. And, because you just splurged on a posh set of furniture for Fluffy — and you don't want it to go to waste — you could be the one who ends up sleeping on the cat's tiny queen-sized bed while they stretch out on your human bed like the kings and queens they are, which of course was their plan all along.

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