Fancy pads for your feline friend

SINGAPORE — The cat gyms and furniture currently on the market are becoming increasingly design-inspired — but the cat furniture at the 9 Lives exhibition takes the aesthetic to the next level.

Nine local designers have created statement pieces, which draw inspiration from the architecture of structures such as old HDB playgrounds and temples.

Their work is an example of how feline furniture can be compact, functional and stylish all at once.

The project was initiated by Singapore artist and entrepreneur Tan Chin Chin, the founder of Goood pet collars.

The idea for 9 Lives was born as Tan was preparing her home to receive two adopted cats. The cat furniture on the market was on the large side and expensive; in some cases, the shipping cost more than the item itself. “One of the main criteria (for the exhibition) was that designers needed to design (the cat furniture) for compact spaces — for flats and apartment living,” she said.

The furniture was also designed so it could be flat-packed for easier and cheaper shipping.

Although the items are not for sale, some of the designers “have already begun the process of finding out how to mass produce their designs”.

“At least three are already in talks with some factories. We intend to put them on Kickstarter so that sales are not just restricted to the Singapore market,” said Tan.

The intention from the start was to be able to sell these pieces — usually, “the things that you see at exhibitions are very nice, but you can’t buy them”, she added.

But Tan’s biggest hope is that the furniture will address cat owners’ needs. And the bigger message of the exhibition, she added, is the need to care for the well-being of indoor cats.

“They don’t get the exercise they need if owners are not responsible enough to (equip) the apartment (properly) for them,” she said.

The pieces “are also designed to attract non-cat people so that ... we can spread the word a bit further”.

Tan’s company, Goood, donates a portion of the proceeds from every product sold to an animal shelter. The Cat Welfare Society is the exhibition’s beneficiary, and a portion of any sale of cat furniture will be donated to the Society.

The full collection of nine pieces will be on show at the Visual Arts Centre from tomorrow until Monday as part of Singapore Design Week.

We check out some of the purr-fect pieces on show at the exhibition.

CAT TEMPLE

Designer: Royston Phang

Because cat owners are known to be willing slaves to their pets, design consultant Royston Phang created a cat temple for the home — a fitting shrine dedicated to the resident feline.

Phang, 35, does not actually own a cat, but has the impression that cat owners “worship their cats”, he said with a chuckle.

The inspiration for his piece, made of black steel and wood, and exhibited with a plush rug, hit him as he was walking along Amoy Street.

“I looked up and saw this plain wall, and on it sat a Chinese-style roof. I saw the little details and how intricate it was, and I saw animals,” Phang said. “Cats like to climb things, including roofs.”

The roof belonged to the Thian Hock Seng temple, and further inspiration came from the fact that Chinese temples often feature the ubiquitous large stone statues of lions.

Phang, who in his free time designs and puts together furniture for his own home using an eclectic mix of materials such as recycled wood, is in negotiations for his cat temple to be manufactured for sale. He has made three prototypes that can be taken apart for easy shipping, and is developing ways for owners to be able to personalise the furniture with attachments.

WATERMEOWLON

Designer: Toh Ee Laine

Heartland nostalgia was the order of the day for Toh who, above all, wanted her cat furniture to be playful.

Most cat furniture designs are generic, said the 27-year-old interior designer at an architecture firm, so she wanted to design “a feature piece that represents Singapore’s local identity”.

“Stray cats frequent HDB void decks. And it’s also not uncommon for stray cats to be rescued and adopted from the heartlands. That’s why I wanted to create a piece that could evoke a sense of playfulness and nostalgia in Singaporean cat owners,” she said.

Although Toh herself does not have a cat, she enjoys time at cat cafes observing the felines there.

“I know that cats are predators — they like to jump around and explore,” she said. She envisions her Watermeowlon — made of a mix of aluminium and steel, and using non-toxic paint — sitting on a window ledge or upon an elevated table.

“For now, I just see it as a statement piece,” she said. “Of course, I’m hoping (it can go into production), but I’ll have to see what the public’s reaction is.”

CAT TREE

Designer: Rodney Loh

The whimsical idea of a cat in a birdcage would tickle the funnybone of even the sourest puss — so Loh designed a cat tree in the shape of a cage.

“I wanted to offer a tongue-in-cheek play on (the relationship between) cats and birds.

“In cartoons, you usually see cats trying to reach birds in cages. In this case, it’s the other way around — the cat tree allows the cat to jump around and then eventually rest inside the cage, and you have a little bird peeping into the cage,” said the founder and design director of multi-disciplinary studio NextOfKin Creatives.

The multi-level design, which features three tiers with the cage sitting on the topmost “level” of the piece, is also evocative of his childhood memories.

“As a kid, I lived in an HDB flat, and at the void deck, I would always see elderly folk enjoying the birds chirping, and many bird cages hanging from the ceiling. That was memorable for me — it was a part of being Singaporean,” he said.

Because “I’m more of a dog person”, it took some effort to “step into the shoes of a cat”, he said.

This involved watching cat videos and bringing prototypes to cat cafes to see how the cats interacted with them.

“Creating cat furniture is totally new to me, but along the way, I kind of adopted the same methodology (as designing furniture for a human) — understanding the user’s needs. In this case, the client is a cat,” he said.

As for putting the product on the market, “I have the intention to do it, but I wouldn’t want to rush into it,” the 42-year-old said.

“I want to talk to more cat people and see what their needs are. From there, I will need to refine the product further so it will be suitable for the mass market.

“For example, it needs to be able to be flat-packed so it can fit into HDB lifts.”

9 Lives will take place from March 4 to 6 at the Visual Arts Centre (10 Penang Road). From March 7 to 31, four designs will be on show at The Company Of Cats at 6B Mosque Street, and the other four at Neko No Niwa at 54A Boat Quay Level 2.