As we all know, there are lots of dangers awaiting our beloved pet cats when they venture outdoors. But we also know how hard it can be to watch kitty as she looks longingly out the window, wishing she could play in the grass and get a breath of fresh air. One possible solution is to build a catio, an enclosed outdoor area that is safe for cats, usually attaching to a home or enclosing a portion of the yard. Catios come in all different sizes and styles and people everywhere are building these structures to keep their precious pets safe.

There is a wealth of informaion available about catio design, but it has been scattered across countless websites until now. I’d like to introduce you to a brand new website, Catio Showcase. This site provides a single source for catio design and construction. Catio Showcase features cat enclosure projects from around the world that will inspire you to design a catio for your feline friends. Whatever your style, your skill level, or your budget, there will be something for you, so check it out and sign-up to receive email updates so you can see all the latest projects as they post. And if you have a catio design of your own, we welcome photo submissions so you can share your ideas with others. Visit Catio Showcase for info on how to submit your project.

Catio Showcase is a new venture by yours truly, Moderncat. Not everything on Catio Showcase will be modern, but I’ll be sure to cross-post any modern designs that I find.

Tags: Catio Showcase

Congratulations to Hedge from Emmaus, PA, winner of the Wallflower scratcher from Marmalade Pet Care. This elegant and versatile cardboard scratcher can be used on the floor or it can be mounted to the wall with the optional wall clips. Available in three colors–blue, green, or orange.

Both the clips and the scratcher are available at Amazon.

Tags: Marmalade Pets

Moderncat is partnering with two other great design blogs, Design Milk and Mod-Dog, to bring you this awesome contest and your chance to win a Sleepypod! We’re looking for the ugliest pet bed out there. We figure the pet with the worst napping spot deserves something better, so we are going to do what we can to help.

To enter:

Send a photo of your pet’s ugly, gross, disgusting, hideous, gnarly pet bed OR the pathetic place your pet currently uses as a bed. Both cat and dog owners are welcome to enter. We want to see the yuckiest!

Design Milk, along with Moderncat and Mod-Dog will narrow the entries down to a select few. Readers of all three blogs will then vote on Design Milk to determine the First and Second Place winners. The winner will be announced in a future post on Design Milk.

Photos should be emailed to info@design-milk.com with subject line “Sleepypod Contest”.

Please note: Sleepypods are designed for pets 15lbs and under. We apologize, but large dogs are excluded from the contest. Maybe we will have another contest just for large dogs

Prize:

First Place winner: Your choice of one Sleepypod or Sleepypod mini in the color you prefer (subject to availability).

The Second Place winner will receive a print courtesy of Mod-Dog (examples below).

A Sleepypod is a pet carrier with a removable top so that it can easily be used as a pet bed (view demo). Sleepypods are designed to reduce stress on your pet when on-the-go. Learn more at Sleepypod.

Rules:

Contest begins on October 1, 2008 and ends on October 31, 2008. Voting will then occur. The winner will be announced no later than November 30th, 2008.

One entry per pet. If you have 5 pets per household that meet the criteria, then you can enter 5 times (once for each pet).

This contest is being made possible by Sleepypod, Design Milk, Mod-Dog, and Moderncat.

Tags: Mod-Dog, Sleepypod

This month one lucky winner will get to customize their own medium size Bumper Bed from West Paw Design. The winner will get to choose from 9 different colors and patterns for the outer bumper and the inner cushion. You won’t want to miss your chance to win this terrific giveaway, so sign-up now!

This giveaway is limited to addresses in the US and Canada.

Tags: West Paw Design

These two beautiful new climbing towers are the latest designs from The Refined Feline. The first is made from bent plywood with FLOR carpet tiles covering the shelves and large sisal scratching pads on the sides. Standing 7 feet tall, this gorgeous tower will make quite a statement in any modern interior. The second tower fits in the corner, taking up minimal floor space. Matching wall shelves can be added to extend the climbing area. Both will be available from The Refined Feline soon.

Tags: The Refined Feline

This handsome fellow was found in an incredible collection of vintage matchbox labels compiled by Maraid Design. Most of the labels in this collection are from Eastern Europe in the 1950s and 60s. As Maraid writes on her blog, matchbox labels from this part of the world and this time period embraced modern design while documenting a variety of historical subjects.

Via one of my favorite design blogs Grain Edit | Thanks to Jason for spotting it.

Every cat is unique. Now your one-of-a-kind cat can have a perfect look-a-like rendering in stuffed plush. PloesiePoesies are handmade in The Netherlands by Electric Luna. All you have to do is send photos of your cat and you can get your own custom PloesiePoesie.

Thanks to Jonathan for finding this!

Exciting news! My very own condo was featured on Apartment Therapy today as part of their pet design month! Take a look at the article and be sure to check out the house tour gallery.

Tags: Apartment Therapy

Moderncat reader Colin from Vancouver sent in photos of this excellent cat climbing tower that he and his father recently designed and built. Discouraged by the unattractive carpet-covered climbers, Colin and his wife decided that they wanted something better for their two cats Yama and Kumo.

Constructed out of pine and finished with an eco-friendly non-toxic stain, the sleek tower has been nicknamed “The Catsle.” Final cost for this elegant structure was $200 Canadian.

As with any piece of cat furniture, there’s always a risk of rejection. Colin writes, “While we were building it, we tried not to think about the fact that the cats might not like it. The big pay off came when my wife and I moved it indoors and the cats instantly jumped onto it and started to play.” Sounds like a success to me!

See more photos and videos of Colin’s Custom Kitty Catsle in his Flickr set.

While at the SuperZoo expo, I also stopped by to visit my friends at Sleepypod. They gave me a sneak peek at their new “Blossom Pink” Sleepypod, which they are launching in October in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. 15 percent of the profits of sales of the blossom pink Sleepypods will be donated to breast cancer awareness and research charities. Donations will be ongoing and not limited to the month of October alone.

Tags: Sleepypod

If you live in a small space, you probably want to make good use of every square inch. With the space-saving Kittywalk Closet Sleeper, you can provide your moderncat with a cozy nest that fits into the unused space in your closet. This soft box hangs from the clothes rod, creating a comfortable and secluded place for napping. Measuring 18 by 18 by 12 inches, it holds cats up to 15 lbs.

Via The Green Head |  Available at CatFurniture.com and Amazon

Having added several members to my feline family over the past few years, I recently realized that if I were to become single that I might be somewhat, uh…well…”unmarketable,” you might say. I hate to admit that, but the truth is my cats would always take precedence over any man. Luckily I am already in a long-term relationship with someone who has a similar addiction to rescuing cats and who is a fabulous cat dad himself.

So when I came across purrsonals.com — a new website dedicated to connecting single cat lovers — as hilarious as it might seem, I can see how useful it could be. Started as an online dating community, purrsonals.com has expanded into a larger online cat owners community, so anyone can join and participate. You can upload photos and videos or chat with other members. There is no fee to join and anyone can sign-up, so check it out if it sounds interesting and post a comment here with your thoughts.

Last week I cruised thorugh 1,000 exhibitors at the annual SuperZoo Pet Expo in Las Vegas. I saw a few new companies and stopped by to visit some familiar faces, including the folks at West Paw Design. It’s always fun to see what this hip, young company has going on. They have a great eye for design plus they are a leader in creating environmentally-friendly pet gear.

One of their newest products is a customizable bumper bed. You get to choose from 9 different colors and patterns for the outer bumper and the inner cushion. Altogether there are 81 different combinations to choose from, so there’s sure to be one to match your decor. The durable, super-soft twill covers can be removed for easy cleaning. Or for a deep cleaning, you can wash all the parts of the bed separately, including the cushions.

The beds are filled with West Paw’s own special IntelliLoft filling. This stuffing is created from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. A small cat bed diverts 6.6 plastic bottles from going into the landfill and a large cat bed diverts 18.75 bottles.

As always, everything from West Paw is made in Montana.

Tags: Made in the USA, SuperZoo 2008, West Paw Design

September is Pet Design Month on Apartment Therapy. They are featuring all sorts of great posts about pet design, including lots of links back to Moderncat (Thanks, AT!) This week they highlighted designer Vanessa Von Hessert’s home. The post includes images of a beautiful modern shelf designed by Vanessa for her two gorgeous cow cats. Read more here and be sure to check out the slide show, too.

Tags: Apartment Therapy

Brand new and beautiful, this sleek modern scratcher is the latest design from one of my favorite companies, Cat Livin’. This scratcher is so new that it’s not even on their website yet. It’s being debuted at the SuperZoo pet expo in Las Vegas this week and this is the first peek that anyone is getting. The Wedge scratcher features a durable sisal scratching pad paired with one of a variety of wood veneers. American plantation grown walnut is shown above.

Stay tuned this week for more exciting new finds from the SuperZoo show.

Tags: Cat Livin', SuperZoo 2008

Big kudos to all cat rescue groups everywhere! Here’s a really cool t-shirt from Brooklyn rescue group Feral For Life. Designed by Brooklyn-based artist Martina Fugazzotto, all proceeds go to help support rescue efforts. Go Brooklyn moderncats!

Since my cats are indoors only, we don’t wear collars at our house, but if you do let kitty out, a collar is a must. Moderncat reader Miriah was having difficulty finding a collar for her cat. Everything she tried rubbed the fur off and created scabs. Miriah searched high and low and found an adjustable cat safety collar from National Leash. Here is Miriah’s review:

My cat and I came to a resolve when she insisted on being an outdoor cat…a collar. I was using various basic collars until I noticed that she was losing fur around her neck. Other times I found crust (as if she scratched it or it rubbed her too rough).

Since I spoil her with everything I figured it was time to find the best collar. I checked Moderncat and other places and everyone seemed to have collars with hip designs but nothing really to help with irritation when wearing a collar 24/7.

This is the collar I have been looking for. It is light and durable. It doesn’t wrap tightly around her neck but loops around with the ID tag sitting loosely on her chest. It has the breakaway feature so my little huntress doesn’t get caught in anything while on the run. I bought three more. The red with blue and white speckle is adorable.

Her fur is growing back and she is at her happiest…and I have one less thing to worry about

These collars are available at Amazon.

This stylish new cat bed has lots to offer. First, it’s made from eco-friendly banana leaf, a texture that cats absolutely love. As if that wasn’t cool enough, the sphere-shaped bed portion is separate from the base, allowing you to position the opening on the side or the top. It even includes a comfy cushion. With all that and great looks, too, this bed is sure to be a new favorite.

Available at Walmart.com and at Meijer.com.

This month we’re giving away a Wallflower cardboard scratcher from Marmalade Pet Care. These beautiful designer scratchers can be used on the floor, or attached to the wall with the matching wall brackets. The winner will get to choose from three designer colors: orange, blue or green.

Sign-up now and enter to win. Drawing will take place on September 30.