We all know, cats love sinks. There’s just something about the shape and the cool ceramic surface that is a cat magnet. Let’s say you wanted to give kitty the luxury of lounging in a sink, but outside the bathroom. Well, you’re probably not going to set-up a real sink in your living room. Luckily, there’s an alternative from a new company, Little Cat Design. It’s the Cat’s Contour Ceramic Cat Bed and it was designed with sink-loving cats in mind. The designers created the new ceramic cat bed for their cat who was secluding herself in the bathroom. Now she can lounge comfortable in any room in this sleek, modern, ceramic bowl designed just for cats.

Careful consideration was given to the size of the bed, the height of the walls, and the curves of the edges. Read the full story here. It looks like something any cat would love and it would certainly be easy to clean. What do you think? Would your cat like the Cat’s Contour Ceramic Cat Bed?

Each Cat’s Contoure Ceramic Cat Bed is made to order. They can be purchased at LittleCatDesign.com for $99.99 and a portion of each sale goes to support KittyKind, a NYC-based cat rescue organization.

Here’s another fun Kickstarter project for an awesome new kitty hideaway! It’s Louie’s Box, a submarine-shaped cardboard hideout designed just for cats. It’s from a design team in Tel Aviv who created is especially for their cat Louie. This is the first in a series of designs and they’re looking for some support to make it happen.

Louie’s Box is designed to ship flat and assemble without any glue. It creates the perfect hiding/playing/napping spot for cats — and it looks cool, too! When assembled, it measures 9.5″ wide by 15.5″ deep by 12.5″ tall.

They need to raise $5,000 to make the first batch. Check out the Louie’s Box Kickstarter page to see all the great perks you can get for supporting the project. You can get t-shirts, bumper stickers, submarines, and if you want to make a big contribution, you could even get to name one of their future products after your own cat!

Make sure to watch the video on the Kickstarter page to see Louie in action!

Thanks to Moderncat reader Shawn for telling me about this one!

Hepper just announced that their ultra-mod Pod Bed is available again in brown! There’s only a limited quantity so if you want one, get it now! Visit hepper.com to get yours!

Here are some stylish options to make kitty look her best (and keep her safe!) this holiday:

Paul Frank™ Engravable Charm by 26 Bars & a Band™
Epoxy coated with steel backing for engraving.
26barsandaband.com

Sweet Pickles Designs
Let your modern kitty sparkle this holiday season.
SweetPicklesDesigns.etsy.com

blanket
protect your pets. help others.
blanketid.com

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Make sure to check out all the other fabulous finds in our Holiday Gift Guide!

I’m hyperventilating a little because I think this concept for a wall-mounted cat scratcher by designer Steven Mattern is so incredibly brilliant! This is not in production, as far as I can tell, it’s just a concept, but I’d love to see this available on the market. At first glance, it appears to be just a large, cool looking cardboard sculpture attached to the wall for kitty to scratch on, but look closely at the drawing below. There is a hidden chamber inside that contains a ball. Kitty can poke her paw through the opening to move the ball around, but it won’t fall out. What I like so much about this concept is that the ball feature will attract the cat to the scratcher, enticing them to scratch. Love it!

The other thing I love about this design is how it mounts to the wall. It looks like there is an angled piece that attaches to the wall, then the whole scratcher slides onto the anchored piece, staying securely in place.

I truly hope that Mr. Mattern tries his hand at some other cat products! (psst, Steven, give me a call!)

See more of Steven’s work at stevenmattern.com.

Here are some wonderful artisan-made cat products from an organization that is making a difference. SERRV is a nonprofit organization that supports artisans and farmers worldwide by marketing their crafts and goods through an alternative trade outlet. The program helps these artisans to build their businesses, providing them with a sustainable income.

The SERRV website offers all kinds of goods, including a few interesting cat products. The Double-Decker Cat House, shown above, is a collaboration between two different groups. Dhaka Handicrafts from Bangladesh makes the frame and the cushion is made by a different group in Nepal. The frame has a wire base that is wrapped with fibers from the Holga plant, a renewable resource found along the riverbanks in Bangladesh. The Holga Scratching Post, also shown above, is made from the same material.

One more kitty-related find on the SERRV website comes from The Community Crafts Association in the Philippines. This set of two cat toys is woven from lukmoy vine and each has a metal jingle bell inside.

Keep an eye on the Pets  & Animals section of the SERRV website for new products being added all the time. Thank you to Moderncat reader Jennifer for the find!

Here are some stylish options for toting kitty around this holiday:

Sleepypod
The award winning Sleepypod is more than a cat carrier, it’s a lifestyle.
sleepypod.com

The Mommy Bus
Mommy Bus is a uniquely stylish and fun pet carrier.
MommyBus.com

Sherpa Cat Tote Carrier
Travel stylishly with heavy duty mesh and cozy faux lambskin
SherpaPet.com

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Make sure to check out all the other fabulous finds in our Holiday Gift Guide!

Do you have an eco-conscious kitty? Then she’s going to need one of these in her Christmas stocking! The Original Greenmouse is an eco-friendly cardboard mouse toy that cats love. Made from 100% recycled cardboard with organic cotton twine and infused with catnip oil, these little mice are sure to please. The toys are made in the USA and all the materials are grown and produced here in the US, too.

Get your Greenmouse at thegreenmousecompany.com for $5 each plus low flat rate shipping.

Cat Scratchers no longer have to be ugly monstrosities sitting in the middle of your living room floor! Check out some of these sculptural cat scratchers that both you and your cat will love.

CARDBOARD CAT SCRATCHERS

The Big Sleeky Comfort Lounge
Another Scratch’n Slumber® Cat Scratch Lounger from Brawny Cat
BrawnyCat.com

The Original Catpods
Eco-friendly furniture designed for the feline mind.™
Catpods.com

The Sky Scratcher: Chicago
Let your cats terrorize Chicago, not your couch!
TheSkyScratcher.com

PetFusion Cat Scratcher Lounge
Both a scratcher and a lounge, reversible for twice the use!
PetFusion Cat Scratcher Lounge

X-Tetra Cat Scratcher Lounge
Four sided scratch lounge! FREE shipping with every order!
KarmaProductsLLC.com

Hepper Itch Scratcher
Itch Scratcher from Hepper
Hepper.com

Kittyblock
Best-In-Class Cat Scratcher
mykittyblock.com

Moderncat Studio
Eco-friendly modern cardboard cat scratchers
Moderncat.etsy.com

Catpods Kitty Speed Bumps
Eco-friendly furniture designed for the feline mind.™
Catpods.com

Infinity Cat Scratcher Lounge
Spacious reversable scratch lounge FREE shipping with every order!
KarmaProductsLLC.com

The Original Scratch Lounge- World’s Best Cat Scratcher
Scratch Lounge Holiday Special: Free Shipping + Complimentary Catnip Tin
ScratchLounge.com

Stretch & Scratch
Exercise for caged cats. Donate to your favorite shelter!
StretchAndScratch.com

CARPET, SISAL AND OTHER CAT SCRATCHERS

35 Inch Vertical Scratching Post & Perch
Extra large scratching post designed to handle big cats.
MountainCatTrees.com

Itch Wall Scratcher
Does your cat have an Itch to scratch?
SquareCatHabitat.com

Calypso Cat Scratcher from The Refined Feline
Makes a great cat scratching post as well as a beautiful accent piece
TheRefinedFeline.com

The Company of Pets
Neo-pop Canine Cat Scratcher
TheCompanyOfPets.com

Mountain Cat Trees
All natural wood and sisal scratching post.
MountainCatTrees.com

The Five Pet Place Scratching Post
Made in America to a standard instead of a price
FivePetPlace.com

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Make sure to check out all the other fabulous finds in our Holiday Gift Guide!

Here’s a sleek new raised feeding dish that comes with an affordable price tag. It’s the new elevated pet bowl holder from PetFusion. It’s made of natural wood with a water resistant finish. The feeder holds two stainless steel bowls at just the right height for kitty to eat comfortably. The simple, clean design would look great in a modern home. Available from Amazon for $29.95.

Just in time for the holidays, the Hepper Pod Bed in Herringbone is back in stock! But if you want one, you better hurry because they only have limited quantities! Visit the Hepper online store to get yours.

To create a truly cat-friendly home, it is essential to provide your cat with ways to explore the vertical space. There are all kinds of cat trees and cat shelves that can be added to your home to give kitty a way to get up off the floor using something that is just for her. Take a look at these awesome finds for creating climbing and perching surfaces with style.

Buddha Wall Perch
Functional art for you and your cats!
SquareCatHabitat.com

Designer Pet Products Sebastian Cat Tree
Beautiful Modern Cat Tree
DesignerPetProducts.com

Hollywood Franklin Tower
A modern, modular Cat Tree system for your home
FranklinCatFurniture.com

Wave Perches from Urban Pet Haus
The perfect solution for small spaces
UrbanPetHaus.com

Lotus and Little Lotus Cat Towers
Simple, elegant, modern cat trees from The Refined Feline
TheRefinedFeline.com

Contoure and Cuadro Cat Towers
Free standing cat trees with modern style
WhiskerStudio.com

Silhouette Cat Shelves
Unique, modern cat climbing shelves
TheRefinedFeline.com

Elevation Modular Cat Tree
An ultra-modern cat tower that uses an Ikea pole and brackets
WhiskerStudio.com

The Cat’s Trapeze
Unique suspended cat bed and climber
catstrapeze.us

Designer Pet Products Sophia Cat Tree
Elegant Wall Mounted Cat Trees
DesignerPetProducts.com

Catty Stacks: The eco-friendly, modular cat house
An innovative alternative to traditional cat furniture.
cattystacks.com

Mountain Cat Climbers
Solid wood shelves for cats.
MountainCatTrees.com

Santa Monica Franklin Promenade
A beautiful walkway system that clips onto your existing bookshelves.
FranklinCatFurniture.com

Catemporary Cat Castle
The perfect castle for the design-conscious cat owner who wants to treat their cat like royalty.
TheRefinedFeline.com

Cat Clouds Cat Shelves
Floating cat shelves from The Refined Feline
TheRefinedFeline.com

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Make sure to check out all the other fabulous finds in our Holiday Gift Guide!

Here’s a brand new concept in modern cat furniture, and I have one word — BRILLIANT! It’s from the designers at Paper Lion, a new company making modern, eco-friendly cat products. This is one of the most innovative uses of material I’ve seen in the cat product industry.

The KittyNest appears to be made from a honeycomb paper material that looks like something cats would completely love. Because of the flexible nature of the material, this took some really creative thinking to make it work for cats. By stretching the honeycomb material over a wire frame, you create a beautiful piece of cat furniture that serves as a lounge, hideaway and scratcher. It’s so simple and so elegant. Plus, when kitty has had her way with it, all the parts of the KittyNest can be easily recycled.

Support KittyNest Through Indiegogo

Paper Lion is running an Indiegogo campaign right now to raise funds to produce the first run of KittyNests and you can lend your support to help make it happen. Please visit the KittyNest Indiegogo page to check out the perks you can get for supporting the project at different levels. They hope to have the product ready in time for the holidays.

Thanks to Robin for the tip!

Kitty will be dining and drinking in style this holiday with these stylish food dishes and drinking fountains! You always pull out the fancy china for the holidays, why not treat kitty to some special dinnerware, too?

Vurv Design
Vurv Cat Feeding Set. Designed and handcrafted in Canada.
Vurv.ca

The Glacier Point Perfect Pet Fountain™
The most effective way to encourage your pet to drink more water and prevent disease.
GlacierPointForCats.com
Free matching food dish with purchase!

Classy Cat Raised Dishes
Elevated one piece wet or dry food dishes and bowls
ClassyCatDishes.com

ThirstyCatFountains
Handmade, 100% foodsafe, ceramic cat fountains – ideal for feline health
ThirstyCatFountains.com

Felli Pet
Cool Products For Trendy Pet Lovers
FelliPet.com

Sleepypod Yummy Bowls
Yummy travel bowls for kitties on the go, from Sleepypod
Sleepypod.com

Eco-Chic Elevated Cat Feeders
Unique Wine Crate Raised Cat Feeders & Cat Bowls
WhinerAndDiner.com

Hepper Nomnom Dish
Nomnom no-spill cat feeding dish from Hepper
Hepper.com

Modern Mews
Modern elevated pet feeders. Handcrafted in Seattle, WA.
modernmews.etsy.com

* * *

Make sure to check out all the other fabulous finds in our Holiday Gift Guide!

Check out these stylish options to spruce up kitty’s litter area this holiday season!

Kitty a Go Go
Designer litter boxes, six styles to decorate your home.
KittyAGoGo.com

Automated Pet Care Products Inc.
Litter-Robot self cleaning litter box. Never scoop poop again.
Litter-Robot.com

Modern Cat Designs Large Litter Hider
A stylish way to hide large and electronic litter boxes
ModernCatDesigns.com
Use coupon code HolidayCat and get $50 off!

Designer Pet Products
Hide Your Litter Box is Style!
DesignerPetProducts.com

ModKat
The award winning modern cat litter box that keeps litter in its place.
modko.com

Litter Spinner
Litter box that cleans in less than 15 seconds
LitterSpinner.com

PetFusion SmartGrip Cat Litter Mat
Soft material, SmartGrip design, and large surface area keeps cat litter off your floor
PetFusion SmartGrip Cat Litter Mat

* * *

Make sure to check out all the other fabulous finds in our Holiday Gift Guide!

Looking for stocking stuffers for kitty? Check out the Cat Toy section of our Holiday Gift Guide! Here are some awesome little treats that you’ll want to be sure to put on your list.

Petstages
Developmental Toys for Cats
petstages.com

Darn!socks Eco-friendly Catnip Sock Mice
Fun reincarnated for felines and their friends
MarvelousMelissa.etsy.com

Subway Train Hug & Kick with Organic Catnip Spray
Eco-Friendly cardboard + organic catnip = healthy fun for cats!
theskyscratcher.com

Yeowww!-tide Candy Cane
Festive colors and fuzzy fabrics are sure to inspire YEOWWW!-tide joy.
yeowww.com

Tipsy Nip
Our mission is to create products that make cats insanely happy. It’s that simple.
tipsynip.com

Cattitude Cat Toys
Earth Friendly Handmade Cat Toys Made in Vermont
CattitudeCatToy.etsy.com

SuperCat™
Nano-Burst Technology releases catnip scent for about 6 weeks
supercatproducts.com

Mice, Mice Baby!
Special Three Blind Mice Holiday Savings
MarvelousMelissa.etsy.com

Moderncat Studio
Handmade designer cat toys
moderncat.etsy.com

* * *

Make sure to check out all the other fabulous finds in our Holiday Gift Guide!

Check it out! The X-Tetra Lounge Holiday Bundle is here, but only for a limited time! This perfect holiday package includes the awesome X-Tetra Lounge plus FOUR Scratch Logs. That’s a lot of happy holiday scratching!

Get it now because it will only be available through Black Friday! $49.95 on Amazon

* * *

UPDATE: Sale extended through Nov 30!

The Hepper Hi-Lo Scratcher is back in stock, just in time for the holiday shopping season! This awesome scratcher is designed to satisfy all kitties, with two positions, one for taller scratching and another with a lower incline. Two and a half inches of high-quality cardboard will stand up to years of scratching.

Available now from hepper.com for $79.

The Sky Scratcher is coming to the East Coast! Check out the newest addition to the Sky Scratcher collection — The Sky Scratcher New York City! This tribute to the Big Apple takes the form of The Empire State Building, allowing kitties to pretend they are King Kong. Measuring a full 3 feet tall, this colossal cardboard structure will keep kitty happy for a long time.

The new Sky Scratcher NYC can be pre-ordered now and will ship at the end of November. Plus, a portion of all pre-orders placed before midnight on Cyber Monday, November 26, 2012 will be donated to help pets that were affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Pre-order now from the Sky Scratcher Etsy shop for $149 plus $25 shipping to US addresses.

Here’s a whole new kind of cat litter scoop with some truly unique features. It’s the SmartCat Big Mouth Litter Scoop from Pioneer Pet Products. I came across this little gem while attending the SuperZoo Pet Product Expo. It was another of those stop-in-my-tracks moments. The display showed the scoop hanging on the side of a litter box — one of my favorite features in a litter scoop, I love having a place for the scoop to go! The scoop also stands up all on its own, another awesome feature. And finally, it has a nice wide mouth and a really comfortable handle to make scooping easy. I love this thing!

The SmartCat Big Mouth Litter Scoop comes in dark green and blue. Both are available on Amazon for less than $6.

Hold on to your hats, cat-loving connoisseurs of mid-century modern design! Here’s something you don’t see everyday! It’s a vintage cat house designed by the office of none other than Frank Lloyd Wright. This pieces was designed for the daughter of Gerald Tonkens, for whom Frank Lloyd Wright designed a residence in Amberley Village, Ohio in 1955.

The original drawing of the cat house, ‘Felis Catus’, was completed by Thomas Olson, the site supervisor for the project. Apparently, Mr. Wright described the design to Mr. Olson over the phone, which is why the design is credited to the Office of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Both the original house and the drawing are currently available for sale on 1stDibs.com for — are you ready for this??? — $14,500.

Thanks to Peter for the find.

Ever wonder what happens to all the beautiful fabric scraps that are left over from making the super cool Cat Ball hideaway beds and Cat Canoes by Jenna’s Red Rhino? They become these hip little catnip mouse toys! Each one is very stylish, indeed! They’re now available for sale from The Cat Ball Etsy shop for just $3.99 each.

This litter box isn’t as stylish as some that I’ve shared with you, but the pure functionality has me giddy! This is the Feline Pine Self-cleaning Litter Box, and it is fabulous! I’ve been wanting to try this out for a while now, so the company sent me one to test, and I’m hooked. I’ve used pine pellet cat litter in the past, but I was always frustrated because as the pellets breakdown into sawdust, the whole box becomes a mess and the sawdust tracks all over the place, then you wind up throwing out good pellets when you dump the whole thing. Ugh!

The Feline Pine Self-cleaning Litter Box takes care of all those issues. It’s a 2-part box, as you can see above. The top compartment has a slotted bottom, allowing the sawdust to fall into the bottom tray. You simply scoop solids from the top, add a few more pellets, and dump the sawdust out of the lower tray as needed. Brilliant!

This litter box can be used with Feline Pine pellets or any other pine pellet cat litter, or as discussed in our Budget-saving Cat Litter Tips post, wood stove pellets work great, too.

Purchase the Feline Pine Self-cleaning Litter Box at felinepinelitterbox.com for $21.99 plus shipping.

Our November monthly giveaway is from a company that is making some of the most creative cat products on the market! South African company KittiCraft designs incredibly unique and innovative cat beds, scratchers, perches and other cat furniture. They use cardboard and laser cut MDF to construct unique and eye-catching designs that are sure to be conversation starters. I’ve never seen anything like it and I love all of their designs.

This month, only lucky reader will win KittiCraft’s signature piece, the Calabash cat bed & swing! And that’s not all, the prize package includes the Calabash stand and the inner lining! The winner of this giveaway will have some very happy kitties!

The Calabash can be hung from a ceiling hook, or the stand allows it to be a free-standing piece, which I think is just brilliant. The lining cushion gives the bed an extra layer of comfort and warmth on a cold winter’s night.

EXTRA CHANCE TO WIN!

To enter the monthly giveaway, make sure you’re signed-up to receive Moderncat updates via email. If you’re already getting the updates but you’d like an EXTRA chance to win this month, please leave a comment on this post. Complete details on the monthly giveaway here. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing on November 30, 2012 and contacted via email. This giveaway includes free shipping to addresses everywhere!

Here’s a new line of luxury cat furniture from UK-based company KoogaTree that’s bringing some originality to the cat product market. Company founders Helena and Simon were inspired to create a unique climbing tower for their cat Kooga using a branch of bonfire wood. Since then, they have added several other pieces to the line, all incorporating unique, natural materials. The KoogaTree products are all handcrafted with great attention to detail.

The Vantage Platforms are made from thick pieces of Scottish timber, giving them a natural and elegant look. KoogaTree also offers a line of climbing trees and scratching posts that are unique and attractive.

The newest addition to the KoogaTree catalog is a line of floor scratchers featuring limited edition original art from various artists and designers. The ScARTch line will be revealed over the coming weeks. Each design features a wipe-clean, scratch-resistant piece of limited edition artwork recessed into a solid oak handcrafted base.

Visit koogatree.com for more information and pricing.