Image courtesy of New York by Gaslight via Ephemeral New York

Before cat sanctuaries existed in New York City, one woman, in particular, may have been responsible for saving many kittens from the harshness of 19th-century city life. In the 1870s, a woman named Rosalie Goodman lived in a run-down home on Division Street on the Lower East Side. While she rented out most of the home’s bedrooms to tenants, she left two rooms for her family and her roughly 50 cats (h/t Ephemeral New York). In an article from 1878, the New York Tribune wrote, “Lying in the closets, on the tables, and under the stove, were cats of all descriptions. Some had broken limbs or missing eyes, the result probably of prowling around at night.”

More this way

If you have four-legged family members, you’ve probably wondered what they’re up to while you’re at work all day. Sure, you can get yourself a regular camera, but Petcube takes pet monitoring to another level. Not only can you talk to, play with, and watch your dog or cat, you can do the same with other people’s pets and even shelter animals via Petcube’s app. And the best part? You don’t need to own a unit to play.

Learn all about Petcube

While traditionally our pet’s furniture and our living room couch are not one in the same, our limited space in the city makes the separation easier said than done. In an effort to resolve this potential conflict, Deesawat, a furniture company in Thailand, has recently released PET. This innovative multi-use piece of furniture, not only includes a separate space especially for your pooch, but it is also moveable and weather resistant, making it easy to enjoy both inside and out.

on this design here

New Yorkers definitely love their cats, and now feline owners can give their beloved fur balls their very own urban oasis in the form of the Catissa cat tree. The stylish and modern cat furniture features four stories of lush cushioned sheepskin and can easily be mounted on the wall. The unit was designed to allow your cat to roam, play, climb and sleep at their leisure.

More on Catissa

Cats could be considered the perfect city pet because unlike dogs these furry creatures don’t require early morning walks or small blue poop bags. But they do come with their own set of challenges, and keeping your furniture scratch free is one of them. Enter Katris, a multi-use cat scratch post that doubles as a stylish piece of furniture. From the innovative design firm Papercut Labs, each of the five available pieces takes the familiar shape of a Tetris piece, and just like in the game, they easily fit together into different formations.

More on Katris here

Cats are self-sufficient animals and make excellent city pets. While their smelly litter boxes aren’t our favorite household item, The Cube, a cat bed designed by Aude Sanchez and Guillaume Gadenne of Meyou, will fit in beautifully with your modern home decor. But the fact that the bed is nice to look at isn’t even the best part. Sanchez, who has a background in marketing and communication, and Gadenne, who’s an industrial designer, have teamed up with an organization dedicated to rehabilitating the disabled through work for the bed’s manufacturing and stock management. The cotton beds will retail for $200 and will start shipping by March of 2016.

Read more

Cats are fickle. They need attention only when they want it, and that’s usually when you’re working. Hao Ruan of LYCS Architecture has an answer for those moments when your cat leaps onto your computer while you’re working and one little paw happens to stomp on the ‘Delete’ button.

Hand carved for a seamless touch, the CATable allows for fun and play for both you and Kitty. As your cat meanders through the maze-like tunnels and crannies in the desk, you can work happily on the tabletop.

More details on the design here