[7 years of reality] Cats want their own space too, right? → The result of building a "cat room" in a custom home

There are times when you just want to relax without anyone bothering you, right? Lying around in a completely lazy state that even your family shouldn't see, or completely immersing yourself in a hobby – that time is, to put it mildly, the absolute best.

If that's true for humans, it's probably true for cats too. They're naturally solitary creatures, after all. With that in mind, when we built our custom home, we created a "cat room" where only the cats could relax.

This time, I'd like to share the real-life situation of our much-loved "cat room."

Cats enjoyed exploring the cat room immediately after construction.

Our cat room is accessible from a "cat-only void" created in the living room. There are many clever features, such as the ability for cats to go there freely whenever humans become annoying, or to go upstairs without having to use the main entrance.

I was so excited to give it to them, hoping the cats would love it too.

The cat room also has toys like cat tunnels. Although it's a small space of about 3 tatami mats, we made sure to maximize vertical space by placing a tall cat tower. 

Initially, we started by teaching them that there was a cat room upstairs. I, the owner, was desperate, using toys to guide them to the cat steps and calling out "Hey!" from the cat room to let them know there was a room above.

Within two or three days of moving in, the cats understood that there was a cat room. Every day, they would go to the cat room, climb the cat tower, and play in the cat tunnel, showing how much they enjoyed it.

At the time, I had my office next to the cat room, so the amount of comfort I got while writing was immense... While working, I would occasionally glance over and see my lordly cats dozing on the cat tower!

I felt motivated, thinking, "I need to work hard to protect this life with these adorable creatures!"

The "cat room" bored the cat lords.

This routine changed about a year after we built the house. I started noticing more often that, "Hmm? The cats haven't been coming to the cat room lately, have they?"

Even when I was working, the cats would just sleep soundly in the living room, as if to say, "Well, she's probably upstairs." Sadly, they no longer watched over my work with their lovely eyes.

Feeling lonely, I occasionally called out, "Hey! I'm up here!" and they would all rush over as if to ask, "Is something wrong!?" But as soon as I returned to my office, they'd quickly head back to the living room.

The cats' frequency of using the cat room gradually decreased, and about three years after the house was built, it became a largely unused, wasted space.

Later, due to various reasons, I got a divorce and started living with a new partner, so I converted the room next to the cat room, which I had used as my office, into his personal room. I thought, "Well, the cats aren't coming anymore anyway, so it's fine," but once I actually handed it over, I felt an indescribable emptiness...

猫部屋へ駆けつけてくれるコタ。 pic.twitter.com/7V81VnuoIN

— ゆあ ｜ ライター🖊 (@yunc24291) June 5, 2017

The glass window embedded in the room, which I had wanted so I could watch the cats while working, was covered by curtains and became useless. I regretted whether all the effort I put into building the house was in vain.

Changing the cat room to my "personal room" altered my beloved cats' behavior!

As I started working in the living room, the cats went to the cat room even less, and I also began to feel like, "Cat room? Oh, right, we had one of those."

Even after trying various things like replacing the cat tower or redecorating the room, the cats never relaxed in the cat room for long periods, and it became a completely underutilized space... 

The only time they would go to the cat room was for scratching. Hearing the loud scratching sounds from the cat tower in the living room, I started to think, "That room is fine as a place for scratching and vertical exercise." (A state of resignation.)

Then one day, I suddenly thought, "Maybe I should just make the cat room my own personal room," and brought in a floor chair and a mini heater. I wanted to make use of the wasted space, so I didn't remove the cat supplies but created a mini personal room.

Then, the cats' behavior changed. Whenever I was in my mini personal room, they would all come over and relax nearby. They even started spending more time in the cat room than ever before, hiding in the newly acquired cat tower.

Huh... Could it be that they were relaxing in the living room because they wanted to be with me all along? Happy with this thought, I spent several days relaxing in the cat room, then going to the living room, and repeating the process to confirm my hypothesis. I finally arrived at a conclusion.

My cats weren't the type to enjoy alone time in the first place. That's why they felt lonely in the cat room where they could relax by themselves, and didn't use it.

When I reached that answer, I realized the importance of building a house that considers the personality of your beloved cat. In the end, I still use the cat room as my mini personal room.

When the cats sense the sound of me entering my mini personal room, they rush over and relax by my side. I feel like the cat room has finally started to function.

A cat room may sometimes be unnecessary depending on the cat's personality. If it's unnecessary, it's important to consider the cat's personality and think about how to use the space. I hope this conclusion, which I learned through building a house costing tens of millions of yen, reaches those who are planning to build a cohabitation house with cats.