Cat House is a 331-Square-Foot Apartment Designed to Accommodate 51 Cats

Titled “Cat House”, this tiny apartment from Shanghai in China has a lot going for it, both for the owners and their cats. The property was refurbished as part of a Chinese TV program called “Change Your Life”.

A local architecture firm by the name of FANAF were enlisted to transform the old Shanghai home. The result and is bright and relatively spacious home, despite is tiny footprint.

The project was taken on and completed in 2017. The home is located in the residential district of Xuhui in Shanghai, and is home to a couple to tend to no less than 51 cats (yup, you didn’t misread that).

To make the designer’s task that little bit more challenging, they had to accommodate the clients needs (both human and feline) in a space that measures just 333.68-square-feet (31-square-meters). To get an idea of how to do this, the designer’s took up residence in the clients home for a day.

After their in-house experience, a major concern was the lack of separation between the owners and their pets. The home was also lacking in ventilation – windows were kept shut in order to prevent the cats escaping – and natural light. This combination of factors lead to an unhealthy environment for all living there.

The resulting renovation saw the bathroom and kitchen swap places, allowing the kitchen to feed directly into the living area. A master bedroom was created at the very end of the apartment, providing a separate space for the owners to sleep in. The third aspect of this redesign, was the introduction of an internal courtyard for the cats.

Aspects such as water, lighting and ventilation were also tackled. From the architects: “Parts of the courtyard were restored to invite the open air and stylish roof lights were installed to direct natural sunlight. This became the cats’ main area of activity. Ventilation was improved with the construction of new doors in the main entrance and kitchen.”

For more small homes check out this 1900s brick water tower that gets converted into a contemporary living space. Or, Piraja House by Estudio BRA which squeezes into a tight lot in Brazil. See all small homes.

Photos © Lei Zheng, Xiaowen Jin