If you’re a cat owner, this scenario probably sounds familiar. You sit down to get some work done and then who comes over and decides to lounge all over your business? Why none other than your darling kitty, of course.

It’s one of the most universal experiences of cat ownership: the moment you open your laptop, your feline friend decides that’s the perfect time to demand attention, walk across your keyboard, or simply plop down right in the middle of your workspace. For years, cat owners have accepted this as an inevitable part of living with cats, but what if there was a better solution?

When Design Meets Feline Behavior

Ruan Hao and his design team from LYCS Architecture in Hong Kong pondered this very dilemma. Rather than viewing cats as interruptions to productivity, they asked a more interesting question: what if we could design furniture that accommodates both human work and feline play simultaneously?

The result is CATable, a brilliantly conceived piece of multifunctional furniture that’s both a practical workspace and an irresistible cat playground. It’s a table filled with curious holes, tunnels, nooks and crannies too tempting for any feline friend to pass up. So while you’re hard at work, your kitty can explore, play, and satisfy their endless curiosity without interfering with your productivity.

The Psychology Behind CATable

According to LYCS Architecture, the design was inspired by two fundamental aspects of cat behavior that every owner recognizes:

The Ritual Farewell: Putting away your cat from your laptop always feels like a sentimental ritual of temporary farewell. There’s something bittersweet about moving that warm, purring companion off your workspace, knowing they just want to be near you.

The Irresistible Hole: A properly sized hole is completely irresistible to cats. Their curiosity drives them to repetitively explore the unknown path behind every opening they encounter. This isn’t just playful behavior, it’s deeply ingrained instinct.

CATable fuses these experiences into a single piece of furniture where the interaction between human and cat becomes the focus. It’s a table for us and a paradise for cats, creating a shared space that didn’t exist before.

CATable 1.0: The Original Innovation

The original CATable brings the perspective of a cat into the table’s interior itself. The design features integrated pathways, tunnels, and chambers built directly into the table structure. Cats can enter through various openings, navigate the interior passages, and emerge from different spots, all while their owner works on the surface above.

This isn’t just clever design, it’s practical psychology. By providing an engaging alternative right where you work, your cat gets the proximity to you they crave while channeling their energy into exploration rather than keyboard walking. It’s similar to how innovative furniture design can completely transform how we interact with our living spaces.

The response was overwhelming. CATable 1.0 launched on top fashion platform Fancy and received rave reviews. It was invited to exhibit at prestigious international shows including Milan Design Week, Lyon Architecture China, and the Gwangju Design Biennale in Korea. Time Magazine’s website featured it prominently, and it became the first Chinese design to win PETA’s “Innovator for Animals Award” in 2014.

 

CATable 2.0: Modular Evolution

Building on the success of the original, LYCS Architecture developed CATable 2.0, taking the concept in an entirely new direction. Rather than a traditional scale table, CATable 2.0 consists of several wooden cubes with 40cm sides, essentially creating modular “kitten tables.”

Each cube features exterior carvings with holes of different shapes and sizes, while the interior is curved to allow cats to move around and play freely, consuming their excess energy in the process. The genius of this version lies in its flexibility.

Users can configure these units like building blocks, combining them into stools, coffee tables, low cabinets, or bookshelves depending on their space and needs. Each cube has different internal paths for cats to explore, while the remaining space can be customized by the owner to store books, display collections, or even keep fish. You’re essentially creating a series of furniture pieces and a unique cat playground simultaneously.

This modular approach addresses one of the biggest challenges in modern living: adaptability. Just as space planning is crucial for furniture placement, having furniture that adapts to different room configurations makes CATable 2.0 practical for apartments, studios, or larger homes alike.

Why CATable Matters

At first glance, CATable might seem like a novelty, but it represents something more significant: thoughtful design that acknowledges how we actually live with our pets. Cats aren’t just decorative additions to our homes, they’re family members with their own needs, instincts, and behaviors.

Traditional furniture forces us to choose between accommodating our pets and maintaining functional spaces. CATable eliminates that choice by creating furniture where both needs coexist naturally. It’s a philosophy that’s increasingly important as more people embrace pet-friendly living and seek ways to better integrate their animals into their daily routines.

The design also addresses a real behavioral issue. Cats seek elevated spaces and enclosed areas because these satisfy their instinctual needs for security and territory. By providing these elements in your workspace, you’re not indulging your cat, you’re meeting their psychological requirements while maintaining your own productivity.

Recognition and Awards

The design community and animal welfare organizations alike have recognized CATable’s innovation:

• 2014 PETA Innovator for Animals Award
• 2016 Design Intelligence Awards Nomination
• Featured at Milan Design Week
• Exhibited at Lyon Architecture China
• Showcased at Gwangju Design Biennale, Korea
• Highlighted on Time Magazine’s website

These accolades reflect not just the aesthetic appeal of the design, but its practical functionality and the genuine improvement it offers to the lives of both cats and their owners.

The Broader Impact

CATable has inspired a broader conversation about pet-friendly design. As our understanding of animal behavior deepens and our relationships with pets evolve, there’s growing demand for furniture and home solutions that work with, rather than against, our animals’ natural instincts.

This shift parallels what’s happening in other areas of furniture design. Just as modern furniture companies are rethinking traditional pieces to better suit contemporary lifestyles, designers like those at LYCS Architecture are reimagining what pet furniture can be.

The concept of “shared space” that CATable introduces could extend to other aspects of home design. Imagine built-in climbing structures for cats integrated into bookshelves, or dog-friendly mudroom designs that accommodate both human storage and pet washing stations. CATable proves these solutions can be both functional and beautiful.

Practical Considerations

While CATable isn’t currently available for mass market purchase, its designs have been featured at international exhibitions and the concepts continue to influence pet furniture design globally. For cat owners interested in similar solutions, the modular approach of CATable 2.0 offers inspiration for DIY projects or custom furniture commissions.

The key principles, creating enclosed pathways that satisfy feline curiosity while maintaining human functionality, can be applied to various furniture pieces. Some cat owners have begun working with custom furniture makers to incorporate similar concepts into their homes, adapted to their specific spaces and their cats’ preferences.

Looking Forward

As work-from-home becomes increasingly common, the need for furniture that accommodates both productivity and pet companionship grows more relevant. CATable addresses a real challenge many remote workers face daily: maintaining focus while keeping pets happy and engaged.

Whether LYCS Architecture eventually brings CATable to market or licenses the design to furniture manufacturers remains to be seen. What’s certain is that they’ve demonstrated a thoughtful approach to a problem millions of cat owners experience, proving that good design considers all the inhabitants of a space, even the four-legged ones.

For now, CATable stands as an inspired example of what’s possible when designers truly observe how we live with our pets and create solutions that enhance those relationships rather than merely tolerating them. Much like how thoughtful home design improves entertaining, pet-conscious furniture design improves daily life for everyone in the household.

The Bottom Line

CATable represents more than clever furniture design. It’s a recognition that our pets are integral parts of our lives and our homes should reflect that reality. By creating a shared space where both human productivity and feline play coexist naturally, LYCS Architecture has shown that we don’t have to choose between functional furniture and happy pets.

For cat owners tired of the constant battle between work and play, keyboard walking and lap sitting, CATable offers a glimpse of what’s possible when design thinking meets everyday life. It’s furniture that understands both you and your cat have needs, and beautifully addresses both.

Your cat will thank you. And honestly, so will your productivity.

To learn more about CATable and LYCS Architecture’s innovative designs, visit LYCS Architecture.