THE CAT CONE HOUSE

They say if you take a piece of tape and make a square on your floor, your pet cat will automatically sit inside it. Cats are strangely territorial, and infinitely curious. Which is why they squeeze into your drawers, knock stuff off your desk, and take their sharp claws against your upholstery.

Most scratching posts are aimed at keeping the cat’s damage limited to the post itself, but they forget one crucial aspect. Cats don’t desire functionality. They’re weird, curious creatures… and scratching posts too functionally pure for them. The Cone by WISKI, however, isn’t. Designed with a hollow space that the cat will automatically want to sit inside, the Cone is an ideal blend of functional and weird, making it a great cat accessory (or catcessory).

The Cone’s design has a lot of sense to it too. Unlike most scratching posts that are known to be unstable and topple over, the Cone’s truncated conical shape gives it the right amount of stability, making sure the cat can even climb on top and not have it topple over. The hollow space inside comes with a cushion for your feline friend, that can be flipped over should one side get dirty, or covered in fur. The cone itself fits on a wire framework that is more than stable and comes with rubber feet that prevent it from falling or tipping over. The Cone itself is made out of 100% natural Sisal fiber, known for making a rather tough and resilient fabric (Sisal fibers make great ropes, carpets, rugs, and are even being used to reinforce concrete). The conical lampshade-esque fabric hood is detachable and can be easily replaced when needed (they do however last around 5 years).

The reason the Cone works so well is because it takes direct inspiration from nature. The large cats have a habit of scratching too, often the barks of trees, to mark their territories. The reason domestic cats prefer furniture is because like trees, they are large, sturdy, and don’t topple over. The Cone was designed to resemble the tree’s bark and stay upright and unmoved just like a tree would. Plus it’s designed to engage the cat’s curiosity, which means no more living in a house that looks like it was attacked by Wolverine!

Designer: Evan Ryan