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When my kitten, Latke, came home in February, I became a “cat person” overnight. Before he arrived, I’d made sure, of course, that I had the essentials — a litter box, scratching post, a bed. But once he was actually home, I was instantly obsessed with finding the brands that were working on leveling up cat stuff.
As a writer and editor, I’ve discovered brands over the past decade that aim to “reinvent” just about every category from t-shirts to air conditioners. And while there are countless direct-to-consumer brands making cute stuff for dogs, I was hoping there would be at least a few for cats, too. I searched online and on Instagram — the app very quickly adjusting its algorithms to show me literally any ad having anything to do with cats. The good news is there are some great options — although: cat-loving entrepreneurs of the world, I’m pretty sure there’s room for even more in the chic, cat-owner category.
Discover some of my (and Latke’s) favorite new brands below:
tuft + paw
My initial reaction upon discovering tuft + paw was actually relief. I was so happy there was at least one company with a truly wide and varied assortment of chic cat things from beds to trees to litter boxes. Latke is six months old and his main M.O. at pretty much all times is to play, so he doesn’t exactly sit still in a bed for very long. But when he does chill in his tuft + paw puff bed (it’s the prettiest shade of blue), he gets very cozy. I love this bed because it’s soft (and knead-able) but not shapeless. tuft + paw is a stellar option if you have space to seriously upgrade your litter box — the Cove (white, with a built-in scoop holder) looks like what might happen if West Elm designed litter boxes, while the Rifiuti completely disguises itself as mid century modern furniture. Finally, though I don’t have the Frond cat tree (and at $299, it’s a splurge) it seems like the perfect option for city kittens like mine who want to get some height (but don’t have a ton of space to spare).
Cat Person
Cat Person launched in 2019 with a tight edit of cat essentials: food, ‘furniture’ (one bed), toys, and supplements — and an often sold out cat & cat person sweatshirt duo (I’m pretty sure this is the ultimate cat mom or dad Instagram moment).
We’re big fans of the brand over here. I particularly like their “Mesa Bowl,” which is elevated to prevent “whisker fatigue,” and especially good for flatter-faced cats like Latke, who is a Persian. He also loves their Jean-Michel fish toy.
Made By Nacho
Good news for the cat with a refined palate, Bobby Flay just debuted his own brand of cat food, inspired (and of course, co-created) with his cat, Nacho. Flay worked with Nacho’s own vet to ensure that Made By Nacho’s recipes are actually optimized for cats’ specific nutritional needs. For example, cats need all the hydration they can get — so each of the brand’s products’ “secret ingredient” is bone broth to increase their hydration. The company launched in April with three wet foods, three dry foods, and five flavors of treats (Latke is a fan of all five).
Litter Robot
If you love everything about being a cat parent except for scooping the litter box, this “Rolls Royce of” litter boxes might be for you. Essentially, the Litter Robot (which costs $500) pairs with an app which detects when your cat goes inside. It then waits a set number of minutes before using a sifting mechanism to separate the clumps (it only works with clumping litter) from the clean litter and depositing the clumps into a drawer. All you have to do is empty the drawer and replace the bag.
MEOW!
Cat parents: the truth is that no matter what you’re probably going to need some feline essentials from say, Amazon — but when you’re looking to treat your cat — or yourself to some gourmet treats from a celebrity chef, or mid century modern-esque cat furniture, these four companies are where to look first.
