Choosing the Purrfect Home for Cat Lovers

All cat owners know that their feline friends take the top spot when it comes to the chain of command in the house. With that in mind, it’s safe to say that when it comes to choosing a new home, those with cats close to their hearts have their work cut out for them. The accommodation will need to be tip-top and meet the highest standards in order to keep the kitties pleased, along with ticking all the usual boxes to satisfy the humans too, such as a great location, a range of useful amenities, etc. Khun Mine Nuntanut Chinsangchai, a cat lover and owner of the Tarntawan Cattery, joined us today with her little fur babies to discuss what cat/homeowners should look for when selecting their next abode. Of course, with all those adorable fluffballs running around, the interview was filled with warmth, but it was hard to stay focused as we all suffered from cuteness overload!

“The way of living of has changed tremendously over the years,” said Khun Mine. “The new generation aims to have a small-sized family, and some have decided to have no kids or even stay single. Therefore, having pets at home could provide life fulfilment for some families. Some are not your typical pet lovers but rather view their pets as partners, and they treat their pets as if they were one of the family. They are more than willing to pay more to ensure that their pets have a great quality of life.”

“For cat lovers, there will never be only one cat in the house like you originally intended,” Khun Mine explained. “Initially, when I got my first cat, it wasn’t something special. I just love how cute they are. At that time, I didn’t know how to differentiate between cat breeds or tell the pretty ones apart from the not-so-pretty. It wasn’t until 2020 when I dug deeper into British Shorthairs, and I was inspired to develop this breed further; that’s why I have 12 British Shorthair now.”

As of now, Khun Mine is living in a townhouse on Srinakarin Road, which is one of the most convenient locations in Bangkok due to its proximity to the expressway and the MRT Yellow Line. The main reason Khun Mine moved her family to the new house was because of her growing number of cats. She wanted somewhere that could offer them enough space to be happy and healthy.

This new house ticks all the right boxes for her and her cats. Many people might think that cats don’t need much space, but as Khun Mine had so many cats and eventually her own cat farm, dividing them into separate rooms was necessary.

“Most space and rooms in the house belong to the cats,” noted Khun Mine. “Since I have a large mix of males and females at a range of ages, it is necessary to make sure that they are categorized appropriately, and they all need their own space, such as rooms for kittens, toms, queens, and pregnant queens.”

“Choosing a residential property for pets is not that different from choosing one for other lifestyle requirements. It just needs to be a little bit more organized for both human and pet happiness. Having cats in the house, the owner needs to understand their nature. As most people know, cats love to eat and sleep, but they also love to strolling around the house and enjoying the view. So, I set up a corner for them to do that, and I have lots of toys in the kitten’s room as they are highly Inquisitive at that age,” added Khun Mine.

Talking about the reasons behind her choice to move to this property, Khun Mine said, “The reason why I chose this house was that it’s convenient to travel around since the expressway and the upcoming MRT Yellow line are very near. Around the house, we have shopping centres and stores like Seacon Square and Mega Bangna, as well as night markets. Most importantly, there are many pet hospitals and 24-hour pet clinics nearby, so I feel less worried if the cats are sick or need to deliver their babies.”

“Before moving here, I was quite worried about the environment, as I was living in the condominium in Asoke and thought that Srinakarin is quite far from my last place. At that time, the Srinakarin area was unfamiliar to me, but now that I actually live here, I have fallen in love with it, and it turns out it’s not as far as I thought. Outside of rush hours, I can get to the central areas of Bangkok within 30 minutes. Lately, I’ve been to Pattaya very often as it only takes me one hour to drive there. Overall, I feel like Srinakarin is very convenient to travel to other areas.”

“For people who have many pets or pet farms, when choosing the property, you need to be very careful. Space is the first thing you need to consider. It needs to be organized by splitting rooms or even dividing the space using partitions. If you don’t have a clear picture, try thinking about what a cat hotel looks like.”

“Furthermore, social responsibility is important. For example, I make sure that sounds and scents don’t bother my neighbours. I feed my cats with holistic-grade food making their stool scent weaker, reduces hair loss, and keeps them healthy in general. I also use premium litter sand for their toilet, which controls the smell pretty well and certainly does not trouble our neighbours. Furthermore, it’s dust-free so that no harm will come to human’s or cat’s respiratory systems.”

“If you asked me, ‘what would I change in the house?’ I would answer, nothing. However, I’ve also been thinking about moving to a single-detached house to have more space. I want to build a space for customers coming to meet the cats. I started to take pictures of the cats by myself, so it would be nice to have a studio to do that. If I can move and have all of these things organized, that’s when I can call it the dream house.”

“My favourite corner of the house has to be the kitten’s room because they love to play, and I have a great time with them. It’s like charging my batteries from a long day, making me feel relaxed and less stressed. I could be in there for hours.”

There are many considerations for Khun Mine when it comes to choosing a property. Whether it be the space, location, or the environment surrounding the house, all need to be considered carefully. Some crucial factors for Khun Mine, such as a pet clinic close to the home and convenient transportation links, could be tricky or at least take a lot of time to locate, so tools filtering out the needs could be very helpful.