Since 1988, California home builder Peter Cohen has spent over $50,000 converting his Goleta property into a cat haven for his 15 rescue cats. The house now has a series of high walkways, tunnels, ramps and perches designed to make his favorite felines feel comfortable and entirely at home.
When Cohen first purchased the house it came with two cats, but one tragically died after it was hit by a car. Soon after, the second cat Cookie was also hit by a vehicle and she had to go through reconstructive surgery to recover. That’s when Cohen decided that Cookie would be a house cat, and he started changing the interiors to her liking. He also went to the shelter to adopt some more cats, so that Cookie could have new friends. “It sort of went from there,” he explained.
Today, Cohen shares his eccentric home with two roommates and 15 cats. The house is peppered with 22 litter boxes, all located in ventilated closets. It is also equipped with five autonomous robotic vacuum cleaners that are switched on almost every day in order to pick up the cats’ hair.
A tunnel opening in Cohen’s bedroom is concealed by a hippo piece, and shelves and steps lead to a loft of cat beds. 25 security cameras enable Cohen to constantly check on his cats when he’s away on business. With his iPhone, he can control the window shades, temperature, door locks, fireplace, music, lighting and more.
Although he has been ridiculed for having spent so much money on his pets, Cohen is unfazed. “Way more expensive than a sane person would build, but I love my cats, my house and art, so I designed it to be beautiful to me,” he explained.
YouTube channel HouzzTV recently posted a video featuring Cohen’s unique home. Since December, the video has received almost 1.5 million views. It is incredibly popular with cat lovers all over the internet, who have been leaving positive and appreciative comments.
“I love this house and how it works for the cats,” one commenter wrote.
“Neat set up. Cats belong inside and under control; this is a great example of how to keep your cats busy,” another wrote.
Cohen says he’s done adopting cats for now, but he’s never going to stop renovating the house. “We’ll never stop,” he said.
Source: Houzz
