Cat’s Meow
From interiors to the digital realm, cat fancy has become cat fervor
We already fessed up to our nerdy tendencies by embracing our love of geeky sports, but it’s time we own up to another of our current secret obsessions: cats. Even with the ‘crazy cat lady’ connotation cats may carry, they are many designers’ latest inspiration. We know what you are thinking, but don’t call us cat-crazy yet. Just read this first… 
Cat Art + Design: Some might frown upon framed pictures of kitties displayed prominently on living room bookshelves, but those whose homes honor the housecat can now claim, with some credibility, that they’re on the cutting edge of interior design. Thanks to Brooklynite Lisa Hanawalt and Chicagoan Stephen Eichhorn, art involving furry friends doesn’t have to be something one stashes in a drawer when guests come knocking. Hanawalt’s quirky animal illustrations include countless cats in states of human-like activity (in a non-creepy sort of way), while Eichhorn takes a different approach. Although he’s best known for making elaborate collages with photos of plants, some of his latest work whimsically incorporates portraits of cats with his trademark vegetation. Lest you think that the notion of cat-themed interior design is a bit of a stretch on our part, we aren’t the ones hiring an architect to design a litter box room. 
Cat Fashion: Never in our wildest dreams would we have guessed that cats would hit the catwalk, but since the debut of Miu Miu’s Spring 2010 collection, fashionable rompers and girlie dresses patterned with felines have been popping up at several retailers, including Asos and Zara. More colorful, albeit subtle, examples of cat fashion fanaticism have appeared in fabrics and pretty unisex silk scarves from Milleneufcentquatrevingtquatre. If we haven’t managed to convince you that cats are indeed the newest fashion fad, perhaps the blogger buzz around a so-bad-it’s-good cat tapestry bag will. Since Japan’s cat cafés have yet to hit the US – we’re guessing the Health Department probably wouldn’t approve – cat clothes may be the closest thing cat lovers have to showing off their devotion to their animals in public. 
Cat Websites: If you find yourself growing addicted to watching web celeb Maru leap out of a box for the umpteenth time (or, maybe that’s just us), we’ve found a few more web destinations, from Dream Cats to Career Cats, through which you can obtain your feline fix. And there’s more: Design*Sponge recently introduced a photo gallery of cats mugging for the camera in stylish interiors, while The Catorialist is a sendup of The Sartorialist that’s dedicated to cat spotting rather than style spotting. Bucking the stereotype that only women love their cats, Tumblelog Cute Boys with Cats and Flickr pool Indie Rock Boys With Cats show off proud male cat owners. Of course, we’re not the only ones getting whipped into a frenzy by this digital cat fever. Try showing your cat Meowmania. It’s pure digital catnip.