We're all guilty of spoiling our pets from time to time, but a woman from Los Angeles went to extreme lengths and built her cat his own apartment, a mini version of her living room.
In a viral post shared on Instagram in January, under the username @nihaokylen, the cat, Hiro, can be seen chilling in his apartment, appreciating his owner's hard work and dedication to the project.
The cat room, which the poster says is a mini version of her own living room, features a soft bed positioned on a tall mezzanine, accessible to the cat via steps attached to the wall. On the lower floor it has a couch, a tv, and a miniature version of every detail of the poster's living room, including paintings and rugs.
The viral clip comes with a caption that says: "I made my cat a living room that matches mine." Followed by: "I guess you could call it a...copycat room. This is the dumbest but also best thing I've ever done."
The poster told Newsweek: "I really love the process of making my apartment feel like a home especially as a renter, but I also want to make sure that in addition to being calming and beautiful, my space is fun and showcases personality and humor.
"Mostly, I just noticed this unused space above my front door and thought 'what can I do with this space?' and then 'it'd be so funny if I made a mini version of my living room for my cat.' It was kind of just a joke that I committed to landing as well as I could haha. I'm very good at online shopping so it wasn't hard to find what I needed to make this vision come to life."
According to the poster, Hiro loves his new loft, where he enjoys watching TV from, and it has become his favorite nap spot.
"Hiro's been enjoying the small burst of fame and loves that he's gotten some gifts and partnerships with some of our favorite brands as a result.
"Cats love to have a view from above, and it's probably a little warmer which must be nice and cozy. He zooms up and down the wall stairs impressively fast, and to anyone worried about human accessibility, don't worry—I'm able to get up there quickly with a step ladder."
Over 86.9 million American homes have at least one pet, but having a furbaby isn't exactly cheap. In fact it is estimated that Americans spent about $136.8 billion on their pets in 2022.
Cat owners spend on average $653 a year on their pets, including $310 on food and $253 on veterinary care, according to an analysis by Forbes Advisor.
A recent survey by GOBankingRates highlighted a generational difference when it comes to spending on pets. The people who spent the most on their pets were aged between 35 and 44, with about 12 percent of them spending more than $2,000 on their pet.
The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across Instagram. It has so far received over 783,848 likes.
One user, unscriptedadventuresphoto, commented: "Can't imagine a better use for that pointless bit of real estate unreachable by humans." And sotona_jr said: "EVEN the tiny dome lamp, this is amazing." Pearlcxie added: "What's it like having a cat that appreciates the fruits of your labor."
Update 3/18/24, 5:04 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from the OP.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Maria Azzurra Volpe is a Newsweek Lifestyle Reporter based in London. Her focus is reporting on lifestyle and trends-related stories, ... Read more
