Ep206 - Kate Benjamin

Interview! Kate Benjamin, Designer, Blogger of Hauspanther, Part 1

"I'm not just writing about cool-looking stuff. I'm writing about stuff that's going to make a difference in these cats' lives."

Kate Benjamin has combined her professional knowledge of design and product development with her love of cats to fill a unique niche—she blogs about cat products designed with the cat consumer in mind! She's been writing her blog, House Panther, for about ten years now, which eventually led to two New York Times best-sellers, Catification and Catify to Satisfy. Co-authored with Jackson Galaxy, the books blend his behavioral knowledge and her design perspective to instruct on how best to "catify" your home in ways that are both aesthetically pleasing and most suitable for your cat's unique behavioral needs. Kate believes that if more cat products are designed with the needs of the cat in mind—a design concept called "user-centered design theory"—pesky behavioral problems like peeing outside the litterbox and scratching on furniture can be eliminated, leading to less declawing and less shelter surrenders.

In Part 1 of this two-part episode, Kate explains how small pet stores and Etsy designers have influenced big-box pet stores to design more cat-centered products, which makes the products themselves more accessible to a pet owner on a budget. If you're still concerned about price, though, not to worry: Kate has tips on DIY products for those of us with "a creative streak and a little bit of time."

Check out Kate's blog at www.hauspanther.com.