The Prima Donna's Cat: How to Organize Your Furchild's Little Luxuries

Prologue: I’m working on renaming and branding my blog (formerly The Feline Companion) before moving it to its own corner of the web, where I can have a little more creative freedom. Till then, I’m using LinkedIn as my playground, and you may be seeing my cat-themed blogs named something different each post for a while until I can make a decision. (In fact, I may be enlisting your help with this in a future blog!)

When it comes to decluttering and organizing, I can be a little OCD-ish. It’s my go-to stress reliever. I cannot relax if I see a pile of mail on the counter in the corner of my eye…even when I’m at your house. And I know I’m not alone. Or else there wouldn’t be so many books, TV series, and social media posts on the subject: Get Organized with The Home Edit, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, Swedish Death Cleaning…

In fact, one of my favorite things to do on a Saturday night is binge YouTube videos by Brittany Vasseur (another organization enthusiast) and clean alongside her. That’s right. My Sunday morning hangovers involve actual hangers with freshly laundered tops—arranged by color, of course—hung over them. You do you.?

And for some reason, when the holiday season rolled around, I felt less enthused about pumpkin-spiced everything and more eager to get to spring cleaning. Maybe subconsciously, I just wanted to cleanse 2021 out of my system. Regardless, after ringing in the new year revisiting my favorite shows and books on decluttering, I realized that one very important family member’s things went unaddressed by virtually all the experts. Noone offered any suggestions for organizing a slightly spoiled feline’s treasures. (The gall, amirite?)

Enter yours truly.

If you’re reading this, you probably don’t need a lesson on the myriad mental and emotional benefits of decluttering. But if you do, I highly recommend the book Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin. The title pretty much says it.

So sit back with your snugglepuss, relax (you’re going to need your energy), and read on about how to declutter, how to organize, how to clean, and how to move forward when you get stuck during the process. And remember—be gentle with yourself. We all are minimalists in some areas and maximalists in other areas. The reason I basically have an in-home pet boutique isn’t just because my love language is giving gifts but also because when I play with my cats, I want to be entertained, too.?

The Pawsitive Side-effects of Organizing Your Furmate’s Things

First, let’s talk about how an organized home affects not only your psyche, but your feline companion’s as well. The benefits go beyond no longer freaking out and breaking a hip because you almost stepped on a stuffed toy kicker that you thought was your cat. For instance, if you have a catmate who keeps peeing on a certain chair—and Mr. Peebody doesn’t have a bladder infection or other medical condition—try moving the chair (or whatever it is) to the other side of the room. I once had a cat who kept “marking” my bed to the point I was washing my duvet every bloody day, and then when I moved to a new apartment—same bed and all—she just stopped. (Fun fact: This works with humans, too. When trying to instill new habits, studies show making a major life change, such as moving, omits the old triggers of certain bad habits and supports our goal of adopting better ones.)

Another benefit of rearranging things is that sometimes you can get your finicky feline to ACTUALLY use the overly priced, faux fur cat bed or cat tree that you can’t return by simply moving it to a different spot. Last year, I got my cats the On2Pet Cat Tree (the one that looks like a real tree…but weighs even more), and at first, they had no interest. When I moved it five inches closer to the left side of my catio, Scarlett took to it like…a cat to a tree. Similarly, the number one rated pet bed that Meow-Meow used once has since been moved from the top of my bed to under my bed—where coincidentally, she likes to take her daytime naps. Now it’s both out of sight and being used. Go figure.

The Rules of Decluttering?

OK, so now it’s time to take some action! Some of the “hacks” professional organizers tout work for pet stuff, too, and some don’t. When I’m decluttering my closet, it’s easy for me to get rid of items with holes or stains. This rule does not apply to pets. They’re a lot like men this way: the older and more worn out an item, the more they want to keep it. Moreover, if I hold up “Carcas”—the decapitated toy mouse hanging at the end of a string Scarlett loves so much—and ask if it brings me joy a la Marie Kondo, well…it brings Scarlett joy. And if Scarlett’s happy, I don’t have to listen to her exercise her vocal chords like only she and Mariah Carey can for two hours straight.?

So here’s what I do when I’m decluttering all the stuff I bought because Petco sells it:

1. Accept that this isn’t a project that can be done in one fell swoop. I once spent hours “testing” each toy with my cats, only to discover that the items I’d set aside to donate were suddenly of interest the next day. Apparently, cats have to be in the mood if you want them to do something.
2. Even after you think you know what they want to keep, you’ll likely still be left with a mountain of cat teasers, laser pointers, toy mice, balls, ball tracks, cat tunnels, electronic toys, grooming supplies, treat dispensers, replacement feathers, duplicates, Louis Vuitton-inspired collars you spent a fortune on but keep finding on the floor because your cat likes to strut around naked, and other odds and ends. This is when it’s easiest to just pick out the items you want to keep. When I was faced with three buckets of balls, I decided one bucket would be a-plenty for playing fetch with Scarlett, chose a few of each type of ball (bouncy, woven, jingly), and got rid of the ones that could be dangerous or that were covered in feather remnants, etc.?
3. If you have more than one cat—each with different interests—you’ll still be left with a lot of stuff. Stuff you don’t want cramping your home’s style. In this step, it helps to think like a cat and hide it—but in an organized fashion, which starts with sorting everything into categories: food, treats, toiletries, type of toy…
4. After you’ve divided everything, it’s time to conquer. My dream is to one day have a playroom dedicated just to my cats. I walked through a multi-million dollar model home once, and they had a little girl’s room with a fancy-schmancy built-in fort! My mind converted this into my three stooges’ future sanctuary. Yes, when I close my eyes, I see flower-display sconces affixed to the walls for their feather teasers and built-in vintage box-shelves to organize their things like a boutique. Not to mention faux-trees and butterfly wallpaper with a hidden sound machine emitting the chirps of crickets amidst twinkling lights. Cue the music: A dream is a wish your heart makes…

Till then, there’s Target—known for having bins and baskets galore that aren’t too expensive. I’ve tried The Dollar Tree in the past; however, it can be difficult to find enough matching containers. But it could be worth a try.?

5. For food items, I recommend plastic containers or baskets that you can store in the kitchen pantry. I recently got three, long, narrow ones that keep my cats’ different pouches, cans of food, and treats from falling over. I also arranged their food by color because it looks pretty, makes it easy to find each flavor, and because Clea and Joanna (from Get Organized with The Home Edit) said studies show this is good for the brain. All I know is that when I open my pantry, it truly is all rainbows and unicorns.

Tip: Use a measuring tape and know the dimensions of your pantry before purchasing organizational units.

The Toy Rotation

Organizing your pets’ food is a good place to begin because it’s the easiest. Though this next step may be even simpler: For toys you want your catmates to have daily access to, invest in a basket that integrates with your living room decor. This makes it easy to clean up when you need to vacuum or impress guests. Just throw the toys on the floor into the basket. And every now and then switch out the toys to keep things interesting. Most pet owners call this “toy rotation.”?

For the other toys, I recommend getting two mesh pop-up hampers—the kind that are divided into three sections, thus giving you six spots to categorize everything. I like these because they’re tall enough to keep my cats’ teasers and wands from tipping over. Plus, they’re easy to squish into a tight space. I section my cats must-haves by electronic or “interactive” toys; soft toys (which I’ve subdivided into three cheap collapsible baskets I found in the dollar-section—mice, balls, and miscellaneous); teasers and feather wands; ball tracks; collapsible kitty tunnels; and extra cardboard scratchers.?

Now back to the hiding technique, as I mentioned in my last blog, I have a French-country screen divider in my bedroom that sits in front of the two mesh hampers, and, thus, no one is the wiser. Some other options include an ottoman with built-in storage, a poof cover that once filled with Fluffy Flufferson’s stuffed toys can serve as an ottoman, a cool vintage trunk, hanging closet organizers, or even an enclosed shoe cupboard from Ikea.

For my cats’ toiletries, I keep things like eye wipes ‘n such in a plastic basket along with other miscellaneous items, such as catnip and treat dispensers. And for brushes, because they tend to have fur embedded in them, I keep them in a zippered pouch—except for one or two for when my cats feel like grooming themselves. (If you own a cat, you know what I’m talking about. You start brushing your little prima donna to bond with her, and she grabs the brush and takes over because she’s “a big girl” and can do it herself. Me-ow.)?

Of course, when you embark on this project, you’ll find there are still other items that need a home. Cat carriers, blankets, litter…oh, my! Because I live in an apartment with little storage space, I keep one large cat carrier in my closet in case of emergency and because sometimes Scamp likes to use it as a retreat. (The other two I keep in my garage.) Their monogrammed blankets reside in a basket next to the basket where I keep my towels, because again—no storage space.

And a rule of thumb I live by when it comes to organizing and decorating is—everything looks better in a tray. Namely, cat dishes. I use a vintage metal tray I found at HomeGoods and create a dining experience for my refined felines by using stoneware dishes by Hearth & Hand (Joanna Gaines’s Target brand) and garnish their cat grass cup with a plastic grasshopper.

In addition, if you ever notice bumps on your cat’s chin; it’s likely cat acne. Yep. That’s what it’s called, and it’s typically caused by cats with chins sensitive to plastic. Hence, my personal preference for glass dishes. Also, for their main meal, I recommend using a plate over a bowl. A vet tech recently told me how cat whiskers act as their “feelers,” and that his cat has issues when it comes to understanding the sensory feedback he receives from his long whiskers rubbing against the inside of a bowl. And one thing I hear cat owners often say is that their cats take their food out of their bowls and eat it off the floor like animals. I bet this is a contributing factor. Food for thought.

You’ve Got to Think Like a Cat in Order to Clean Up After One

Congratulations! You’ve tackled the challenge of creating a space (or two) so that all your cat’s things have a place! But we’re not quite done, yet. It’s time to put on those rubber gloves and clean. If you own a cat water fountain, clean out that slime. (I personally got rid of mine because I found it easier to simply turn on the faucet for Meow-Meow when prompted.) Hopefully, if you use a regular water dish, you’re rinsing it out—running it through the dishwasher from time to time—and filling it with fresh, filtered water daily. Dogs may drink out of toilets, but we are talking about the highly discerning feline.?

OK. We can’t avoid it any longer. It’s time to talk about scrubbing the litter box. I’ve never had success with litter box liners. And because I don’t have access to a yard with a hose, I’ve had to get creative because I don’t think my landlord would appreciate my clogging up the plumbing by trying to rinse remnants of clay litter down the drain. If you’re in a similar situation and can’t afford to just replace your litter boxes on D-day, try this: Dump one of the box’s contents into the other. Then use either the litter scooper or a plastic scraper tool (which you can find on Amazon) to get off all that caked-on clay. Now use a combination of about one part vinegar to three parts water to thoroughly wipe down the box. The scent of the vinegar will dissipate. (I’ve also found Nature’s Miracle Scrubbing Litter Box Wipes to work quite well.)

I strongly advise against using traditional household cleaners because they often have an ammonia scent that may deter your cat from using his or her box again. In addition, unscented litter is best. I mistakenly bought scented litter once, and let’s just say, it resulted in my having to pay for new carpet. This is because cats have extremely sensitive noses. In fact, the reason they cover their business is because of their primal instinct to deter predators in the wild. (If you’ve ever scratched your head watching your cats try to bury their food, it’s not because they’re squirreling it away for later.) Moreover, when you refill your litter box with new litter, always leave a little bit of the old litter in the box so that your cats recognize their scent.?

One last word on litter boxes: Because this blog isn’t just about organization but beautification as well, I recently invested in a litter that I almost wish I hadn’t tried, because now I can never go back to my budget-friendly grocery store brand. It’s called SoPhresh Odor Locking Clumping Micro Crystal Litter (available at Petco). And it comes in blue or pink…and, fingers crossed, maybe gold some day. I’ve tried “crystal” litters before, but they didn’t clump like this kind, making it impossible to keep odors at bay. This litter doesn’t clump as tight as clay litter, but ask Ms. Kondo if it brings me joy, and the answer is—so much so that I’m willing to pay three times the price of my normal litter. If you have an open-top litter box, it just looks so pretty! Plus, the micro-crystals are gentle on my royal felines’ paws and don’t emit dust everywhere.?

(Seriously, Petco, I live down the street from your headquarters—why have you not recruited me? Just sayin’.)

Moving on…

While the meme “Cat hair, don’t care” is funny; it’s not to your guests when they hesitate to sit on your fur-covered couch. What you need is my patented (not really) fur-eliminating trifecta: the ChomChom Roller, the GONZO Pet Hair Lifter sponge, and a lint brush. The infamous ChomChom Roller works great in a pinch for sitting areas, but even better for bedding. I use it every morning on my Pottery Barn velvet shams and quilt that my cats called first-dibs on.?

For couch cushions, I highly recommend using the GONZO sponge. It has a sort of rubbery feel, and as you sweep it across your cushions, you’ll be amazed at how much fur reveals itself! You can then use your hand-vac to quickly suck up the collected balls of fur. Lastly, the lint roller is great for bed skirts, drapes, and, if your cat likes to take a “steam shower” (i.e., sit behind your shower curtain while you're showering), the inside of shower curtains.??

Last but not least, for cleaning up cat vomit (sorry, there just isn’t a prettier alternative to that word), just squirt a bit of hydrogen peroxide—that’s right! The $.99 cent stuff in the brown bottle found in the pharmacy aisle—and it comes right up with a damp cloth in seconds. SECONDS. It’s the same ingredient used in color-safe bleach and OxyClean for a fraction of the price.

One caveat, to get rid of urine (another lovely word), no amount of scrubbing or steam cleaning is going to get out that ammonia scent, and your sweet tabby is going to keep revisiting that spot. The only way to prevent this is to replace that section of the carpet and pad. Besides, you don’t want urine getting into your floorboards, do you??

Now, don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about the final touch of not just omitting pet odors but making your home smell like an expensive candle shop. While I know essential oil diffusers are popular right now, certain oils are said to be toxic to cats. Instead, if your budget allows, Pottery Barn has a whole collection of reed diffusers that smell amazing and actually work. My favorites: Rose Damask and Ocean. They ain’t cheap, though. But plug-ins are! The Vanilla & Patchouli Wallflower plug-ins at Bath & Body Works give off a warm and cozy, but not too sweet, scent that I love. Or, if you don’t want to make an extra stop outside of your normal grocery run, try the Apple Cinnamon Glade plug-ins; they don’t smell cheap at all. Rather, they remind me of the Home Sweet Home Yankee Candle. (If you go the plug-in route, don’t put one right next to your cat’s litter box—for the same reason I advise against using scented litter.)

What to Do When You Get Stuck

Invariably, obstacles arise whenever we tackle a project like this. The biggest one usually involves feeling unsure about letting something go. The following tips are what help me not only declutter my catmates’ belongings but mine too. See if they help!

• Stick a “to-donate” mesh laundry hamper in your closet so that you can keep clutter from building up by tossing items—from clothing to cat things—into it that no longer appeal to you or your cat as you go about your life. (Thank you, Brittany Vassuer!)
• Listen to an audiobook or pull up a YouTube video or show focused on cleaning to keep you in a pawsitive mindset.
• Keep a special box, whether under your bed or in your garage, to store at least a few of your furchild’s first toys or itty-bitty kitten collar for sentimental purposes.
• Some professional organizers recommend using a “halfway” box to put items in that you’re just not sure about, sealing it for six months, and if you haven’t revisited the box in that timeframe, finally donating it.
• This one’s more for you than your cat, but my bet is that you’ll feel so motivated after organizing your cat’s things that you’ll want to continue on. Thus, when faced with an item of clothing or a book, etc., and the normal questions of “Does this spark joy?” or “Have I worn/used this in a year?” don’t resonate, take action and do this: Force yourself to wear or read or use whatever it is that day or the next day. If your body resists, it’s a sign that the item belongs in the discard pile.?
• Ask yourself—If I were moving, would I take this with me? Or–If someone offered me a dollar for this item, would I hand it over?
• If something has negative energy around it or just gives you a sinking feeling, it doesn’t belong in your home. (I’m not referring to photos or ashes of past, beloved pets. If seeing these things brings sadness, put them in a memory box.)
• Enlist the power of the compound effect and get rid of one thing every day.
• And of course, there’s the “one item in, one item out” rule: If you purchase something new, whether it be a pair of shoes or a new cat toy, donate a similar item…again to avoid attracting clutter.
• Picture the person or pet the item will be going to and how much joy it will bring him or her.
• Make your catmates part of the process; it’s pretty entertaining how they react when you start going through all of their stuff!

Note: I wanted to include information on local animal shelters where you could donate your cat’s rejected, though barely used, items; however, it seems that due to current circumstances, shelters are only accepting brand new items or monetary donations. Thus, one option would be to nominate a bin in your garage for future donations, or, as long as your cat’s scent isn’t embedded in the item, give it to a friend who has a “less fortunate” cat.?

Final Mewsings

While I’d love to own only a handful of toy mice and balls and arrange them by color in a clear Lazy Susan as shown in The Home Edit Life, my cats aren’t much different from toddlers, and as any mother of cats or humans knows, these types of beings require a lot of stuff! Thus, until I can afford to spend $160,000 dollars at The Container Store, this is the method I chose to go with when my cats wanted their things as organized as mine. (Known for their meticulous grooming habits, they appreciate a clean environment. Anyone who’s ever skipped a day cleaning their cats’ litter box knows this to be true. I don’t think I need to expand on the repercussions.)

Of course, just as I was nearing the end of writing this blog-turned-manual, I happened to walk through some of my favorite stores, all preparing for spring, and see a million other ways I could’ve organized my cats’ treasures. It’s OK, though. I stayed within my budget. And while I know some people do only have a need for a small basket to store their content kitty’s pawful of favorite things, if you’re retail therapy takes place at Petco or Petsmart or any of the other pet supply stores, I hope this article gives you some ideas and inspiration for tackling the one organization project professional organizers seem to overlook.?

And if you have any unique ideas of your own for such a project, please feel free to share in the comment section! I can’t be the only person who eats this topic up!?

Bonus tip: When you go to wash your cleaning rags, don’t use a dryer sheet when you put them in the dryer. This will prevent them from leaving streak marks on surfaces. (Right, mom?)