Published May 19, 2026
There’s adopting cats, and then there’s dedicating your entire home to them! After starting his cat rescue journey over 35 years ago, Peter Cohen now lives in a cat paradise, where every room is connected by cat walks and filled with enrichment.
It Started With Two Cats
Most people don’t go out and adopt a herd of cats right away, and neither did Peter. He bought a house with his brothers, which came with two indoor/outdoor cats.
But going outdoors comes with a lot of risk, and sadly the cats were both hit by cars shortly after. Only one of them survived.
Peter didn’t want him to be lonely, so he went to the shelter and adopted two kittens to keep him company. That’s when he fell in love with cats!
In 1995, Peter saw a book by Bob Walker called The Tiny Cat House, about Walker designed his own home to be cat-friendly with colorful walkways, cat stairs, and more. This inspired him to build his first cat walk.
More Space = More Cats
“As I built more catwalks, I could adopt more cats,” Peter said. “The house became 3 dimensional.”
Vertical space is very important for cats, as they spend a lot of their time climbing and perching. Not all cats like to be up high, but many do, and having multiple levels can help ease the tension in multi-cat homes. Many cat fights happen in spaces like hallways, where cats are forced to pass one another. If there’s a catwalk in that hallway, they’re less likely to feel cornered.
These days, Peter lives with 29 cats and one other human. They call their home the House of Neko, which means “cat” in Japanese.
Image Credit: Zen by Cat
The house is three stories, including a basement, main floor, and second story. Peter is a contractor who loves color and elaborate designs, but he reminds us that you don’t have to go all-out or forgo your budget to create a cat-friendly home. Some people use traditional cat furniture like cat trees and window perches, while others make their own. You can even turn human furniture like bookshelves into multifunctional pieces that serve both you and your cat!
The important thing is to embrace your own style and have fun with it. The goal of catifying your home is to make it a fun place where your cats and your human family can thrive.
Helping an Important Cause
The most famous of Peter’s cats is Smokey, one of the first cats ever cured of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). Until 2016, FIP was always fatal.
The drug trial that Smokey participated in changed things forever by using a human antiviral drug to cure FIP in cats. These days, cats who receive proper medical treatment have an 85% chance of recovering from the disease.
Sadly, however, not all cats with FIP have access to this treatment.
Image Credit: Zen by Cat
Peter was inspired by Smokey’s recovery to found Zen by Cat, a non-profit that helps cats with FIP get the vet care they need to recover.
The cruelties of the human world can be difficult to understand, he says, but cats are his escape. Rescuing cats is his way of making the world a little bit better.
In the end, Peter hasn’t only created a refuge for cats, but for himself, too!
