OUGD603 Self Initiated Brief: 'Kitty Collateral' Brief Research

For my next individual brief, I decided to move onto my Kitty Collateral brief as this would be something that I could have a lot of fun with.

I started with watching a double documentary about cats by ITV to get a general overview on them.

ITV 'The Wonderful World of Cats' [Youtube] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAR3erZ3DrA (Accessed 3rd March 2015)

I took notes and screenshots during the documentary so that I would be able to use it for when I began designing as reference.

Cat Show

• The most popular pet in the western world- 12millions cats in Britain alone
• Cats divide us between those who love them and those who find them disturbing
• Cat shows are an expression of our modern obsession with cats
• Women and not men are seen at the show as having a connection to cats

The Cat Parade Festival, Belgium

• Hundreds of years ago, this would have led to being declared a witch and being burned at the stake
• The Cat Parade in Epa, Belguim commemorating the history of witches
• The festival culminates in a jester throwing a cat off a building to show what they use to do to witches cats which only stopped in 1817
• Superstition was rife that cats contained evil spirits
• In the middle ages, it was believed that Satan often took the form of a cat
• They would torture the cat and burn alive the women who owned the

Egypt and Cats

• We've always believed, for good or evil, that cats have magical powers
• 3,500 years ago in Egypt was where wild african cats 
• In Cairo, there are cats everywhere around the city- most of them are feral and homeless
• People feed them and look after them as if they were domestic pets
• In a Muslim city like Cairo, it was said that the Prophet Muhammed had a soft spot for cats. When he blessed his own pet cat on the forehead, the mark of his fingers left a giant 'M' which has been passed down through generations of cats
• Farmer grain silos use to attract vermin which wild cats would chase, creating a relationship between the human and cat
• Tombs in Thebes where Pharaohs and aristocrats would be buried- all cats in hieroglyphic paintings would be sat underneath the woman's chair
• Cats use to be taken hunting so that they could flush out all of the birds
• Egyptians elevated the status of the cat from pet to divine Goddess
• Sekmet, the lion goddess, the protector of women and bringer of plague
• Bastet, the cat goddess, the symbol of love, loyalty and self indulgence
• In Ancient Egypt, pet cats were adored and if one died, the whole family would shave their heads in mourning.
• Other cats would be bred to be offered to Bastet for her blessing as mummified cats as the message would be listened to better coming from a cat
• The Egyptian word for cat is 'Mau' and your cat is a descendent from this stripy tabby cat
• The government believes that, to control the mass cat population, they should be shot or poisoned
• The 'Mau' cat is the only naturally spotted cat- half leopard and half tiger

Japan and Cats

• Japan's version of Bastet is Maneki-neko, the lucky waving cat, that can be found anywhere to beckon good fortune to the bearer
• Japanese cats are encouraged to dress up and are not usually found 'naked'
• Another popular Japanese cat is Hello Kitty- influenced by the positive energy of the Maneki-neko
• The legend of Maneki-neko can be found in the Buddhist temples where shrines are built for Maneki-neko: Over 3,500 years ago, it was an impoverished temple with one monk who shared his food with a cat. He said to the cat 'One day, you will bring us great fortune'. One day there was a loud commotion at the gate and there sat the cat beckoning some lords to come in. As they came in, lightening struck the tree they had been under and they would have been killed.
• The cat is seen as a tiny incarnation of the Buddha. Wishes will buy a cat and wish to meet good people, when the wish comes true, they bring the cat back to the temple and offer thanks.
• Opposite of the Maneki-neko is the legend of the Backeneco, an evil pet cat that can change shape: Once, there was a family who had a cat they loved but he went missing. The wife's behaviour changed. She ate in her room and told her family not to come in but her husband decided to look. He found her eating dead mice, rats and fish and her face had turned into that of a cat. The cat had killed her, eaten her up and pretended to be the wife.
• Cats always change into women because people believe women are crueler than men
• In the olden days, they use to believe that cats could suck the breath out of a sleeping baby or that planting a live cat in the garden would keep out the weeds

Jaguars

• In the Mayan jungle in central America, the sole hunter cat is the Jaguar
• The Mayans worshiped the Jaguar through a mixture of fear and adoration
• In 900AD, the Mayan cities collapsed alongside the cult of the Jaguar
• In Mayan mythology, the Jaguar was a very powerful spirit. They hated him for killing the cattle and goats but respected it.
• They are very difficult to see in the wild as they are ambush predators

Cat Abilities

• Would a cat take orders from a human?
• Chicago circus run entirely by cats
• You can train a cat the same way as a dog but a cat will do the trick when they want to do it
• Cats have an ability to help those in need
• They use cats for special needs children to help improve communication skills
• Cats help lower blood pressure, improve your mood and give companionship to the lonely and sick

Natural Selection

• Cat mask headset- allows you to be able to feel the space around you like a cats whiskers would
• Cats whiskers are incredibly sensitive to electromagnetic fields and work best in total darkness
• Cats are 6 times more sensitive to light then humans
• Cats eyes and ears have been fine tuned by nature over millions of years of evolution
• About 100 different breeds of cat
• Natural selection- in hot climates there would be slim cats with short coats but in chillier north, there are heavy set cats with long furry coats
• There are little size difference in cats because there has never been any selection pressure

Cats as Pets

• America and cat genetics- Munchkin cats
• A naturally occurring spontaneous mutation of the cat which makes it have short legs
• The Best Little Cat House in LA- 5 star luxury accommodation
• A range of play toys, walkers, outside and inside rooms as well as feline grooming
• How people do not like pets that do not fit in with their lifestyle- wanting cats for accessories rather than companionship
• People who have tried to make large wild cats into domestic pets- with looking after pets should come responsibility

Cheetahs

• 3,000 cheetahs live in the open plains of Namibia- The frontline in a battle to save them
• Legend says that the black lines down the face as the tears of a cheetah mother who has lost their babies
• The plight of the cheetah shows mans inability to live alongside nature
• There are strong similarities to the wild animals and the domestic cat
• To be a cat lover, you need to be able to appreciate the wildness and independent spirit in them

I felt that the documentary was worth watching as it gave me a large scale of knowledge to take away from about the cat. I was very interested in the Egyptian and Japanese origins of cats and their appreciation of the culture so I think it would be nice to include this within my brand.

Following the documentary, I wanted to do some primary research for this brief as, I myself, am a cat owner. I wanted to see whether my cat had any of the traits mentioned within the documentary itself. I spent a lot of the time during the day not at home as I'm either in college or working so I took a day to spend with her to see what she does as part of my primary research.

Breakfast for Bandit

The first thing I always do for Bandit is get her breakfast in the morning at the same time as my own because I like us to eat together. By together, I mean she eats hers really fast and then sits with me while I eat mine. She will follow me around the kitchen meowing and watching me while I make mine before I give her her breakfast.

Sitting Together

After eating, Bandit took to sitting around me wherever I went, such as sitting with me whilst I was doing work. She would sit close enough to be sat with me but far away enough so that she could survey the whole room and be a safe distance away from harm.

Sleeping on my Bed

After being fed and sitting with me for a bit, I found that Bandit spent most of the day asleep on my bed, only moving when I opened the curtains to go and sit in the patch of sunlight which she loved. This is what she did for the rest of the day until I decided to go to bed where she decided it was time to get up, which, based on the comments for the documentary as cats are nocturnal, makes perfect sense.

Attention Seeking

When wanting attention, Bandit took to reaching out her paw at me and leaning as far over as possible to reach over and tap me so that she could have my attention and from that, would try and sit at me or would meow at me. It turns out that the answer to this was that she wanted treats before I went to bed.

From following Bandit around, I was able to see some of the traits and the characteristics that were mentioned in the documentary which can help the direction of what products I produce for the brand.

Following on from the change in direction I have had for my brief, I decided to research into other cat hotels that currently exist.

The Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel

Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel
Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel [Internet] Available from http://www.longcroftcathotel.co.uk/suites/ (Accessed 3rd March 2015)  

Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel is a premium hotel range based in the south of England. The hotel itself has a range of different suites to suit all guests, with different colours to suite the different, flower-inspired named suites. Each room has a wrought-iron cat sized bed frame and pillow with climbing scratching posts. I liked the luxurious looking rooms which gives a high end quality to the hotel.


The Happy Cat Hotel

Happy Cat Hotel
Happy Cat Hotel [Internet] Available from https://happycathotel.com/rooms-reservations/ (Accessed 3rd March 2015)

The Happy Cat Hotel is an American custom-built cat hotel as well as a day care centre that focuses on having a hygienic and social place for the cat to stay, with large communal rooms for the cats to socialise in. What I liked about this place was the amount of space and things that the guests can do.

Ings Cat Hotel

Ings Cat Hotel
Ings Cat Hotel [Internet] Available from http://www.theingsluxurycathotel.co.uk/picture-gallery-the-ings-luxury-cat-hotel/ (Accessed 3rd March 2015)

Ings Cat Hotel is a relatively local Yorkshire cat hotel that is tailored towards the relaxation and pampering of its guests. It has a large selection of rooms with a range of extras, like underfloor heating, activity walls and outdoor balconies so it can provide a relaxing and care free atmosphere for all of its guests.

Petaholic Hotel

                                     

The Petaholic Hotel
Archdaily 'The Petaholic Hotel' [Internet] Available from http://www.archdaily.com/520690/petaholic-hotel-sms-design/ (Accessed 3rd March 2015)

What is different about the Petaholic Hotel is that cats and dogs are housed together in the same hotel but kept separate from each other. Also, instead of having full rooms or suites, cats are given a small kennel to stay in but are kept all together and have a huge communal space to bond in.

What I have found from these cat hotels is that I prefer those that are luxurious and act like a real hotel for cats, which is the direction I think I should take for my brief. From these inspirations, I think I am going to focus on things like food, toiletries and comfort being the main elements of my hotel.