In 2007, Kate Benjamin was searching for stylish products for her own cats. She couldn’t find a comprehensive source on the topic, so she started the blog moderncat.net, gathering her finds for design-conscious cat people. With a background in design, consumer product development, marketing and entrepreneurship, Kate used her varied skills to build a unique niche in the pet lifestyle world.
Over the years, the design-loving cat community grew and Kate became known as the go-to source for anything related to cats and design. In 2009, Kate launched her own line of handmade cat products and in 2013 she created Hauspanther, bringing her feline design finds to people around the world.
Kate has been interviewed for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, NY Daily News, People Pets, O, The Oprah Magazine and many other media outlets. Her home has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and she appears in the documentaries Cat People and Feline Empire.
You may have seen Kate making guest appearances on Animal Planet’s My Cat From Hell with her “Catification” partner, cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy. The duo has co-authored two New York Times bestsellers, Catification and Catify To Satisfy. She was a regular contributor to Catster magazine during it’s publication, including writing the Cat Biz and Feline Design columns.
As time permits, Kate consults on residential catification projects as well as cat cafes, shelters and rescues. In addition to running the Hauspanther website and online store, she also designs a line of cat products in partnership with Texas-based Primetime Petz. and in 2020 launched a line of freeze-dried nutrition for cats.
Kate lives in Phoenix, Arizona with eleven beloved rescue cats and her husband, luthier Mark Allred.
