A new PVRR (Pet Virtual Reality Research) technical brief targets the hundreds of millions of global kitties who might enjoy a romp through a virtual playscape. For starters, be sure to watch the compelling promotional pitch below:

Isobar, the brainchild of this operation, boasts their brain-monitoring and emotion-measuring capabilities. Thee brief reports that they have partnered with Zoos Victoria to detail the stakeholders and potential benefits of their emerging tech. After all, they ask: why should only “big cats” get to have all of the fun?

Per the paper, “PVRR utilizes EEG and EKG technology to monitor cats’ emotions to certain stimuli. The methodology accounts for the fact that cats see less color, but see better in the dark than humans.” Their tests involved showing cats swimming fish, low-flying birds and other objects and scenes designed to evoke a response.

Actually reading the brief, though, you might be both amused and skeptical — it did also, after all, come out on April second, which may be more than coincidence (really, though, you should read it yourself to learn more).

More from the design team: “We pioneered a patent-pending process that is referred to as ‘W.A.H.T’- whisker attenuation and haptic telemetry. this groundbreaking addition to the computer vision and sensor platform has allowed us to leverage software algorithms to understand the ‘tells’ each feline has related to their whiskers and be able to accurately understand when a cat experiences one of the following states: (1) TD: totally disinterested, (2) D: disinterested, (3) MD: mildly disinterested and (4) CNP: cat-nipped – a term we’ve been using to express the same brain activity seen in highly stimulated cats when under the effects of catnip”

Of course, this may all sound silly to us right now, but wait a few years and household pets may well while away lonely days at home being fed by robots and goofing off inside simulated playscapes. According to the PVRR brief: dogs are the next target audience, so: stay tuned, canine fans!

Whether your furry friends are canine or feline, this pair of posh pet architecture companies have your Modernist domesticated animal needs (quite literally) covered.

And for those domiciles home to both cats and dogs that do not share space, fear not: the Puphaus is made for the outdoor dog and Meyou created for the indoors cat.

First, the Puphaus borrows domestic architectural design elements but employs a tools-free approach for easy assembly, creating a backyard home for your pup that could be cooler than your own house.

“Sporting backgrounds in graphic and industrial design, dog-loving founders Roy Fleeman and Zach Griggs wanted to design & build something unique for man’s best friend: the Puphaus. Time to ditch the plastic igloos and give our pups some stylish new digs.”

The Meyou line of cat furniture by Parisian designer Aude Sanchez approaches the problem as a question of interior design, aiming to create habitats that will not just look good next to but also become part of your decorative scheme.

The resulting cat cocoons are made for curious and playful kitties to use for shelter, napping, hiding or even sharpening their claws.

The Ball, The Cocoon and The Bed are variations on the same design approach, each with slightly different layouts and features – they can work individually or as a set for various rooms.

Raising funds for an feline-focused area non-profit group, these architect-designed cat dwellings span the spectrum from adventure spaces to cozy nooks for your furry friends to explore or sleep within. If you also enjoy supporting canines, it is well worth checking out these 14 architect-designed doghouses likewise built to support a charitable purpose.

With proceeds going to FixNation, the Giving Shelter fundraiser (with photographer Grey Crawford) drew an impressive array for architects, firms and designers, including RNL, NAC, DSH, HOK, Wolcott, Lehrer, Space Int’l, Formation Association, Perkins + Wil, and Standard Architecture and Design.

With tunnels, tubes, ramps and platforms from wood, metal, fake grass and the materials used to make scratching posts, participating designers showed off the huge range of possibilities for catering to domestic cats, in some cases integrating elements of human functionality (with pieces doubling as furniture) as well.

Their robust materiality and construction is intended to make the shelters able to be placed outdoors. More photos from the live benefit can be found via Fixnation and Flickr.

Architects for Animals “Giving Shelter” is an awareness raising initiative. “The one-night event in Los Angeles benefitted FixNation, a 501c3 organization dedicated to helping community cats in need. Participating architectural design firms designed, built, and donated creative outdoor shelters.”

“These shelters were on display to the public at a one night event at the Herman Miller Showroom in Culver City. FixNation and Architects for Animals offered this unique exhibit and cocktail reception that combines the love of architecture with the love of animals. Attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and wine from the open bar while viewing the original shelter designs.”

More on the non-profit benefiting from the series: “FixNation is a non-profit organization committed to cats, and to supporting Trap-Neuter-Return. We provide a free, full-time spay/neuter clinic for cats with two full-time veterinarians capable of sterilizing as many as 100 cats per day. We also provide low-cost, affordable spay/neuter services for tame pet cats. We loan out humane traps and equipment to the public free of charge, provide training on how to humanely trap feral cats and kittens, and offer guidance and information on long-term care and management for feral colonies. We are located in the heart of the San Fernando Valley and have been operational as a non-profit since 2007.”

Furnishings for felines are nothing new, but this one-stop shop provides modular bridges, beds, posts and platforms designed as a kit-of-parts solution to turn any room into a cat’s personalized paradise.

Goldtatze boasts ground-up scratching posts but also wall-hanging walkways and ceiling-mounted spaces to allow cats full access both horizontally and vertically, while conveniently leaving room below and between for human companions (especially useful in small-space urban dwellings).

Designer and craftsman Stefan Hofmann set about to solve a problem for his own domestic best friend (an indoor-only cat) and went on to create solutions that could be deployed beyond his own home.

By breaking the system down into a series of individual pieces, the effect is much like that of visiting an IKEA store – the parts are made to be structurally and functionally autonomous, but also to mix and match in custom configurations.

From scratching posts to snuggle bowls, the resulting furnishings and fixtures play on feline favorites like boxes and baskets, providing all kinds of places to explore or simply curl up and observe surroundings (from a safe, secure and self-selected distance, of course).