An interior designer creates a personalized home for her feline friend and workday helper
Brenna Malmberg February 13, 2017
Houzz Editorial Staff
Pet at a Glance
Pet: Captain, an American shorthair
Age: 10
Location: New York, New York
Owner: Michele Bitter, interior designer and owner of Michele Bitter DesignsMeet Captain: Captain is named after a famous movie pirate: Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. “My family is from Jamaica and descendants of pirates and pirate hunters,” says Michele Bitter, Captain’s owner. “When I first adopted Captain, he was wild! So we named him after our favorite ‘pirate.’ ”
Pet: Captain, an American shorthair
Age: 10
Location: New York, New York
Owner: Michele Bitter, interior designer and owner of Michele Bitter DesignsMeet Captain: Captain is named after a famous movie pirate: Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean. “My family is from Jamaica and descendants of pirates and pirate hunters,” says Michele Bitter, Captain’s owner. “When I first adopted Captain, he was wild! So we named him after our favorite ‘pirate.’ ”
Personal bathroom: Captain has his own bathroom in the loft. (Bitter primarily uses the other one, which has a walk-in shower.)In Captain’s bathroom, a custom vanity conceals his litter box. The 19-by-19-by-19-inch box with a filter in the top fits under the vanity on a pull-out bottom drawer. The drawer reaches all the way to the floor, Bitter says, which helps Captain access it as he ages.
Bitter scoops the box every day, so smell has never been an issue.
When the drawer is pushed in, Captain can enter his box through a hole in the side of the cabinet facing the shower, with no one the wiser that a litter box sits inside. The general contractor Bitter uses for her business’ kitchen and bathroom projects created this custom setup.Captain enjoys the bathroom’s radiant-heat floors and often plops down on them, Bitter says.
Part-time model: Captain seems to enjoy being photographed, and Bitter gives him modeling assignments when she has her own dwellings photographed.For an interior design photo, the camera can hold up to nine seconds, Bitter says, and Captain has mastered posing for that long. “He’s so smart,” she says. “When I want him to focus, I call his name and he holds the pose.”
On the job: Bitter runs her design business from home, which gives Captain ample time to swipe at paperwork. It’s not uncommon for him to dump stacks of papers on the floor.With interior design also comes fabric samples. Captain can be found diving into the bags of samples and scratching at carpet squares Bitter brings home.
Break time: “Well, he is a cat, so he sleeps,” Bitter says.After a nap, he likes to find a perch so he can watch what’s happening at home and in the neighborhood.
Out and about: Captain gets a little stir-crazy in the apartment, so he demands his walks, Bitter says. He cries at the door, waiting for Bitter to put him on his leash so they can go explore outside. “He is getting famous in Chelsea,” she says. “He is truly a city lion. So proud, regal and loved.”You can check out more of his city adventures on his Instagram feed: captjacknyc.
Luxe life: Captain spends his days between silk sheets, on velvet sofas and on this leopard-print velvet pillow. “He is as pampered as a cat can be,” Bitter says.
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