Awe As Newlyweds Build Their Cats 'Hidden Bedroom' Inside House: 'Goals'

Newsweek

02-05-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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Some homes are designed to prioritize aesthetics while others focus more on practicality, but for Kelsey Mansingh and her husband Ryan, from Akron, Ohio, their dream home had to be just perfect for their fur-babies.
Mansingh told Newsweek that when she and her husband where house hunting, they were looking for a specific feature they had in their previous home and wanted to replicate, a special room for their two felines, Stella, who's been with them for 10 years, and Socks, who showed up at their door as a stray a year and half ago and never left.
"They love to hangout in the room together and this is where their food and litter boxes are located, so they spend a lot of time here," she said.
In their previous home, the room was located in an unused under the stairs closet, which they turned into a cat oasis with everything they could want or need, including their food and water bowls, toys, and litter tray.
Screenshots of the viral clip show the poster opening the door to her cats' room, where they are resting on their bunk beds.
Screenshots of the viral clip show the poster opening the door to her cats' room, where they are resting on their bunk beds.
@newbuild_newlyweds
In their new home, which they renovated on their own with the help of sponsors over a period of about eight months, the cats' room is way more stylish and luxurious than it was before, and it's hidden behind a bookcase, invisible to those who don't know it's there.
They added even more attractions for their felines, including a mini TV—a wall-mounted tablet that displays fish in an aquarium which they watch all the time.
Mansingh shared footage on the room on Instagram in April under the username @newbuild_newlyweds. In the viral clip, the kitties can be seen resting on their bunk beds while watching their little TV, climbing shelves, and going in and out of their private space via a small cat-shaped opening at the bottom of the bookcase.
"They're just cats' god forbid we make their short lives purrfect," she says in the caption.
Both Stella and Socks love their new room and all the amenities it comes with, and according to their mom, they go and in out of it as they please.
"We love being creative and including things in our home you don't see all the time. My favorite part of it is that it's hidden behind bookcase doors, so if you didn't know it was there, you'd never notice it!" Mansingh said.
"If we ever move, the new owners can keep it as a pet room, turn it into a little hidden playroom or hidden storage!"
The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 3.4 million views and 204,000 likes on the platform.
One user, Thetruthbehindthe_decor, commented: "Absolute goals."
Everlasting.bookworm said: "I'm jealous of a cat."
Liekeboullart added: "I hate it when people say they are just cats. Cats deserve to live a happy and good life as well. My Dad thought I was weird because I got a lot of cat stuff for my cat."
Hannahturneruk wrote: "A bedroom fit for kings and queens!"
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to [e-mail] with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.