September 10, 2026

It Wasn't Just My Apartment Anymore

Nadin Adam on Mishmish, Honey, and what happened when she started looking at her home from their point of view.

When Nadin Adam got her first apartment in 2023, she could finally do something she'd wanted to do since she was a kid: get a cat. Eight months later, Mishmish came into her life.

At first, Nadin found herself just watching Mishmish do things. She noticed how Mishmish moved through the apartment, where she wanted to go, and especially how often she tried to get higher. So Nadin put a sling on the wall, and Mishmish loved it. One piece of cat furniture led to another, and soon Nadin started wondering if Mishmish could make her way around an entire room without ever touching the floor.

But the apartment was changing in other ways, too. Nadin added safety latches to cabinets, got rid of candles and room sprays, and kept the doors open. There was even a green accent chair that Mishmish claimed as her own, and despite Nadin's plans to get rid of it, it's still there. Then Honey came along.

Now, Nadin shares her life with both cats through Mishmish and Honey, where she talks about cat behavior, catification, and the little changes people can make to the spaces they share with cats.

We spoke with Nadin about learning to see her home from a cat's point of view, designing for two cats with very different personalities, and what happened when other people started doing the same.

Mishmish and Honey

I've always wanted a cat and I wasn't allowed to have pets growing up. I always said to myself that the moment I got my first apartment, I'd get a cat, and that's exactly what happened. I moved into my first apartment in 2023, and 8 months later (February of 2024), I found Mishmish on my local Facebook Buy Nothing group. Someone found a box of kittens and she was the last one to be adopted out (it makes me really sad, I think no one wanted her). There was something about her photo though, and the woman who made the post dropped her off at my place and she is quite literally my soulmate.

I got Honey almost exactly a year later, this time on a routine run to the pet store. I knew I wanted a second cat at some point to help Mishmish be a little less lonely. Honey was in one of the cages, she's a rescue and once I saw her, I went back 3 times that day to adopt her. She's more like my daughter, sweetest cat you'll ever meet.

Making room for cats

For me, catification has meant making adjustments for my cats to make life more interesting for them. Cats live really short lives and they're one of the most misunderstood pets. Similar to the changes that one will make when they have children, you just have to adjust things a little bit.

Mishmish learned pretty early on how to open cabinets, so I have safety latches on them. I have a lot of cat wall furniture for them. I've stopped using candles, room sprays, and incense. All of my doors stay open. When I was incorporating all of these changes, I was really thinking about Mishmish's well-being and that I wanted to make sure she was happy and felt like this was her home too.

When I got Honey, everything was pretty much catified and already set up, so she just got to reap all the benefits. She's more mischievous than Mishmish, so I had to make a couple more changes for her.

Seeing the apartment differently

When I first got Mishmish, I watched her a lot. I was amazed to have this companion at home. Through watching her, I learned a lot about how a cat moves through a space - I noticed pretty early on that she was always trying to get higher and I introduced this sling. She loved it.

From then on, it grew and I realized that it would probably be amazing for her if she could get around a room without ever touching the floor. I actually had to abruptly move out of that first apartment into the one I live in now but it was a blessing in disguise because it was a much nicer apartment but it also allowed me to really intentionally design where I was going to put the cat furniture and also my own furniture. I wanted everything to be cohesive because at that point, it wasn't just my apartment; it was hers too.

” I wanted everything to be cohesive because at that point, it wasn't just my apartment; it was hers too.

Giving up the candles

I think the candles and scents are a big thing. I grew up in a home where incense was pretty much always burning, so it's a comfort thing for me. I noticed Mishmish would sneeze or cough whenever I lit anything, so I cut back pretty drastically.

When I got Honey, she had an upper respiratory infection, and it took a while for her to get healthy. I just cut them out completely.

I recently just got rid of all of them (I had them just sitting there as decor collecting dust). I also used scented floor cleaners a lot but, again, noticed the sneezing and such and I now use a steam cleaner instead. The thing that people don't realize (myself included) is that a lot of these things are also irritants for humans. I have asthma, so I actually felt better when I switched away from them.

The chair belongs to Mishmish

They both have their "spots" for sure. There is this green chair that was supposed to be like an accent chair, but Mishmish claimed it. I actually wanted to get rid of it, but I can't take it away from her now. I did think they'd spend more time in my papasan chair than they actually do, that surprised me. They go in there occasionally but not as much as I thought.

Sharing what I've learned

I recently talked to someone on Instagram who told me that my videos pushed them to catify their apartment and, as a result, they were able to adopt a bonded pair, which honestly made me cry a little. That's a tangible difference, two cats were able to be saved because of my videos.

People message me and tell me their cats are so much happier because of one or two changes that were inspired by my videos. I've had friends who have been supportive of my content text me after they bought a piece I'd posted, and I've helped them put it up. I never expected my content to get this much traction online but it's these messages that push me to keep going because I wish I could save all of the cats in the world, but if I give people the tools and information, then it's worth it.

” I wish I could save all of the cats in the world but if I give people the tools and information, then it's worth it.

Thanks to Nadin for sharing her story with us. You can catch her videos on TikTok and Instagram.

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