This excellent product is made of cardboard. We know that cats love cardboard. We know that cats love cardboard boxes. What is intriguing is that this product appears to be free and it is shipped internationally from British Columbia, Canada (but see below). That is my reading of the situation. Although after you have ordered the product you can make a donation or purchase something from their shop.
The seller that I bumped into is The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (update: I believe that you can get this product from a range of animal welfare organisations). The product that I am referring to is called the Hide Perch & Go Box™. If you click on the link below you can open a video and see this product in action:
It can be used by cat shelters and by cat owners in their home. A person who adopts a cat from a cat shelter may take their new cat home with this product. This would be a good idea because the product will have the scent their cat in and on it.
For cats in shelters this product makes their stay more comfortable. It provides a place to hide and a place to perch (a place a little higher up and we know that cats like to move vertically). And then when the cat leaves the cat shelter he can be transported in this multipurpose product as it doubles up as a cat carrier, as you can see in the video.
The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals say that this clever product also helps the budgetary requirements of cat shelters because it eliminates the need to continue to purchase separate cat carriers. They estimate that it saves their organisation between $50,000 and $75,000 per year while also improving cat welfare.
As you can see in the video it is placed within the cat’s enclosure which helps to separate feeding, sleeping and elimination areas. This gives a sense of control over the environment.
As mentioned, it provides a great opportunity to hide and to perch. This helps to reduce stress.
It also offers ways to regulate body temperature and exposure to light. And of course it allows the cat to control the amount of exposure he/she has with respect to shelter activity. Once again helping to reduce stress. And of course the cat’s scent would be on the box so when he/she is transported to the new home they feel more comfortable.
I rarely promote cat products. This is one I’m happy to promote. I love its utility. I love the fact that it is made of cardboard. That makes it cheap to manufacture while at the same time exactly meeting a cat’s needs because they love cardboard.
When I contacted them it was estimated the freight on 20 boxes from Canada to Texas would cost me about $90.
Wow! Bang goes my statement about ‘free’ 😉 That is prohibitatively expensive. Thanks for commenting Cindy.
Great idea!! I love the versatility as well, Michael. Need to make this a mainstay in all shelters everywhere!! ♥♥♥
What a wonderful product, and concept. Shelters need to know about this.