Product Review: SmartyKat Scratch Cabin
Amazon is a major supplier to the Etier home. Therefore, there are always plenty of shipping cartons to jump in and out of and scratch or gnaw. Not by the people—by the three dogs and three cats who live there (rent-free, I might add). The youngest—and newest addition—is Nell Fenwick, a 7-month-kitten that looks a lot like a marshmallow when it is first toasted and showing a little color. Nell likes Amazon cartons. A lot.
There was a particular carton that she seemed to enjoy so much, it was allowed an extended stay in the living room. I had planned to repurpose it into a little cottage for her, by using the flaps to make a roof, and cutting out a door. Maybe then I’d cover it with some leftover wallpaper or Con-Tact paper. Given the choice between building a cat cottage (which could be rewarding) and meeting deadlines (which can be excruciating), I went with the deadlines.
While wandering through the local Big-Box pet department, I found an item especially designed for cats that would essentially relieve me of constructing a cottage or feeling guilty for not doing it, the SmartyKat Scratch Cabin (“covered cat scratcher”). Okay, so it’s not as virtuous as recycling an Amazon carton but it does have “eco Advantages”: the scratch pad and cabin are made from recycled materials; the scratchpad (which is the floor of the cabin) is recyclable and compostable, biodegrading “in nature”; and the purchase includes “Certified organic catnip grown without the use of pesticides or chemicals.” I’m thinking if I use the Amazon carton for storage and don’t count the box the cabin is packed in, I’m ahead on the ecology issue.
I should have known that maybe not all cats would go for this product since the manufacturer felt it must supply catnip to lure them inside the cabin. That wasn’t an issue with Nell. She’s too young for catnip and she took to the cabin like it was what she really-really-really wanted for Chanukah (I bought it on the first day of Chanukah). Once assembled, this item was an instant success.
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