Simple, natural materials make the best cat trees, and that’s exactly what the folks at Mountain Cat Trees use to create their products. Made from real trees with the bark removed and natural sisal rope, these are some of the most eco-friendly cat trees and scratchers I’ve ever seen.
All products are handmade in the North Quabbin region of Central Massachusetts. The trees used for production are locally harvested from downed trees or timber cutting and forest management. Absolutely no carpet is used on any of the Mountain Cat Trees scratchers or cat trees.
If your aesthetic is more treehugger-modern, then make sure you check out these beautiful, earth-friendly and cat-friendly products.
Seattle-based These Creatures Inc. just expanded their line of sustainably and functionally designed pet products with these cool new raised pet feeders. Like their hanging feeders, the raised feeders are made of durable powder coated steel with removable stainless steel bowls. Available in small, medium and large.
All of the products from These Creatures are made in the USA, designed and manufactured under one roof.
With a brand new website that just launched today and an upcoming debut at ICFF, I’d like to introduce the ModKat Litter Box. Litter is an area that is wide open for innovation and this new product is taking on the challenge. With modern style, innovative function, and attention to green design, we may have a winner here.
There are obviously cat owners on the team over at ModProducts, the product design firm behind ModKat. They’ve addressed many of the main litter box issues that we face. By considering the experience of both the cat and the owner, the design team incorporated several unique features in the ModKat Litter Box.
Rooftop Access
The ModKat box uses a top entry which fully encloses the box and gives cats a better sense of privacy. The top of the box has a perforated, non-skid surface that acts as a litter catcher sending loose litter back in the box. The top removes for easy cleaning and the compact design takes up minimal floor space.
Reusable Liner for a Greener Design
This is the first litter box I’ve seen that comes with a washable, reusable liner. Made from durable rip-resistant tarpaulin material, the liner has sturdy built-in handles that make it easy to lift and empty. It fits perfectly inside the box so you don’t see it from the outside. No more plastic liners! That saves you money and it saves space in the landfill.
Ergonomic Scoop
Attention to detail continues with the scoop, which has an ergonomic handle and rounded edges to make scooping easy. It even has a brush incorporated in the side for sweeping stray litter back into the box. And, of course, (my favorite thing!) there’s a place to hang the scoop on the side of the box.
The ModKat Litter Box is expected to be available this summer. You can sign-up at the ModKat website to receive notifications. In the meantime, I’m sure they would love to hear what you think so please leave a comment here with your thoughts. Maybe they’ll even offer one for a giveaway!
These two beautiful new cat beds are being made available through a partnership between Moderncat fave Vurv Design and Vancouver-based Kilowatt Studio. Designer (and cat lover) Gregory Kenny of Kilowatt created these two beds, which are being distributed by Vurv.
The Nest (above left) is inspired by the intertwining branches of a bird’s nest while the Pod (above right) provides a sleek lounge spot for a moderncat. Both are individually handcrafted in Canada and made from wool, bamboo, and organic cotton. Good for kitty and good for the environment. And they sure are pretty to look at, too.
This beautiful modern cat tower from DKcat is handmade using eco-friendly materials and reclaimed wood, perfect for your eco-conscious moderncat. The bamboo plywood structure is formaldehyde-free and the platforms are covered with low-VOC, recycled content carpet. The posts are made from reclaimed wood elegantly wrapped in natural sisal rope for scratching. The Platform C tower comes with either a square or rectangular upper platform and is available in chocolate or blonde wood with tan, grey, or multi-color carpet.
Platform C is the first product from DKcat. Additional eco-friendly modern cat products are in the works.
Introducing a brand new product from Cat Above, makers of the original Cat Hammock. Their newest product, available for the first time today, is the environmentally-friendly and affordable SnoozePal™ cat hammock-in-a-box. This extremely durable corrugated cardboard box measures 21.5 x 15 x 16.5 inches and houses a fleece-lined cat hammock that holds up to 20 lbs. Kitty can sit comfortably in her hammock and survey her surroundings through the porthole windows on both sides, and the box is strong enough to support a cat or two on top as well. The SnoozePal is easy to assemble, the hammock is removable and washable, and the cardboard is, of course, completely recyclable.
BONUS GIVEAWAY!
Be the first to have your own cat hammock-in-a-box! Cat Above is giving away one SnoozePal to a lucky Moderncat reader. Please leave a comment on this post with your feedback on the SnoozePal and you’ll be entered to win. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing on March 22. If an international winner is selected, Cat Above would be happy to send the SnoozePal if you’ll pay the extra shipping.
It all started when Holly Tse adopted Furball, a tiny little bundle of energy who never slept but only wanted to play. To keep her sanity, Holly searched through pet stores for cat toys to entertain the crazy little guy. Finally she began to craft her own cat toys from recycled and discarded items. Holly points out that there over 60 million cats in US households and that reducing the resources and waste used to make toys for these cats would certainly have a positive impact on the environment. So she decided to compile her years of experience in making greener cat toys and share them in Make Your Own Cat Toys: Saving the Planet One Cat Toy at a Time.
All of the toy ideas in the book are classified into one or more of five different play categories:
Catch - Toys that encourage kitty to leap straight into the air and pretend like she’s snaring a bird.
Chase - These toys are meant to be thrown across the floor, like a mouse scurrying away.
Stalk - Interactive toys designed for you to move, like a mouse rustling in the grass, so kitty can practice sneaking up on her prey.
Wrestle - These allow kitty to test her strength as she grasps the toy in her paws and jaws and bunny kicks the stuffing out of it.
Lazy Cat - After kitty has played good and hard, she may still want to take a lazy whack at these toys.
Each idea is marked with the difficulty level and estimated time to make the toy. You’ll find ideas for toys made out of everything including packaging, household objects, craft materials, office and school items, and even old clothing. With toys like the Candy Rocket, Tubular Tubes, the Whipper Snapper, and the Kitty Broomstick, you’ll have just as much fun making the toys as kitty will have playing with them. You’ll also enjoy Holly’s tips for greening your kitty’s lifestyle.
One lucky winner is going to receive a copy of Make Your Own Cat Toys! To enter, please leave a comment on this post with your tips for making greener choices for your cat. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing on Sunday, March 15.
We’ll also be giving away 20 rats from Cat Livin’ in the same drawing, so don’t miss out!
I would like to introduce a relatively new company, Pet Lounge Studios, manufacturer of eco-friendly modern luxury pet furniture and accessories. I’m very impressed with their true commitment to reducing the company’s impact on the environment. All of their products are handmade using solid bamboo, the fastest growing plant known to man and one of the strongest building materials. You can read all about the eco-materials used in their products here.
One of Pet Lounge Studio’s new products is their Bambu Lounger. Solid bamboo makes the frame extremely sturdy but also lightweight. The simple but elegant form has a unique mattress support system, reminiscent of Scandinavian furniture. A cushion made from the highest quality memory foam helps to relieve pressure points, which can be a huge benefit for older or arthritic cats. The microsuede cushion cover is made with no harmful solvents in the dying process and has a water-resistant inner lining to keep the foam from becoming soiled.
Here’s something I absolutely love: they have a product development blog where you can read all about the development process behind their products and watch a slide show of a recent trip to China (the bamboo capital of the world) where the owners of Pet Lounge Studios personally inspected the materials and manufacturing process to make sure it met their quality and eco-friendly standards. Here are a few of my favorite pix from the slide show.
Introducing the newest Moderncat fave, Caboodle Corrugated Habitats for Cats from InPlay Products. I spotted this the other day in my local pet boutique (The Noble Beast in Phoenix, thanks ladies!) and I loved it immediately. Made from double-wall corrugated cardboard, this structure comes packaged in a neat little box and assembles into a 20″ x 20″ x 30″ three-story interactive playspace. You can even customize the design by knocking interior passageways into the ceilings/floors. The sleek lines and simple materials make this a kitty condo perfect for a moderncat household.
The reduced packaging already makes this a green product, but add the fact that the condo is made from completely recyclable materials, the white portions are printed with non-toxic soy based inks, and it comes with three “tumblorz” cat toys made from scrap material — this is eco-kitty’s dream home!
The designers of Caboodle obviously achieved their goal of creating a modern, environmentally-friendly, affordable, and non-imposing cat condo that is appealing and entertaining. All that and it’s sustainably manufactured in the USA. Caboodle is available at fine pet boutiques nationwide or it can be purchased directly from caboodlecats.com.
BONUS GIVEAWAY!
Of course we have one to giveaway! Would I let you down? Please leave a comment on this post telling us what you think of Caboodle and you’ll be entered to win. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing on February 1. This giveaway is limited to addresses in the US and Canada.
An excellent way to be thrifty and eco-conscious is to use old cardboard boxes to make your own scratching pad. Here’s a great design for a homemade kitty scratching pad found over at Design*Sponge.
Not only are these cat placemats from ORE Pet stylish, but they are made from recycled rubber materials. Kitty will feel good about dining on a placemat that helped to reduce the impact on the landfill.
Seattle-based These Creatures Inc. is taking a sustainable approach to creating beautiful and functional products for modern pets. The company — created as an offshoot of a metal fabrication/design business — makes each product to order and everything is handmade all under one roof. The first product line includes these durable powder-coated steel wall-mounted feeders. Easy to adjust to the right height for ergonomic feeding, plus they come in terrific modern colors.
The designers at Square Cat Habitat have done it again! Check out their brand new Baobab climbing tree. This sleek structure provides four branches for climbing and playing and a treetop for napping and observing. As with all of the other Square Cat Habitat products, the Baobab is made from the finest eco-friendly materials. You can choose from either 100% renewable bamboo plywood in amber or natural finish or, for a less expensive option, choose black or white low-pressure laminate over Arreis® Sustainable Design Fiberboard, made from 100% recycled wood fiber and formaldehyde-free adhesive. Great for the environment and healthy for your cat!
The climbing shelves are topped with Square Cat’s special low VOC inserts in a wide variety of colors. The overall size of Baobab is 60″H x 23″W x 23″D. It’s also made in the USA.
Square Cat Habitat always comes up with creative names for their products, too. A Baobab is a very large tree that is native to Madagascar, Africa and Australia. Apparently these trees are so large that people have even hollowed out the tree to live inside. This one is not quite as large, but your cat will be happy to call it home.
Moderncat reader Colin from Vancouver sent in photos of this excellent cat climbing tower that he and his father recently designed and built. Discouraged by the unattractive carpet-covered climbers, Colin and his wife decided that they wanted something better for their two cats Yama and Kumo.
Constructed out of pine and finished with an eco-friendly non-toxic stain, the sleek tower has been nicknamed “The Catsle.” Final cost for this elegant structure was $200 Canadian.
As with any piece of cat furniture, there’s always a risk of rejection. Colin writes, “While we were building it, we tried not to think about the fact that the cats might not like it.The big pay off came when my wife and I moved it indoors and the cats instantly jumped onto it and started to play.” Sounds like a success to me!
See more photos and videos of Colin’s Custom Kitty Catsle in his Flickr set.
Last week I cruised thorugh 1,000 exhibitors at the annual SuperZoo Pet Expo in Las Vegas. I saw a few new companies and stopped by to visit some familiar faces, including the folks at West Paw Design. It’s always fun to see what this hip, young company has going on. They have a great eye for design plus they are a leader in creating environmentally-friendly pet gear.
One of their newest products is a customizable bumper bed. You get to choose from 9 different colors and patterns for the outer bumper and the inner cushion. Altogether there are 81 different combinations to choose from, so there’s sure to be one to match your decor. The durable, super-soft twill covers can be removed for easy cleaning. Or for a deep cleaning, you can wash all the parts of the bed separately, including the cushions.
The beds are filled with West Paw’s own special IntelliLoft filling. This stuffing is created from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles. A small cat bed diverts 6.6 plastic bottles from going into the landfill and a large cat bed diverts 18.75 bottles.
As always, everything from West Paw is made in Montana.
This stylish new cat bed has lots to offer. First, it’s made from eco-friendly banana leaf, a texture that cats absolutely love. As if that wasn’t cool enough, the sphere-shaped bed portion is separate from the base, allowing you to position the opening on the side or the top. It even includes a comfy cushion. With all that and great looks, too, this bed is sure to be a new favorite.
Each year Design*Sponge offers a scholarship program to provide financial assistance to art and design students. The scholarship focuses on product/furniture design, graphic/pattern/surface design, textiles, ceramics and interior design. This year one of the winners, Sharon Levy, included this design for cats in her portfolio. The assignment was to design a pet product and Sharon chose for her inspiration the modular systems of prefab homes. Sharon’s portfolio outlines her research and development of this concept, including target consumer, competitive product analysis, concept sketches, “user” research, use of materials, product details, and final presentation. Her final concept, called Dwell Habi-kat, is a set of modular wall-mounted components made from environmentally-friendly industrial felt. Still just a student concept, the Dwell Habi-kat is not in production, but I wish it was! Sharon definitely gets an A+ from me!
Beauty and creativity come together in this incredible line of products for living with cats by Dutch designer Marly Gommans. The collection, called ‘Cats in Style,’ includes a scratching post, a covered litter box, a pillow bed, and a concept for a cat door.
Made using natural materials like wool felt and sisal rope, these pieces are eco-conscious in addition to being beautiful and functional.
Another Moderncat favorite from the Global Pet Expo was the streamlined and stylish CatVantage modular cat tree system. There are lots of great things to call-out about this product. First, it’s designed to take up very little floor space by extending between the floor and ceiling with a unique, modular design that can fit ceilings up to 10 feet. Also, the products used in the CatVantage are earth-friendly, using 100% recycled PVC for the components of the central column with carpet-covered birch steps.
The pieces of the tree fit together to form a sturdy staircase leading to a large loft at the top. An optional sisal scratching pad can be attached to the tree and the company is currently working on other add-on components.
The PVC and birch model (shown to the right above) is currently available by calling the folks at CatVantage. They are also developing an all-wood version (pictured in the video above) that will be out later this year.
This month, we are thrilled to be giving away the newly designed cat tree from the folks at TrendyCat. This beautiful and practical cat tree is like nothing you’ve seen before. It has two levels with large 16″ by 18″ cushioned perching shelves. The shelf supports are sisal covered scratching posts, with the tallest one measuring 30″ for maximum kitty stretching. It has a solid base for stability and is constructed with high quality bolts–no staples!
Like all the other TrendyCat products, the new cat tree is made of sustainable bamboo and birch hardwoods, and is finished with a durable, non-toxic satin finish. TrendyCat products never contain particle board or MDF and each one is handcrafted in the USA.
The winner will get to choose either the natural or the caramel finish. Sign-up now for your chance to win this terrific giveaway! (This giveaway can only be shipped to the US or Canada.)
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