A Collapsible Cat Enclosure Made Specifically For Roadtrips
An RV trip can be many experiences. Friends and family gathered around a crackling campfire. The sound of the woods. The echo of laughter. The meows of cats as they play with their toy mice.
Cats on a camping trip?
Cats traveling across the United States?
For many cat owners this is now a reality. The Feline Fun House optimizes this as the first of its kind on the market…a collapsible cat enclosure made out of heavy duty nylon impervious to the feline persuasion’s escape attempts. Measuring at 72 inches long, 30 inches wide and 28 inches tall, the enclosure can easily house a litter box, food, water and some toys with plenty of room for play.
“Many people doubted it could withstand cat's claws,” explains Karen Reed, co-creator at Wild Whiskers. “They were pleasantly surprised. We tested it quite extensively in our living room with our three cats where we would have a toy on the outside and the cats would be on the inside, clawing at it through the nylon.”
Reed and her partner Cathy Miller created the Feline Fun House out of Bellingham, Washington in 2004 when one of their cats desperately wanted to go outside. They scoured the market, but couldn't find anything for what they needed.
“We wanted something portable but not super restrictive,” explains Reed. “At the time there were only metal cages or this super long tube. Naiko [our cat] would never want to come inside so she would go to the opposite end of the tube. One of us would have to crawl in there to get her out.”
The durable tent they ended up inventing has a small cat door, as well as a larger door for pet owners to use so there is no crawling or struggling necessary. In their basement, Reed and Miller tried out a bunch of “wacky” experiments trying to come up with the correct materials and structure.
The key was for people to let their indoor cats have an outdoor experience. “We wanted them to get sunshine, fresh air and see nature. But being outside, cats are at risk. [Between] predators and automobiles, the mortality rate of cats outside is significantly higher than indoor cats. Inside, cats live [on average] 16 years [while] 5 is a good number for an outdoor cat.”
Miller and Reed also noticed a trend with their customers when they began production: Many were interested in taking their cats camping or RVing. Since RVs are often limited on space, it's useful for people to keep their cats – as well as small dogs, bunnies and other pets – inside a contained space – similar to a kennel yet be collapsible - during trips or at night. Interestingly enough, that wasn't all people wanted to use the tent for while out traveling in their RV.
“A lot of snow birds called us and said they wanted to take their cats with them and include them in their activities,” said Miller. “[From the beginning] we had a girl call in a panic. She wanted to get a Feline Fun House before Memorial Day so her cats could attend a BBQ with her. She had us ship it to her overnight.”
This speaks to the fact that, for many, pets are their family, which Miller & Reed understand adding the fact that “you can't just leave them home.” Many want to be able to experience the RV lifestyle with them.
“We like the idea that we were able to provide thousands of kittens and cats a safe way to go outside,” continues Reed. “Knowing people are taking [good] care of their animals is an amazing feeling. [I remember] we got a letter one day from a woman who had to have her cat put down. The morning they ended up having to make that horrible decision, the last thing that cat wanted to do was be outside in the Fun House. That really touched me.”
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
Make Sure To Check Out:
Wild Whiskers, which offers the most portable, lightweight, affordable outdoor cat / pet enclosures out there.