Cat lovers are an amazing community of people, and we’re proud to be part of that community. We know you care deeply about cats because we do too. Your cats, our cats, street cats. It doesn’t matter. Those of us who love cats, love all cats deeply.

And it’s that love for all cats and their well-being that Cat Box Classics brings to all of our materials, designs and manufacturing.

We aren’t the cheapest cat house you can buy. We know that. And we don’t want to be. But we are by far the best cardboard cat house for your cat. Here’s why.

It Starts with the Materials

Recycled Corrugated Cardboard

We don’t believe the love we all feel for cats needs to come at the expense of the planet. It can be a win-win. We believe you can make your cat happy and the planet healthy at the same time. Our cardboard cat houses help make that happen.

All of Cat Box Classics cardboard scratcher houses are constructed using environmentally friendly recycled corrugated cardboard. Recycled cardboard is more expensive to source than first-use cardboard. But we feel it is worth it for your cat and the planet.

The cube shape of our cat houses also required us to source and choose a corrugated cardboard that is particularly strong.

Cottage style cat houses with pitched roofs as well as other cat houses with unique shapes often don’t allow cats to sit on top of the cat house. So, the materials they use don’t need to be strong enough to withstand the weight of a cat on top.

We knew cats would be jumping and sleeping and playing on top of our cat houses and we’ve chosen materials that can stand up to that use.

Soy Ink

Industrial inks used in products other than cardboard cat houses can be toxic to cats and the planet. Large international conglomerates and global chain stores that produce thousands of products annually aren’t necessarily going to change their manufacturing processes just for a cat house. There’s just not enough revenue there.

So, it’s hard to know whether they’re using the same industrial inks for their cat houses as they use for their thousands of other products.

The cheapest cardboard cat houses also sometimes use large sticker material and industrial glues to paste the sticker which has the graphic design onto the cat house rather than printing the graphics.

That’s not how we wanted to produce our cat houses or what we wanted for our cats and customers. We make sure that we use only non-toxic soy ink for our graphics. Soy ink is renewable and cat friendly.

Non-Toxic Glue in the Scratchers

High-quality corrugated scratchers are an essential part of any good cat house. Scratching lets cats groom their claws, flex their muscles and mark their territory. It’s an essential part of their physical health and emotional well-being.

Having a dedicated place for your cat scratcher also helps prevent scratching on furniture and other areas where you don’t want your cat to scratch.

Similar to inks, industrial glues can be toxic. It’s difficult to know if international corporations and chain stores are changing their processes specifically to produce cat scratchers the are made with non-toxic, non-industrial glues.

We make sure that the scratchers we integrate into our cat houses as well as the replacement scratchers we have designed to fit into our cat houses after they are assembled are made with non-toxic glues.

It Continues with Design

Designed for Maximum Use and Love

There are lots of cardboard cat houses shaped like airplanes or fire engines and other unique shapes. And those have their place. In our journey to offering the best cardboard cat house available, we too examined many shape options.

Ultimately, we chose the cube shape to offer the maximum room for your cat to scratch, sleep and play. Cat scratcher houses shaped like airplanes, cottages and other things might draw initial interest, but don’t allow for a range of uses or movement.

Cottage style cat houses with pitched roofs for example, might have a higher number of inches at the apex of the pitch than our cube shape. And, therefore, they appear to offer more room. But as we all know from moving around in an attic, it’s hard to turn around, it’s hard for a cat to sit up straight or have the room to play anywhere except the exact middle where the pitch is highest.

That wouldn’t do for our cat houses. We really wanted to create a multi-use space that your cat would come back to again and again. We wanted to create a space that offers cats not only somewhere to sleep but their own special place to play, scratch and groom.

The more uses your cat has for their cat house, the more they will love it, the more they will spread their scent and make it their own.

We also designed the cube shape to encourage play with you. We wanted our cat houses to be a place where your cat can not only get away and feel comfortable, but also keep an eye on and play with you and other pets.

We have placed play holes on each side of the cube, which are great for using play wands and other toys to interact with your cat. The play holes also are great for allowing play between multiple pets.

Manufactured with Care

We designed our cat houses after much research based on our love of cats. We knew that the manufacturing partner we chose would need to have that same focus on cats, cat safety and cat products.

We found and settled on a partner that cares as much about cats as we do. Their focus is on cat products, their facilities are inspected and tested and meet applicable U.S. and international standards.

The Best Cardboard Cat Houses Available

We know how much you love your cat and all cats. Because we are part of this global community of cat lovers. And, of course, because we love our own cats.

It’s that love that drives us every day to make sure that we offer you and your cats the best cardboard cat houses available.

All cat owners know a universal truth about their cats. Cats love cardboard cat houses. Maine Coons, Persian Cats, Ragdolls, British and American Shorthair cats all love to curl up in their own cardboard cat house. Give them cardboard with four sides and they’ll get inside it.

That is not only a universal truth among cat lovers. It’s also been proven in studies by animal behaviorists and cat experts. So why do cats love cardboard cat houses? The reasons are as complex and varied as our cats. But scientists have found a few common reasons.

The primary reason is that your cute little lap cat is actually a ruthless predator. Hard to believe, but true. So, having a familiar, hidden place from which they can stalk prey and pounce at just the right time is a great asset for a predator cat. In other words, cardboard cat houses give cats a hunting advantage.

Cats in the wild are also susceptible to many larger predators. Your cat may have nothing more to fear than you skipping their afternoon treat, but they don’t know that. Their instincts always have them on guard and watchful for approaching predators. Cardboard cat houses provide house cats what would otherwise be the security of a den in the wild. Having four walls surrounding your cat gives your cat a sense of security. They feel less vulnerable to prey which would have more difficulty approaching a cat that is protected on multiple sides. Being protected on multiple sides also only requires your cat to watch in only one direction for approaching dangers

Cat Box Classics Cardboard Cat Houses are designed to provide cats with this instinctual comfort of a safe place from which to hide and watch. The large entrances of our cat houses include space on each side for cats to partially obscure themselves while keeping an eye on the outside world. Strategically placed play holes also give cats the opportunity to feel hidden while being able to peek out of various sides of the cat house. Studies have also shown that cardboard cat houses are a great way to lower stress in your cat. Scientists have actually shown that cats who are able to spend time in spaces similar to cardboard cat houses have lower levels of damaging hormones and display fewer stressful behaviors.

Many cats also experience stress when they are left alone. This can be particularly true if their owners have recently returned to work outside of the home. So, giving a cat its own warm special place within your home gives them a sense of comfort in your absence. Houses and even apartments by scale are huge spaces for a cat. And when you leave, they are there alone. So cardboard cat houses gives them a home within a home where they can feel comfortable until you return. Some cat experts have also speculated that the comfort cats feel when they’re curled up in their own special protected space reminds cats of how they felt when they were small kittens nestled against their mother.

Cardboard cat houses are also scaled for the size of cats. Cats are a fraction the size of people. So it’s easy to see how a large room or apartment could feel overwhelming for cats. So a cat house scaled to their size is a naturally more comforting environment.

Cardboard cat houses are also the perfect place for cats to avoid conflict. As of 2017, 96 million cats were living in homes across the United States. That number is believed to have risen significantly over the last three years. Many of those homes include more than one pet. Anyone who has more than one cat or multiple pets of any kind knows that conflicts occasionally arise. Most of the time cats are able to work it out between themselves. But sometimes tensions run a little too high.

Ongoing conflict between cats within households, according to some studies are a primary reason owners give for relinquishing one or more of their cats. Cats are also considered to be less skilled at conflict resolution than other domestic animals. Dogs, for example, are considered to have more ways to signal to other dogs that they don’t want to fight than cats have. As a result, cats are often left to either fight or flee. So it is better to give them a place to flee to. And, as cat owners know, often after a few minutes the mood and conflict passes and both cats are happy and relaxed again.

Ongoing conflict can also be a form of stress in cats. And if those are not resolved over time they can lead to persistent anxiety. So, anything we can do to reduce the number of conflicts in multi-pet households is a positive.

Cardboard cat houses also provide the warmth cats crave. Most of today’s house cats are the descendants of early desert animals. DNA tests have shown that domestic cats are most closely related to wild cats living today in deserts around the world. So, our house cats are evolutionarily designed to thrive in warm climates.

While some cats over time have developed longer coats and fatter bodies to help stay warm, the short hair and slender bodies of many of today’s domestic breeds are designed to dissipate heat. That means that house cats have to actively seek out sources of heat. Cardboard cat houses, which are designed to reflect a cat’s own body heat, are the perfect place to curl up and stay warm. Cats also prefer warm places to sleep. Cats’ body temperatures decrease when they sleep. So, sleeping in a warm spot, such as a cardboard cat house, allows their bodies to relax and not work as hard to retain their body heat.

The thermoneutral zone of cats and humans are also very different. The thermoneutral zone is a temperature which the body is naturally able to retain its body temperature. A cat’s natural thermoneutral zone is approximately 86 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit. Humans have a thermoneutral zone approximately 20° lower. That means that we might feel comfortable when our home thermostats are at 70° but your cat will be cold. So instead of turning up your heat to a costly and uncomfortable level, cardboard cat houses allow both you and your cats to be warm and cozy.

Cardboard cat houses also offer the opportunity for play and mental stimulation. Play for cats is not only fun but important for their development and ongoing mental and physical health. It teaches kittens vital skills as well as keeps the bodies and minds of older cats in shape.

Play also helps keep cats at a healthy weight. According to one published study, 59% of domestic cats in the United States are either obese or overweight. So, it’s vital to give your cat exercise through play.

Anyone who has seen a cat stalk a catnip-stuffed banana toy, knows that cats are natural predators. Play often mimics a cat’s natural predatory instincts, such as stalking and pouncing.

Play also helps relieve stress in cats. Unresolved and ongoing stress in cats can lead to negative behaviors, such as spraying and aggression towards other pets. Play also provides an opportunity for cats to bond with their owners and other pets in the household.

A study presented by CNN showed that cats who are not securely bonded with their owners often display signs of stress. However, cats that were well bonded with their owners felt more relaxed in stressful situations

Cardboard cat houses that include scratchers and play holes are the perfect way for your cat to play and occupy themselves as well as interact and bond with you. You can use a cat play wand or other toys to have your cat run in and out of their cat house or try to grab the wand through various play holes. Cats can pretend to stalk and pounce on prey that passes by their cat house. And cat houses that include scratchers allow cats to relieve stress and flex their muscles by scratching. Scratching in their box also releases scents that identify the cat house as their own, making them feel even more comfortable.

Cardboard cat houses also let your cat sleep in peace. While your home might be a perfectly safe environment, your cat’s instincts remain strong. They are always worried about unseen dangers. This is particularly true when they are asleep. Cats like to position themselves and sleep in locations in which predators would be unable to sneak up on. Sleeping in a warm, familiar and partially obscured space offers a sense of comfort and security.

But cats also want to be able to react instantly and spot approaching dangers during sleep. A lot of cats’ sleep is actually in a state called slow wave sleep. That means that cats actually remain partially aware of what is going on around them even while they are sleeping. A cardboard cat house with various openings offers cats the opportunity to wake quickly and spot approaching dangers.

Also, if your cat spends a lot of time hiding in your home in places that are unsafe or where you don’t want them to spend time, it could be because they do not feel secure. So giving them their own dedicated space allows them to spend time where it is safer and healthier for your cat.

In summary, cardboard cat houses are nearly perfect spaces for your cats. They are warm, safe, familiar and offer the opportunity for you to play and bond with your cat.