QUESTION: 
WHAT IS THIS?!?

 GIVE UP?

 ANSWER: 

We teamed up with Animal Care Centers (ACC) of NYC – New York City's largest animal shelter – to develop an enrichment toy specifically for shelter cats – and we’re open-sourcing the design so you can implement it at your local shelter!

Here’s the story –

INNOVATION FOR SHELTER CATS

Several months ago, Stephen reached out asking if Cat Amazing could design an enrichment toy for the cats in the care of ACC.
 
Confined to small kennels, shelter kittens and cats need stimulation and enrichment to stay active and learn to channel their energy into appropriate play behavior while they wait for their new homes.
 
But with all the toys on the market, what’s the need for something new? It turns out shelters have unique requirements – and they are challenging.

The solution must...

✅ Provide dynamic, interactive and safe solo play

✅ Incapable of ending up in a food/water dish or litter box

✅ Compatible with a variety of standard cat kennels

✅ Quick and easy to install, replace and sanitize

✅ Inexpensive, ideally using off-the-shelf parts

Trickier than we thought... 🤔

But was this a request we could turn down?

Right.

We got to work.

After scratching away in the workshop for several weeks and experimenting with a variety of designs – we arrived at what you saw above –

We don’t have a name for it yet (ideas welcome!) – but it checks all the boxes! ✅

A hit with the lucky kitty testers at the main facility, Stephen just received approval for installation in every kennel across ACC, including the brand new Adoption Center at 323 East 109th Street – with Cat Amazing donating all the parts. Hello, enrichment! 😼
 
“You’ve affected the life of every cat in every kennel in every Care Center in the city. ACC is so grateful to Cat Amazing!”

☝️ That's what Stephen said when all the parts were dropped off – and summed up perfectly why it was all worthwhile.

NOW, IT'S YOUR TURN! ❤️

We’re open-sourcing the entire design so you can copy, remix, improve, and implement it at your local shelter!

Here are the deets –

Our design goal was to use widely available and inexpensive parts to achieve the maximum of dynamic play in a confined space. We tested a wide variety of parts and designs – and here is where we landed:

 A. ADHESIVE HOOK

The first step was to figure out how to affix the toy to the inside of the kennel in the place that would give it the widest area of play while still remaining tethered to avoid winding up in the food dish or litter box. We experimented with suction cups (didn't work on textured surfaces) and magnets (didn't work either – surfaces were not magnetic).

The simplest and most efficient option left was a modified adhesive hook. (Modified because these are designed for hanging on walls – not ceilings – so the metal needs to be bent inward). These can be bought cheaply in bulk – just be sure to get the heavy duty kind! These stay in the kennels 

B. COIL KEYCHAIN

These spiral coil keychains or bracelets are the secret sauce to magical bouncy-bounce that make the toy interactive. Depending on your configuration, you can use them with or without the carabiner and keyring at the ends. (These do make it easy to install and remove for sanitization).

These can also be bought in bulk from wholesalers on Aliexpress or Alibaba, just be sure to pay attention to the end attachments to see if they fit your particular configuration.

C. MAGNETIC CABLE TIES

These magnetic ties are not strictly speaking necessary, but the serve three purposes:

D. PREY!

Any attachment with a connecting hoop at the top can be used as prey. We donated magnetic ones from our Snatch Packs, so ACC had the option of making them "catchable" in combination with the magnetic cable ties – but you can use any prey you can get your paws on : ) Note: plan on sending these home with the adoption – that's what ACC chose to do because these are difficult to sanitize for re-use. Plus, kitty will have bonded with theirs! 

ADDITIONAL NOTES

MODULARITY: Since kennel sizes vary widely, one of the key features of this design is the modularity – parts can be removed or adjusted so the overall length can be adapted to virtually any space, while retaining the overall play dynamic. The prey can even be attached directly to the hook, as in the example below – but we recommend having at least the magnetic tie to provide some of that magical bouncy-bounce!

Also note – the coil keychain can be looped as a ring to reduce the length by half, while retaining the dynamic movement it provides.

SANITATION: The design is super easy to install and – critically – sanitize, by the universally overwhelmed and busy shelter staff: the hook stays affixed in the kennel, the attachment goes home with the cat, and everything else gets spray-sanitized.

COST: One of the central aims was to make this design as accessible as possible, even on a minimal budget. For the most minimal, but fully functional implementation (without the magnetic capability) – the cost per unit can be well under $1 if all the parts are purchased in bulk, keeping the cost per unit maximally low!

FINAL THOUGHTS

We are incredibly grateful to Stephen and everyone at ACC for the tremendous care they take of the animals in their care, and their commitment to enriching the lives of their residents. Think of it – ACC not only undertook the initiative to collaborate with us on the design and testing, but also to train their team to install and maintain these in every cat kennel! And we're grateful for this unique opportunity to enrich the lives of thousands of cats.

And we truly hope you pick up the torch! We welcome your ideas and suggestions, and would love nothing more than to see this implemented in shelters everywhere!

THANK YOU!

- The Cat Amazing Crew