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Quality Through and Through - Materials we use to build our cat houses

Superior Engineered Wood

Classic design and modern materials meet to create the world's best insulated, most weather resistant, and most comfortable cat houses.

The core of our designs is a unique U.S.-made engineered wood product with a simulated rough-sawn cedar finish. Our engineered wood was designed for superior strength and structural integrity, as well as the highest possible level of moisture, rot, scratch, dent, and insect resistance. As a result, our cat houses resist warping, cracking and splitting better than any other wooden cat house. The manufacturer of our engineered wood provides a 30-year warranty when it is used as an exterior siding in residential construction! Engineered Wood cat House Front Panel

Most of our competitors use plywood, pine, fir, other soft woods, or inferior grades of cedar. These woods lack the structural integrity of our engineered wood and are prone to cracking, curling, warping, moisture rot and other damage when subjected to rain and temperature extremes. Even western red cedar, commonly touted as the best wood for outdoor construction, falls significantly short of the performance characteristics of modern engineered wood. Many people and cats also have an allergic reaction to the natural oils in cedar, which can result in skin itch and rashes.

Chinese-made cat houses typically utilize low-quality Asian softwoods which do not hold up well in the North American climate. Given the recent scandals involving tainted food products and paint from China, significant concerns have also been raised regarding the safety of the finishes applied to many Chinese cat houses.

Even worse, some of our competitors use plastics to build their houses. Plastic is a very poor choice for a cat house as it can emit volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) especially in hot climates, it lacks appropriate thermal insulation properties (too hot in summer, cold in winter), and it generally degrades and becomes brittle relatively quickly due to damage from UV light from the sun.

Our engineered woods are also environmentally-friendy since they can be made with second-growth, smaller-diameter trees as well as material left over from the cutting of dimentional lumber, thereby utilizing material that would otherwise be wasted. Sadly, western red cedar is often cut from old-growth Pacific-coast rainforests.

Our cat houses come completely pre-finshed ready for assembly and use. Most of our competitors cat houses require staining or the application of a water sealant to protect them from the elements. Even western red cedar cat houses require a water sealant to prevent them from weathering and turning grey, causing them to lose their attractive finish in as little as a year or two. This water sealant must be re-applied at least every few years.

Compare materials used in cat houses

Engineered
Wood
Western
Red Cedar
White
Cedar
Pine Fir Plywood Plastic
Strength excellent fair/good fair fair good good poor
Scratch/Dent Resistance excellent fair poor very poor good fair fair
Mositure Resistance very good very good good poor fair fair excellent
Insect Resistance very good good fair poor fair fair excellent
Allergen? no yes+ yes no no no VOCs
Water Seal Required no yes yes if not painted if not painted if not painted no
Structural Integrity excellent good fair/good fair very good good fair
Eco-Friendly? yes often no often no yes yes depends no
Visual Appeal excellent very good fair fair fair poor varies

True Thick Foam Insulation

Our insulated houses utilize true foam insulation, the same type of insulation that is commonly used to insulate basements in homes. Our insulation is made in Canada and is CFC-free. Our insulation layer is thick, up to 1 1/2 inches. While our competition uses a variety of insulation materials, most use only 1/4 to 3/4 inches of insulation. Even when combined with a reflective layer, this thin insulation does not protect nearly as well as our thick insulation layer. Moreover, our thicker insulation provides better noise reduction so sounds will not disturb your pet.

Furniture-Grade Mahogany Liner

To protect our insulation layer, we use a 1/4" layer of furniture-grade mahogany. This material forms the liner inside our insulated cat houses. Our main competitor uses only a thin 1/8" liner.

Attention to Small Details

Our floors (base) and roof panels are framed with select-grade spruce lumber. A thick latex coating seals the entire base to protect it from moisture providing superior protection as compared to treated lumber. Raised nylon feet are provided to protect this coating and to ensure your cat house does not scratch the surface of your deck. They also provide air circulation under your house.

If you have any questions about the materials used in our cat houses, please do not hesitate to contact us toll free at 1-877-374-2695.

Got Questions? Want to Order? Call Us Toll Free 1-877-374-2695