Pet Fusion- Cat Scratcher Lounge Review and Giveaway~ 5/27

Pets are like kids, and certainly part of any family.

When young, they create massive clutter, require potty and discipline training, and readying an environment for them can often force you to compromise some of your own individuality. Often, when you walk into someone's home, you can instantly spot a pet lover from their living room. Sure, some prefer to hide their 'obsession' in a designated room decked with kitty pics and cat trees, but most of us simply accept that our pets share communal space. Like a baby, there's often feeding implements, toys, and interactive elements strewn about any given room. After all, most of our furry friends don't grasp 'time to clean up!'

Luckily for me, I'm a bit of a kid at heart, myself, and my heart for animals borders obsessively cute. Not only am I physically incapable of walking past a pet store, or department, without making a purchase for our spoiled brats- but I tend to 'theme' their toys to my own tastes and design. I'm quite certain Truffles has no, nor will she ever have a, concept of what a Lobster is, but I seem drawn to catnip chews and teethers that resemble them. And, of course, there is the massive collection of Beanie Babies I allow her to tote all throughout our living room on a whim. And believe me, we find those in the strangest of places!

However, even though we love our cats dearly, I still find myself running frantically through the house trying to contain all the kitty clutter when we have guests. It just seems odd to explain why there are 10 plastic eggs on the floor, or what the giant neon cat tube is used for. It's not that I'm embarrassed by my pets, it's that I feel I should still maintain some semblance of control, before I'm perceived as a 'crazy cat lady'. Next too horrible pet odors, few things are more tacky than large pet furniture. And because this is my belief, we have abstained from purchasing any since the move. I usually ensure each cat has a designated area (of height) that they know is their 'safe spot'. Cats, especially need to know they have items and spaces of their own territory; human free places they can relax at. In our house this has primarily been a window sill for Truffles, and a large chair with pillow for Frankie.

For most purposes, this method has served us well- but I have always felt guilty about banning cat furniture. Even more, there is no designated place for either of the pets to knead and claw. Who wants an ugly cat scratch pad dangling from their door, or sprawled in the living room? So, recently, I did a generic Google search for 'modern cat furniture', and I stumbled across a wonderful new company focused on the seamless blend of pets and design; Pet Fusion. This brand was founded with the belief that pet products can be more than a method of caring for your pets, but an aesthetically pleasing solution for everyday interaction. At this moment the product range is narrow, and focuses on felines; though a canine division is under development. That being said, their flagship product, the Cat Scratcher Lounge is the perfect example of their mantra and mission.

We received a Pet Fusion Cat Scratcher Lounge (SRV $99.95, On Sale for $49.95) for feature here on Time Out Truffles and Momma Told Me. Sold online, through Amazon, this product arrives in a very large box, inside another (form fitting) box. I could gripe about Amazon's waste of packing space, but that's not something Pet Fusion can help. I do point this out, however, as the Cat Scratcher Lounge is very Eco-Friendly in concept, ironically. This 3.5' horizontal pet lounge arrives entirely assembled and claims to be a natural attractant for cats. Not to jump ahead, but I have been most impressed to find this true- Ms. Truffles has forgone her window for the lounger 3 days in a row now. Additionally, since Truffles is a spoiled princess, and was the first to 'claim' the furniture, the two have gotten in a few scuffles over this piece of prime property!

There is simply something about the (scent?) and feel of cardboard that always brings out the inner kitten in Truffles. She used to 'peanut' dive in biodegradable corn syrup peanuts when she was younger, and has grown up around packing boxes her entire life. When the Cat Scratch Lounger emerged from the box, complimentary catnip taped to the instructions, Truffles took interest. As the cats generally aren't allowed on non-designate furniture, she spent most of the first few hours hesitantly sniffing and running. Even though she's a ham for the camera, she was more concerned with making sure Momma wasn't angry! Finally, I picked her up and set her on the scratcher, to show her it was okay. This was followed by much sniffing, some rolling, and a fair amount of stretching. Then she dug out her favorite Beanie (Chocolate) and happily fell asleep curled up in the center of the unit.

The Cat Scratcher Lounge has an extremely lightweight build that is elliptical in shape and incredibly sturdy for multi-cat homes (though I'm not sure Frankie will be allowed near it anytime soon). The two 'inner' coils are good for smaller cats, and play, though Frankie prefers to run up, scratch there, and run. Both of our cats have pet safe Nail Caps on their front paws, but this does not stop them from 'clawing', and clawing a LOT. I have never seen Truffles stretch so much and paw at anything, so it's nice for her to have a natural outlet. Additionally, she has found herself in a veritable yoga book of lounging. She'll curl up in the center, hang a leg off the side, stretch as long as she can, and sleep with her front half hanging off the curves. I'm almost jealous of how comfortable she looks! And Frankie, well he just glares in the background.

In all, I'd consider the near $100 retail price point a bit steep. I fully support paying more for 'green' pet products, and I love that the design is modern and seamless with decor- but I probably wouldn't pay more than $60. That being said, the Pet Fusion Cat Scratcher Lounge is currently On Sale for less than $50 through Amazon, a great price! Not only do I love the crisp angles and muted colors of ours, but the felines have proven it's worth. I don't think ours has been unoccupied for more than 20 minutes, since it came out of the box!

One Time Out For Truffles follower will win a Pet Fusion Cat Scratcher Lounge!

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