Card board boxes are totally different. If you've ever watched cats with cardboard boxes you would know that for some ineffable reason, cats are draw to them. They love to get on top of them, get in them, scratch them and utilise them as a sort of sanctuary. Delivery boxes, pizza cartons, packing material, it makes no difference.

For the last year and a half I have been suffering with chronic fatigue, most days I haven't been able to get to the front gate. In an effort to get an exercise regime going I bought a cheap and nasty elliptical trainer. I barely had all the bits out of the box before I had three cats sitting in and on it. I added windows, a door and appropriate cat signage. Yes I am that bored. I have a very active mind so in an effort to stop myself going totally insane I started this project.

I taught myself Sketchup and attempted to create 3D models of boxes that I envisaged cats would be draw to.

I made a lot of cardboard models, bothered cardboard manufacturers with queries about weight and strength and manufacturing processes and viola....the MaxiBox was born..... Not quite.

I had to realise that the initial model was too big for a die-cutting machine, the next could not be folded and the third was too large to be posted...and then voilà... the MaxiBox Mark IV was born...... Not quite.

In an effort to provide the utmost levels of safety the assistance of two local professional "cat test pilots" was negotiated.  They were tasked with testing boxes of various sizes, layouts, material types and locking mechanisms. As you can see neither managed to get any of the boxes past Mach One but they enjoyed the experience immensely. (As I frequently tell the gray one, "Morrie you do not live here, you are not our cat, stop mooching and go home", but he never listens to me).

So...The MaxiBox Mark IV is a die cut, flat packed, self erecting, corrugated cardboard box that can be assembled to allow cats to use the inside (as a respite or shelter) as well as the outside (as a tree or platform).

The MaxiBox can be constructed without any cutting, gluing, taping,or screwing and compared to similarly purposed products is constructed from an environmentally sustainable material that is fully recyclable (being biodegradable) and non-toxic to pets or humans. It also weighs a fraction of other comparable products.

The MaxiBox has two circular apertures on each face, the larger for transit and the smaller for viewing, prodding playing, etc. Because of the placement of the apertures two or more boxes can be joined into a number of modular, multi-level designs. The boxes are joined with the use of 3 x 50mm self-adhesive hook and loop coins. Because the coins can be separated without damaging the box, the boxes can be be reconfigured quickly and easily.

The boxes hold up to 8-10kg (a really fat cat) and joined provide a greater tensile strength. Each hook and eye coin will hold 4Kgs giving a total of 12kgs resistance per set. Printing on each surface face of the MaxiBox provides an instant way to position the coins so that each joined pair will mesh perfectly, giving the full 12kgs resistance. I have designs for additional compatible shapes and waterproof versions but want to get the core design manufactured.

Finally because of its material and manufacture it costs a fraction of what comparable units are sold for.The boxes are ideal for indoor (and outdoor) cats, owners with more than one cat, cats who suffer anxiety and cats in shelters. An assembled prototype weighs only 820+ grams (29 oz) and can hold an 8 kilo (17.6 lbs) cat.

To move onto the next step manufacture, I need to raise $15,000. The amount is what I have been quoted to produce a single coloured printed box, flat packed in a mailing sleeve plus the cost of initial marketing. I believe the MaxiBox is a great idea and would love to see it produced to provide a light, simple and eco-friendly alternative to those costly, cumbersome and environmentally unsound products currently being sold.