excelsior
The Feline Fort
An award-winning cat welfare product has proved so successful that the UK’s leading feline charity has commissioned an additional tool from UK-based Excelsior Roto-Moulding Ltd, in order to satisfy growing demand.
Cats Protection first approached the Lancashire-based company in 2012 when it required a durable, hygienic alternative to traditional cat baskets and cardboard boxes when caring for and rehoming animals that may be scared or anxious.
Excelsior worked closely with Cats Protection’s behavioral specialists, and using research provided by recognised specialist in veterinary behavioral medicine, Dr Rachel Caseya, it designed a unique product to help reduce cats’ stress levels.
Featuring three components – a hide, step and table – the ‘Feline Fort’ enables cats to choose the degree to which they interact with people. Each component is constructed from single-piece, joint-free, UV stabilised polyethylene, which is durable, will not discolour and is easy to clean.
Cats Protection says the product was “an instant success”. All elements of the Feline Fort are used by the charity and they are now mandatory in all of its adoption centres. In 2013, the product won an International ‘Cat Care’s Cat Friendly’ Award.
As news of the custom-made product spread, the charity says it began to receive orders from private individuals and other organisations, such as charities and veterinary practices, as well as from within Cats Protection.
Earlier in spring 2016, the charity commissioned an additional tool at Excelsior in order to enable it to satisfy growing demand and to fully capitalise on the fund-generating capacity of the product.
“Excelsior’s new tooling has already reduced lead times, enabling us to keep up with demand and ensure that the tremendous potential this product has to improve the life of cats and kittens is properly fulfilled,” explained Louise Ellis, Cats Protection Purchasing Officer.
Excelsior’s Managing Director, Giles Fielding, added: “We are delighted that this product has proved such a hit. Roto-moulding was the ideal production technique for the Feline Fort, enabling the charity to realise its idea cost-effectively and quickly.
“And because we’re able to offer a comprehensive in-house service, including CAD and sheet-steel tooling, we were able to undertake the contract from concept to production, efficiently creating a completely unique product that met precisely the customer’s requirements.”