It's no secret that cats absolutely love cardboard boxes. So one rainy afternoon, a NZ lady decided to step it up a notch and build a new home for her cat. It was a cardboard castle!
The cardboard castle was the result of a rainy afternoon
Rainy weather is nothing new for New Zealand. And with rainy weather often comes indoor activities.
As a creative person, Frances Ratner is always able to find something with which to occupy her hands and her brain. She'd recently moved to a new house and had lots of empty boxes lying around.
Her inspiration came from her beloved 6-month old kitten, Prince Peachblossom. Instead of leaving the boxes lying around, she decided to build a castle worthy of a prince. The cardboard castle was under construction for five and a half hours.
“At first I was just going to stack up the boxes and cut holes in them for him to play in, but once I got started, my perfectionism took over and I couldn’t stop until I felt I had created a masterpiece worthy of His Majesty,” she said.
"There are four stories and eight rooms which are all connected with tunnels and ramps," said Ratner. "Every room is accessible. He can go in the front door and make his way all the way to the attic through the inner tunnels."
Prince Peachblossom's mixed reactions
Ratner presented the palace to Prince Peachblossom. He set about exploring the cardboard castle immediately.
Ratner said he played with it for about 10 minutes then completely ignored it. “He initially only played with it for ten minutes, but after I lured him back in with toys and treats he has started to enjoy it more. I actually caught him napping on the balcony yesterday.”
"I think he was disappointed it wasn't food," she said. Of course, that didn't stop Peach from trying to eat the castle in any case!
Peach may not have valued his new castle the way Ratner had intended, but we sure as anything do!
Photo credits: Frances Ratner
Phoebe O