Customer Reviews

ABO Gear Happy Habitat for Indoor Cats

5 star:		(59)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have owned and used both the Feline Fun House and the ABO Gear Happy Habitat for Indoor Cats. My cat preferred both, as all he wants is to be outside. I definitely prefer the ABO to the Feline Fun House. First, the ABO was $30 cheaper than the Feline Fun House. And truthfully, I think spending $70 on the Feline Fun House is too expensive for a "cat toy." $40 for the ABO was what I consider the max on a present for my cat. Other than price, I prefer the ABO for the following reasons.

First, the ABO is easier to put together, and literally opens into form, when you take it out of the travel case. The Feline Funhouse Opened easily, but was impossible to break down after opening it. The one and only time I tried to break down the Feline Fun House, I spent 30 minutes trying to follow the "easy" break down directions, and ended up bending the support wires, and the Feline Funhouse never opened up fully again (since I accidentally bent the supports, in trying to break it down, to transport it.) The ABO is truly "easy" to open and can be broken down in an second. When the ABO is broken down, it actually fits back into the little bag it came in. There is no way the Feline Fun House would ever fit into the bag it came in when you try to break it down. The ABO breaks down so easily and is to small, that i will take it in my luggage when we travel with my cat.

The ABO is also completely see though, as it is completely made out of mesh. The Feline Fun House has parts that are made of blue fabric that your cat can not see through. My cat can see in all directions without any obstruction in the ABO. The ABO is definitely larger then the Feline Fun House, in that it is taller. It may not be much larger in the base, where the cat sits, but the fact that it extends higher, makes it a larger enclosed space in general.

My indoor cat is SO happy in this tent (as well as in the Feline Fun House) that I DEFINITELY recommend indoor cat owners try one model. My cat wakes me up every day meow-ing then running to the back door, wanting to be let out in the tent. Just a little note: I put heavy chairs on the edges of the tent to hold it down. My cat has discovered that if you run into the sides of the tent, it moves (as does the Feline Fun House). I have found both tents, across the large yard/ and street, (with my cat still inside). So if you dont pin it down, your Kitty could end up across the street. I dont think the stakes that came with the ABO are big and deep enough to really "pin" this tent down. I would not trust them. My cat is very large and could easily take off, and pull out the stakes that came with the ABO tent. The Feline FunHouse stakes are the same, and not deep enough. I opt for the heavy metal chairs on both ends of the tent. Just beware of this:)

I've been wanting to purchase something for my indoor cats to safely enjoy the outdoors for years. I was pleased to see this product come along since the dimensions are larger than competitors. You also can't beat the price. The item appears very well made and likely to last for some time. I found it easy to put up and take down, and I usually struggle with assembling anything. I put it up inside the house for a few days with their favorite scratch posts, blankets, and some catnip inside so they could get used to it first, then tried the experiment this evening. They loved it! I was surprised and thought at least one cat would be frightened, eager to return inside, or desperately trying to figure a way out. Instead, they were all stimulated yet content, and they even carried themselves differently for the rest of the evening, like they remembered who they really were or something! Check out the pictures of them and you'll see what I mean.

Please consider purchasing this or a similar item for your indoor cats to enrich their lives. I don't trust them outdoors unprotected but this gives them a chance to smell fresh air, feel the sunshine on their backs, and get back in touch with who they really are--wild, outdoor animals! Very highly recommended! My only regret is that now one is pestering me to go back out, and I do have to physically carry him out to zip him into the habitat vs. the similar items that can attach to the pet door. He also tried to run back outside whenever I was bringing the folded up Happy Habitat back inside, so I might have opened Pandora's box.

The item is excellent. Sets up in seconds and my cat loves it. Thank you.

Looked around for several options for our three indoor cats. Saw some great looking ideas (for hundreds of dollars or complex installations), but settled on something a little more practical. Let me start with the "end users" of this product. We have three mostly indoor cats that we allow out in our fenced backyard while we are out with them. So why did we need a "Cat Tent"? We have a male Ragdoll who likes to jump the fence, a male Siamese/Tabby mix who likes to hunt everything, and finally we have a young female Balinese who thankfully is leash trained! So my point is we have three happy cats, but with totally different personalities. The unit itself is extremely easy to set up and take down. The first time you look at it you may wonder, but after one time up and down it was a no brainer. I set it up indoors at first just to see the cat's reaction. Typical...looking, smelling, even stepping in the opened zippered door, and then finally ignoring it. After they started to ignore it I then started to place them in it one at a time. A little concern on their part but then "acceptance". Then I put multiples of cats in this confined area. All the cats get along fine roaming the house, but the small female Balinese did assert some extra authority on the much larger male Ragdoll, but very soon there was peace again. I then did the same process outdoors, with about the same results. By day 2 everything was getting to be routine. In the end, now when we go outside with the cats we start with their monitored "free roaming" then when it is our time we place the three in the tent. It has gotten to the point that many times one or two of them just walk into the tent without any encouragement from us and lie down. Now, not only can we all spend more time outside together, on the occasion we get too busy to go out with them, the cats can still get their own outdoor time in the tent.

Happy Habitat is a breeze to pop up, and a breeze to take down. My two cats would still rather be outside OUT of the Happy Habitat, but this is a good and pretty safe way to let them get fresh air. You do press on the top to collapse, which works well. One day a Great Dane was in view and the cats freaked. One hung from the top of the habitat and it collapsed... then the two cats really freaked... Happy Habitat wasn't so happy. Funny to watch, not so funny for my cats.

Still, a very good alternative to letting a cat outside to roam. Once they got used to it they relax inside. Very good option for the price. I totally recommend!

I'm very happy with it (just don't let any Great Danes get too close!).

Bought this for my two indoor cats. Easy set up and take down allows me to readily move enclosure to different areas. The cats love when I place half on the warm patio and half on the grass. Highly recommended for giving indoor cats an outdoor getaway.

I wonder if my cats were the only ones who had a hard time finding their way out of the tent? My boy went in and bumped his head against the sides a few times but then figured it out. But my girl, when she bumped her head against the sides panicked and started wildly flying around the tent. Thank goodness that was on an inside trial! I can't imagine what would have happened if something outside scared her and if she did the same thing out there I couldn't have just let her fly out the flap (when she finally found where it was).
It seems like the product is really nice and easy to use, but it's not the right thing for my cats!

Purchased this because one of our kitties had begun spraying in our home. After exstensive medical exams and testing, our vet determined it was behavioral. Even though 'Chloe' (the offending kitty) has shared the house with the same 2 cats for 8 yrs, she was becoming territorial. She now lives exclusively in our huge master bedroom / master bath. She has had no incidences since she's moved in there. But it made us 'humans' sad to only be able to visit with her in our bedroom. And because we live in snowy Wisconsin, we don't let her outside in the winter. I came across the Happy Habitat and thought it might solve the problem. That it did! We set it up daily for a couple hours in our livingroom and she's able to visit with the whole family.(even the other 2 cats)

When I put her in it for the first time, I knew she would probably be scared. So I put her little kennel house in there and crawled into the tent with her till she was comfortable and more at ease. It was an easy transition and a great solution! And as always, Amazon had amazingly fast, free shipping so Chloe could enjoy Christmas morning with us...

Pros:
Super simple and fast to set up! Literally pull a cord and it pops open. Lightly put pressure on the fiberglass poles and it folds back up.

Very lightweight but sturdy.

Tent is large enough for a human friend to sit in it too.

Cons:
None

I love this product. My 2 Burmese indoor cats love it too. They get to enjoy the outdoors in their own safe and secure screen house. It sets up and breaks down in seconds and there is plenty of room for them to spend a morning or afternoon. I put little beds in with them so they can nap in the fresh air.

When I ordered it, there was a UTube video that went viral and the product became an instant success and sold out. It is my understanding that the manufacturer was caught by surprise and did the best they could to meet this unexpected demand. They are Australia based so shipping took a little while too. Nevertheless, it was well worth the wait. It is a clever design, good quality and a pleasure to use. Instead of having to put a harness and leash on my cats and walk around the yard with them, I look just like the person the picture who is sitting back and relaxing.

I highly recommend this product for anyone with small cats or small dogs and I wish the people at ABO well-deserved additional success.

I am using 2 of these tents at the burlington county (NJ) animal shelter to provide a play area for cats housed in cages for sometimes months at a time. A few cats do not like the tents but many others definately do. Because shelter cats cannot be put together (to minimize disease spreading), these tents allow us to take out more than one cat at a time. Some of the cats simply enjoy having leg room, others are playing with scratch pads and balls. The tent openings are large enough for a human to sit at and interact with the cats but secure enough that the cat is safe in there by itself. We do keep a close eye on them as some cats try to climb the tents and others try to escape but most are happy to be out of the cage for awhile.
It all depends on the cat itself but for our purposes of cat socialization at the local shelter, these tents are cost effective life savers. I mean this literally because a happy cat is easier to adopt!!! Donations of these tents are welcomed! Oh...and they are super easy to put up and take down!!!!