Customer Reviews

Merry Pet Products Pet House, Litterbox Cover and Night Stand, Walnut, 20.5" D x 19" W x 25"H

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I've ordered this item 3 times now. The first couple of times, I received a box which said that the color of the unit was walnut, but the product inside looks nothing like the picture. The color is way, way closer to the espresso version. Much darker than the picture.

I called Amazon, and they said that they would go manually inspect the remaining units to figure out what was going on and correct the problem. They said that the item would be marked as "under review" on the site, and that a week or two later it would go back to purchasable, at which point I should buy it again. I did. It was "almost-espresso" again. I gave up and put it together. I've had it for a few days now.

Once assembled, it seems ok--during construction, the materials felt sort of cheap, even for particle board / composite furniture, so don't tighten anything too tight when you're putting it together. I would also recommend using a hooded cat-box inside, as some other reviewers have mentioned that cat spray produces warped, ruined (and smelly) particle board if you don't know it's there and leave it sitting for too long. The assembled size surprised me: it's a bit big for a nightstand (but close enough), and the fact that it's deeper than it is wide makes it look kind of funny as a nightstand, at least to me. But again, it's close enough.

Given that I can't find another product which is quite like this one (I'm not interested in a faux-potted-plant cat-box), it seems worth it so far. However, if I were to do it over again and found a competitor with a similar product, I would definitely take a look.

This thing is really bad! Only the smallest of litter boxes will actually fit inside. You also must buy one that's not very high due to the way the door opening is made. Because of the tiny litter box with low sides that has to be used in this thing, litter gets kicked all over and urine ends up all over the inside of this thing. It was a complete nightmare to try to keep up with all the messes from the cat urine and litter everywhere. I tried to use this thing for a few months, but then when it picked up so much urine odor that it was smelling up my house, it had to go. This was a huge waste of good money.

I love this. It is a beautiful piece of furniture. The color is darker than the picture, but lovely. It is more of a dark deep cherry or mahogany color. It is not a flat color, it has grains in it if you look closely. From far away though, it is a deep chocolate, almost black. It definitely is NOT the color in the picture.

Putting this together was tricky, and I never have trouble assembling items. I will try to walk you through it. Make sure you keep the instructions that come with it and read them along with what I am writing. My instructions were stapled incorrectly and it took me a little while to figure out that step one was on page 3...so read very carefully.

Step 1 First you can attach the towel rod to either the right or left. I chose not to, because mine is sitting in my bedroom. If you want the rod on the right (as you are facing the product, then attach it to panel B. If you want the rod on the left, then attach it to panel A. The side with the paneling in the wood is the outside. It is easy to attach. Put the rod through the wood, (paneling side out), then put on a washer and then use the nuts.

Now to put the box together.

Step 2 Attach locking bolts into the two outside holes on the inside of panel B at the end that has the curve to it. The inside is the side without the paneling. Screw them in using your hands and then use a Philips screwdriver to screw them in. Then put the wooden dowel in the hole in the middle.

Then take panel D and turn it so the side with the little groove in it lines up next to the same groove in panel B. (D is the bottom panel, and the part that hangs down is the front...it is easiest to line them up so the grooves will be next to each other) The legs of B stick up in the air (the aren't really legs, they are the top section of B and that really confused me for a bit). You attach the two pieces by sliding D onto the two locking bolts and the dowel. (The dowel doesn't fit in tightly, so be careful not to let it fall out). Once you have the two pieces together, take the SMALL cams and then twist them so the part of the locking bolt that sticks out, fits into the notch in the cam. BE CAREFUL TO USE THE RIGHT CAM! I didn't realize until I had to undo the whole thing, that there were different size cams. Turn the cam until you find the point where it feels like it sits in over the bolt. Once the cam is in, turn it gently with your screwdriver until it is tight. It doesn't take many rotations until it is tight. I think, one to one and a half rotations. Don't over tighten. Tightening too much doesn't make it stronger. You aren't screwing something in, you are twisting the cam so it covers the locking bolt. You do have to get it in snugly, but be gentle.

Then put the little brown screw covers into the cams. You don't have to, the screws are only seen from the inside, up to you.

Step 3 The instructions then say to take panel G and slide it in the groove. It won't stay in there very well, don't worry, panel A will hold it in better.

Step 4 Put the locking pins and the dowels into panel A the same way as you did to B. Attach A to panel D the same way you did with B. The section with the little groove will be lined up with the grooves on panel D. Before you put in the cams (Use the small cams!) and snug it all down, adjust it so you have panel G in the groove properly. It is a little tricky to get it in there, as it keeps trying to jump out. I did it myself, but another pair of hands would have made it easier. You certainly don't need anyone else to help if you don't have a person handy. Part G is the back of the unit, and the side with the sticker on it is the inside. Look at the instructions to see how it all slides together.

Put the screw (cam) covers into the cams if you want, again, this is the inside and you won't see those screws.

Step 5 was on the back of page two...so again, read carefully. Attach the knob to the outside of Panel E. The outside is the side with the paneling.

Step 6 insert 4 locking bolts into part C. Do NOT put the dowels in part C. If you do, when you try to put part C down, they will fall out and you will have to crawl under the couch to find them. Instead, put the dowels in the top of parts A and B. Then, put panel C down over the dowels and lining up the 4 locking bolts into the holes. The notches are there so the C fits around the little legs. (I thought this was all going to be the bottom of the thing, but actually it is the top of the unit). The magnet on part C is the front.

After you have part C in place, and BEFORE you put in the cams, attach the door, part E. It is easy, you just have to line up the little pegs in the holes, but if you snug down part C, you can't get the door in. Make sure the magnet on part C lines up with the metal piece on part E.

Step 7 insert the SMALL cams and snug them down. This time it is a little harder because you have to reach into the box and do it by feel. But, you have down a bunch of these cams by now and you are a pro! It won't be that hard. Just make sure you twist them right so they can be screwed down. Up to you about those pesky brown cam screw covers.

Step 8. (Almost done and it is easier from here.) Put the locking bolts into panel F. This is the top of the unit. The instructions don't say, but there are three sides that have a little lip on part F and one side that is flat. I chose to put the flat side in the back, but it would work either way. If you don't put the flat side in the back, the unit will stick out a little from the wall. Ok...got those locking bolts in place...now put F into the little legs that stick up. NOW, it is time to use the BIG cams. If you got this far, you should have 2 small cams and 5 large cams left. (The 2 small cams are extras and there is an extra large cam too.) Put the large cams into the legs, turn, and tighten. NOW, you want to be sure to use those little brown cam, screw cover things. These holes ARE visible.

Step 9. This unit is supplied with 4 dark brown wood plugs that you can put in the holes for the towel rod that you didn't use. On my unit, those plugs fell out every time I tried to put them in. I decided not to use them at all. If you have the same trouble, try using a little glue and I am sure they will stay in. Just remember if you do that, you might have a hard time getting them out, or you might damage the wood, if you later decide to put the towel rod in those holes.

Voila!! You are finished. I hope that helps the next person put this thing together a little easier than it was for me. I didn't realize about the different sizes of the cams until I had to take it apart to fix it. And good luck getting the wrong cams out of those holes after you put them in! It took a nail file, gravity, and a lot of frustration to get them out.

As everyone has already stated, make sure you get a small litter box. Check the dimensions of this unit and find one that fits. I had what I thought was a small litter box and it is too big. Silly me. Should have measured. I wish I had looked for one on Amazon to order at the same time so I wouldn't be sitting here with a lovely finished piece but no way to use it yet. Ah well, I can wait until tomorrow. The dimensions of the inside are 18 3/4" x 16 1/4".

Even though the thing was a little tricky to put together, I gave it 5 stars because it looks lovely. The opening to the unit is 7" x 8". Little kitties will fit in easily. I am not sure about the mega cats. (If you know what I mean.) If you have a super duper sized feline, I would suggest getting a cardboard box first and cut the opening that size and see if your kitty will fit.

Have had this now for a couple of months and am very pleased. Looks like a quality piece of furniture and serves it's purpose well. Standard litter pan worked well and keeps litter contained and easily accessable. Also, it was very easy to assemble. All in all, very pleased..don't hesitate makes a nice end table or nightstand.

Better quality than I expected for the price. The back side is thin, laminated particle board, but the rest of the house is sturdy and looks great. The towel bar is optional as they give you enough wooden pegs to fill the holes. It's as advertised, but a little shorter than I expected--truly nightstand height. My cats love it and it's a great way to hide the litterbox!

I love this product, but one thing to note is that the description said it fits normal size litter boxes. The litter box has to be pretty small to fit inside, and I wouldn't consider it to be very standard. It works for my cat just fine, but some cats may require larger litter boxes. My cat is only 11 pounds.

This item was not only functional but wonderful surprise. It turns out this peace of furniture is sturdy and functional, now, I have older cats and it is taking a while for them to get accustomed to the new litter box cabinet but, I have to say it fits in with my decor and keeps the box from visitors view. It was a really good deal and the best purchase I could have made.

I don't know about the other reviewers, by my Pet House arrived in perfect condition the first time. It looks BEAUTIFUL, and assembled beautifully as well (we have the walnut one pictured). The construction was of GREAT quality. As odd as it sounds, I put this Pet House next to a tall, classy wine rack I have that is the same color, because if you have the door pointed to the side, it looks like a nice end table.

Again, I can only speak for myself, but I had ABSOLUTELY NO ISSUES with this product, and we (and our cat) couldn't be happier.

Other notes: There is only one towel bar, so you must decide upon assembly which side it is going in.

I received this today and absolutely love it! This item was packed very securely and was easy to assemble. I needed to purchase a kitty litter tray that would fit properly. The box looks great in my bathroom. I really love this. It looks so much better than my old eye sore of a kitty litter box. I ordered elsewhere but wanted to review here.

This was, by far, the cheapest piece of garbage I have ever purchased online. Material quality is very, very poor and the assembly instructions were entirely (and only) in French. We still attempted to assemble the product but were so frustrated by the lack of detail in visual instructions and poor, poor quality of the materials that we gave up and intend to return this product immediately!

Do not be fooled by other positive reviews. This is definitely NOT WORTH the price!