Cat Lovers Alternative Holiday Gift Idea

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By Adrea

acro cats 2
Kickstarter: Acro Cats Campaign

So you are flummoxed.  The holidays are here and you still have no idea what to get that Catmom or Catdad for Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, their birthday, or any other time of the year.  Consider this. Maybe you could buy them a piece of the action.

With so many funding pages for so many different, unusual, normal(ish), and strange things people are trying in order to get their piece of the piece, checking into places like Kickstarter, GoFundMe, and indiegogo, reaching out to the masses seems to be the best way to at least make an earnest attempt to get some financial backing. Not everyone has the chops, story, or money invested to be a part of the likes of “Shark Tank,” but maybe, just maybe, someone will take notice and pay attention.

Here are some interesting ideas that are presently out in the universe:

From Kickstarter there is the Climb-It Cat: Washable Cat Perch Cover  which founder Kristi King, a successful organic raw pet food business, designed this removable cover that makes cleaning a breeze.  She has three rescue dogs and a slew of felines who have graciously offered to be product testers.  Ending date for backing, December 13, with about 50% of funds achieved.  Two artists, Matt and Paul, have created 24 cards featuring cats for all occasions.  Cat Cards by Slightly More Interesting have actually surpassed their goal and will be funded on December 16.  The Acro Cats Mobile Foster and Kitty Tour Bus is at 34% of their fundraising of $15,000 and their campaign will end on December 24.  Their goal is to travel across the country to promote cat-training awareness, feline adoption and rescue.

There are also cat cafes, books, including a comic book about a cosmic cat, cat scratchers, food dishes, and lots of other interesting projects.  Type in keyword “cats,” to find these and more.

GoFundMe’s site has more to do with people who are looking for assistance in a variety of ways to help their animals.  Primarily, people are requesting funds for veterinary care, emergency care, bills, and related expenses.  The site does advise that people there is no way to insure that any given page is 100% guaranteed and that anyone interested in donating should essentially do their homework.  A main point that is made is that anyone trying to bypass the system set in place by making contact to arrange alternative payment methods is most likely not legitimate and should be reported immediately.  All that taken into account, there are certainly many who are in need of support and have turned to this avenue for the sake of their beloved pets.

GoFundMe Brad
GoFundMe: Brad’s leg couldn’t be saved after shattering his femur but it was successfully amputated
GoFundMe Lucky
GoFundMe: Lucky had extreme eye issues

To navigate GoFundMe, select the animals tab from the left side of the page.

Indiegogo seems to fall sort of inbetween GoFundMe and Kickstarter.  There are an amazing number of people seeking funds to start up cat cafes and several people looking for help with veterinary bills.  Still there are lots of interesting projects there.  De Cat Palace, positioned as the first smart litter box has 56 days to go and are seeking $150K.  Fourteen-year-old Joshua Biggs is trying to raise $5000 to create an automated cat bowl.  He admits to overfeeding his own cat and, thus, his idea, and he says the money will go to the robotics and associated costs.  Some of the others that were intriguing are no longer eligible for funding.

Indiegogo documentary
Indiegogo: Documentary was made after successful Indiegogo campaign
indiegogo cat palace
indiegogo: De Cat Palace multi-functional litter box

Indiegogo has a much broader international base which may be of some appeal if you need ideas for someone overseas.  The challenge with the site is that it isn’t always clear if a campaign is new, active, or dormant, so you will have to click the link to get to the page and see the status.  On this site click the animals tab on the left, then type cats into the search to more quickly filter results.

It is fascinating when trolling through the pages how many people have great ideas, good ideas, and ideas you thought of twenty years ago.  Still, you have to give people their props.  For all the zany, crazy ideas out there, it is nice to know many of them are thinking about cats.

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