Trixie Wicker Cat Basket
Product Type: Trixie cat accessories
Newest Review: ... and careful reading also offers you to discover more about the product. What I gleaned from the text was that the Trixie Cuddly Cat Bed... more
A Den For Lily
Trixie Wicker Cat Basket
Member Name: Machair1
Product:
Trixie Wicker Cat Basket
Date: 15/01/13
Rating:
Advantages: Looks beautiful
Disadvantages: Cumbersome to carry
Trixie Wicker Cat Basket
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Recently I have had to take my beautiful cat Lily for her heart problems to London again to see the team at the Cardiology department at The Royal Veterinary College. She has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which is a serious condition and part of the management of her treatment is a prescription for a stress free life. As I have a dog and two other cats a quiet place to sleep is imperative, and so I have many cat beds and places for her to seek solace and calm at all times during the day and night.
Cats love to curl up in tiny places and to be warm and cosy, and when I saw the Trixie Wicker Cat Bed over at my favourite pet website Zooplus I was immediately interested, both because of the design of the bed and the price which was only £19.90. In addition to this the website also publishes reviews underneath the products they sell and this showed a consistent 5* so I was delighted to make my purchase.
If you are new to the website Zooplus I highly recommend it. As they are a German company they have very different stock to what you might see on a UK site, and many items I have tried are outstanding. Delivery is free if you spend over £19 and the website is affiliated to many cash-back sites, as well as offering its own loyalty discount scheme and points for gifts on purchases also yield extra rewards.
When companies allow reviews to be posted under products I am always very interested because I feel you get a very accurate impression of the item, and careful reading also offers you to discover more about the product. What I gleaned from the text was that the Trixie Cuddly Cat Bed which is like a cosy mat fits the base perfectly, and this was available to purchase for an extra £5.99. It seems to have disappeared from the website at the moment, but it does make the process easier of providing a soft bed to insert into the base, but you could easily purchase Vetbed and cut to size as an alternative, and this is now available in blue and pink as well as white from many outlets including Amazon. I did email Zooplus who are so helpful and within 10 minutes they explained that they are not expecting any more beds to be delivered to them in the near future. So it is a case of seeking out a cosy base independently which is rather a shame, but hopefully one will appear soon on there, and in the meantime Wilkinsons have a good selection of suitable bases and on the Zooplus website there are some alternatives.
The wicker cat bed is the perfect size for a cat being 50 by 36 by 46cm and it looks very well made, and has the advantage that not only can it be used as a cat bed, but it has a door with a well fitting toggle closing mechanism that facilitates the use of the basket for short trips to the vet for example. There is a well constructed handle on the top of the basket for use when transporting the cat.
You can completely remove the door if you wish to or just bend it back which is what I have done. I really like this feature because it occurred to me that if my cat was ill and asleep in the basket it would be minimally disruptive to simply secure the door with the toggle and take her to the vet without having to physically move her at all.
Any Negatives?
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There were one or two remarks in the reviews about the wicker being rather scratchy inside the bed but my basket has all the ends securely finished so there was nothing to injure the cat at all, but I would advise you to check carefully before use as this is a natural product so some slight imperfections are to be expected.
The other comment was regarding the difficulty in carrying this cage as the shape means that it is rather rounded, and so as you walk it bangs against your legs making walking difficult and uncomfortable. I have tried this and I do agree, as compared to my other wicker basket which has flatter sides this is not a comfortable basket as far as the owner is concerned, so I would say it is fine if you drive everywhere, but if you are planning to use it on public transport or have to walk long distances to the vets then this is not ideal as it is cumbersome, and in this respect I would not consider it to have the dual purpose it suggests. As far as cat comfort is concerned it wins hands down as both my baskets are available and Lily opts for this one every time!
I think this bed would also suit very small dogs as mine has already tried to get in there, but as she is a Shih Tzu she is rather too chunky so has left Lily in peace to enjoy it all to herself.
I think this is a fantastic purchase and excellent value for money. If you drive rather than use public transport then this really is a dual purpose product and such good value as wicker baskets are often much more expensive.
Lily adores it- I shall be posting a photo of her in due course over on Ciao and Zooplus should soon have one on the website so you can see how much she loves her new place!
For under £20 this is an excellent purchase and one that has certainly helped in my quest to give Lily a peaceful life. She is almost 10 now and has done well to live so long, but with treatment and protection from stress hopefully we will continue to have her as a beautiful companion for some time to come.
-------------------------------------
Recently I have had to take my beautiful cat Lily for her heart problems to London again to see the team at the Cardiology department at The Royal Veterinary College. She has hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which is a serious condition and part of the management of her treatment is a prescription for a stress free life. As I have a dog and two other cats a quiet place to sleep is imperative, and so I have many cat beds and places for her to seek solace and calm at all times during the day and night.
Cats love to curl up in tiny places and to be warm and cosy, and when I saw the Trixie Wicker Cat Bed over at my favourite pet website Zooplus I was immediately interested, both because of the design of the bed and the price which was only £19.90. In addition to this the website also publishes reviews underneath the products they sell and this showed a consistent 5* so I was delighted to make my purchase.
If you are new to the website Zooplus I highly recommend it. As they are a German company they have very different stock to what you might see on a UK site, and many items I have tried are outstanding. Delivery is free if you spend over £19 and the website is affiliated to many cash-back sites, as well as offering its own loyalty discount scheme and points for gifts on purchases also yield extra rewards.
When companies allow reviews to be posted under products I am always very interested because I feel you get a very accurate impression of the item, and careful reading also offers you to discover more about the product. What I gleaned from the text was that the Trixie Cuddly Cat Bed which is like a cosy mat fits the base perfectly, and this was available to purchase for an extra £5.99. It seems to have disappeared from the website at the moment, but it does make the process easier of providing a soft bed to insert into the base, but you could easily purchase Vetbed and cut to size as an alternative, and this is now available in blue and pink as well as white from many outlets including Amazon. I did email Zooplus who are so helpful and within 10 minutes they explained that they are not expecting any more beds to be delivered to them in the near future. So it is a case of seeking out a cosy base independently which is rather a shame, but hopefully one will appear soon on there, and in the meantime Wilkinsons have a good selection of suitable bases and on the Zooplus website there are some alternatives.
The wicker cat bed is the perfect size for a cat being 50 by 36 by 46cm and it looks very well made, and has the advantage that not only can it be used as a cat bed, but it has a door with a well fitting toggle closing mechanism that facilitates the use of the basket for short trips to the vet for example. There is a well constructed handle on the top of the basket for use when transporting the cat.
You can completely remove the door if you wish to or just bend it back which is what I have done. I really like this feature because it occurred to me that if my cat was ill and asleep in the basket it would be minimally disruptive to simply secure the door with the toggle and take her to the vet without having to physically move her at all.
Any Negatives?
-----------------------
There were one or two remarks in the reviews about the wicker being rather scratchy inside the bed but my basket has all the ends securely finished so there was nothing to injure the cat at all, but I would advise you to check carefully before use as this is a natural product so some slight imperfections are to be expected.
The other comment was regarding the difficulty in carrying this cage as the shape means that it is rather rounded, and so as you walk it bangs against your legs making walking difficult and uncomfortable. I have tried this and I do agree, as compared to my other wicker basket which has flatter sides this is not a comfortable basket as far as the owner is concerned, so I would say it is fine if you drive everywhere, but if you are planning to use it on public transport or have to walk long distances to the vets then this is not ideal as it is cumbersome, and in this respect I would not consider it to have the dual purpose it suggests. As far as cat comfort is concerned it wins hands down as both my baskets are available and Lily opts for this one every time!
I think this bed would also suit very small dogs as mine has already tried to get in there, but as she is a Shih Tzu she is rather too chunky so has left Lily in peace to enjoy it all to herself.
I think this is a fantastic purchase and excellent value for money. If you drive rather than use public transport then this really is a dual purpose product and such good value as wicker baskets are often much more expensive.
Lily adores it- I shall be posting a photo of her in due course over on Ciao and Zooplus should soon have one on the website so you can see how much she loves her new place!
For under £20 this is an excellent purchase and one that has certainly helped in my quest to give Lily a peaceful life. She is almost 10 now and has done well to live so long, but with treatment and protection from stress hopefully we will continue to have her as a beautiful companion for some time to come.
Summary: Excellent value for money.
