Cosmic Pet Products, Petfinder & Petco Teamed for Cats

I spoke with Leon Seidman, the founder of Cosmic Pet Products, at the  H. H. Backer Pet Products Christmas Show.  He didn’t have a fancy booth or anything in particular that would draw you, just the force of personality.  And a story.

Cosmic Cat Products opened in 1975.  And all because of a demanding feline (is there any other kind?) who, by all accounts, would have put the skills of some of New York’s razor-tongued food critics on notice with body language alone.

Seidman’s cat, WB, was not at all happy with store-bought catnip.  The nose in the air and disdainful glare wasn’t enough to stop Seidman from trying different catnip toys to gain WB’s approval. The cat turned tail and stalked from the room again and again, leaving the offending and unwelcome “gift” untouched.  Seidman, a fine example of the lengths to which we will go for our furry ones, went to the countryside in search of fresh catnip.  He returned victorious, and WB was delighted—his cat pals were over the moon.  Seidman kept the seeds, started to grow his own, and so it began.  Today, Cosmic Pet Products is the #1 seller of catnip in the world.  And there was something more than company history Seidman wanted to remind people of: shelter cat return rates. Problems settling in can be a roadblock to establishing a warm and fuzzy relationship with your new cat.

Failure of shelter cats to acclimate to their new home  is why Seidman got together with Petfinder and Petco to produce the ”hide, perch, and go box” a two-in-one solution that can keep newly adopted cats happy with change. It also works great for taking kitty on car trips to grandma’s place, or for somewhat more calm trips to the vet. 

The box is a carrier for the new family to transport the cat, the inside bottom tray is coated to stop accidents from permeating the cardboard and can be reconfigured once home into the kitty condo they all enjoy.  Familiar scented items ease the cat’s transition to a new home.  Check out Cosmic Pet Products line of products helping cats stay out of cat trouble (example: BTGreive’s “little sofa scratchers”).

And shelters, if by any chance you haven’t used this yet, take a look at the specs and video at Petfinder.