Ilshat is an industrial and product designer and proud cat owner from Estonia. He designed the Catissa Geobed. As indicated by his company slogan, this design can be categorised as ‘cool stuff for cats’. He tells me about his first project for cats, the four- storey cat house Catissa. “It was a generally successful project,and the product is in great demand among the enthusiastic cat owners. However, it had its disadvantages in that it is quite difficult to manufacture. It also requires expensive processing and is quite heavy. So, I thought a long time about how to make a house for cats which does not have these disadvantages.”
Regarding the look and following the latest trends, he says: “Not so long ago, there was a trend in faceted forms, including dodecahedron. I have seen many products with a similar shape and I was always impressed and wanted to make something like that myself. And then it dawned on me – icosahedron is a set of identical equilateral triangles! And the very form of the icosahedron looks pretty attractive to make a couchcave for cats in this form. The only thing that was left to invent was the uniform connectors for triangles, so that our customers would be able to assemble it themselves.”
He put a lot of thought in the design, look and interactive features, keeping in mind both the owner and the cat. “I have lived with cats for more than ten years, so I have a fairly accurate idea about their habits and needs.
I know that they need a private place to hide and sleep and it would be best if this place had some small windows and gaps between the walls for them to be able to observe the surrounding area.”
Ilshat also paid attention to the environmental and technical part of the design. “I tried to pick materials combining environmental friendliness, durability and lightness. Plywood came closest to meeting oil of these requirements. I also knew that cots love sheepskin, a very durable and easy to clean material.
I think the success of Catissa Geobed comes from a combination of the following: a good shape to start from, choosing the right materials and precise manufacturing.”
Catissa Geobed in Pets International
“It was a generally successful project,and the product is in great demand among the enthusiastic cat owners. However, it had its disadvantages in that it is quite difficult to manufacture. It also requires expensive processing and is quite heavy. So, I thought a long time about how to make a house for cats which does not have these disadvantages.”
Regarding the look and following the latest trends, he says: “Not so long ago, there was a trend in faceted forms, including dodecahedron. I have seen many products with a similar shape and I was always impressed and wanted to make something like that myself. And then it dawned on me – icosahedron is a set of identical equilateral triangles! And the very form of the icosahedron looks pretty attractive to make a couchcave for cats in this form. The only thing that was left to invent was the uniform connectors for triangles, so that our customers would be able to assemble it themselves.”
He put a lot of thought in the design, look and interactive features, keeping in mind both the owner and the cat. “I have lived with cats for more than ten years, so I have a fairly accurate idea about their habits and needs.
I know that they need a private place to hide and sleep and it would be best if this place had some small windows and gaps between the walls for them to be able to observe the surrounding area.”
Ilshat also paid attention to the environmental and technical part of the design. “I tried to pick materials combining environmental friendliness, durability and lightness. Plywood came closest to meeting oil of these requirements. I also knew that cots love sheepskin, a very durable and easy to clean material.
I think the success of Catissa Geobed comes from a combination of the following: a good shape to start from, choosing the right materials and precise manufacturing.”