Chris Poole and Jessica Josephs, a couple from Illinois, have created a large, cat-friendly "gingerbread" house to serve as both a Christmas decoration and a play area for their cats, Marmalade and Cole. They shared a step-by-step video on their YouTube channel, which is dedicated to the feline duo.
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The couple explained that they needed to find a creative alternative to a traditional Christmas tree due to Marmalade's tendency to destroy them. Poole stated, "The reason we decided to build a 'gingerbread' house is that we can't have Christmas trees anymore because Marmalade, our ginger cat, destroys them."
Using cardboard boxes to construct the house, Poole and Josephs covered it with decorations made from safe materials such as glue, paper plates, and wrapping paper. They emphasized the importance of using cat-safe materials in their video description.
The gingerbread house not only serves as a decoration but also provides enrichment for their indoor cats. "We hide cat treats in and around the [gingerbread] house each day now so they can 'hunt' them down," Poole shared. To mimic the classic holiday treat, the roof features round white paper plates resembling snow, while scrunched-up white paper is used to frost the joints of the house.
They added colorful paper and plastic Easter eggs to create a candy-like appearance. The couple also made a festive sleigh-shaped cat bed out of leftover materials. Poole mentioned that the entire project took a full day to complete, including filming the construction process.
"Each year we create a different Christmas-themed cat plaything to have in our living room," Poole said. Previous creations included a cat-proof Christmas tree, a box maze, and a deluxe cat ball pit. The couple noted that Marmalade and Cole enjoy playing with the festive setup, and they love hearing feedback from viewers who are inspired to create similar projects for their own pets.