Chris Poole and Jessica Josephs, a couple from Illinois, have created a unique Christmas display that serves as both decoration and a toy for their cats, Marmalade and Cole. Unable to have a traditional Christmas tree due to Marmalade's tendency to destroy them, they decided to build a giant cat-friendly "gingerbread" house.
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The couple runs a YouTube channel dedicated to their cats and shared a step-by-step video demonstrating how to construct the gingerbread house using cardboard boxes, glue, paper plates, and wrapping paper to mimic traditional holiday decor. In the video description, they emphasize the importance of using cat-safe materials.
According to Poole, the house provides enrichment for their indoor cats, stating, "We hide cat treats in and around the house each day now so they can 'hunt' them down." The roof features round white paper plates to resemble snow, with scrunched-up white paper glued around the edges to create a frosted effect.
To complete the festive look, they adorned the house with cat-safe plastic Easter eggs and colorful paper. Additionally, they constructed a decorative sleigh cat bed from leftover materials, with the entire project taking a full day to complete and film.
Each year, Poole and Josephs create a different Christmas-themed plaything for their cats. Previous projects include a cat-proof Christmas tree, a box maze, and a deluxe cat ball pit. Marmalade and Cole enjoy playing in their festive setup, and the couple is pleased to know their DIY projects inspire other cat owners.