An animal clinic in western Japan has designed a cardboard box that is cozy for cats.
The cubic box, with sides measuring 40 centimeters, has been designed with an eye to cats' preference for narrow spaces from which to aim at prey.
It is big enough for a large cat to lie down and turn around, and strong enough to keep its shape even when a cat weighing 7 kilograms climbs on top, according to the Minna-no Dobutsu Byoin clinic.
There is a hole 22 cm in diameter on one of the sides for the cat to enter the box, while another side has smaller holes arranged in a paw design for the cat to reach through.
The clinic run by K.K. Evergreen in Sakaide, Kagawa Prefecture, is selling the boxes from Feb. 22 till Dec. 22 priced at 770 yen ($6.70), of which 222 yen will go toward pet supplies at a prefectural animal care center.
Feb. 22 is promoted in Japan as Cat Day because the Japanese word "ni" for "two" sounds similar to "nya" for "meow," with this year being particularly special because it is 2022.
"I'd like to help create circumstances in which both cats and owners can be happy," said veterinarian Midori Sato who heads the clinic.
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