Cacao Pets Cat Tank Review

Cacao Pets has always had amazing designs for cardboard cat playhouses. The Cacao Pets Cat Tank is quite a special play structure. The cat tank surpasses all expectations but comes with a high price tag and slow shipping. Our cats loved it. Read more for the full review below.

Cat Tank Details

 

This cat tank is massive. And when we say massive, we had no trouble fitting two 15lb cats inside at the same time with plenty of room for more. When assembled, the cat tank measured nearly 24 inches long by 21 inches wide by 22 inches tall. The cat tank is also beautiful. The pieces elegantly fit together to make a realistic tank. The attention to detail is stunning. From the layered cat face completed with eyes on the back to the 3 spokes on the tracks, we were really impressed. The effort and care put into the design shines brightly and your cat will certainly take notice. 

Price

The price of the cat tank on etsy is $103.00. You could potentially save a few dollars by buying the cat tank directly from the Cacao pets website. It’s listed there for $60 but when I purchased it, the shipping added another $40 to the total. All in all, ordering from the website saved $3.00 but that’s certainly enough for some more cat toys! The company is based in Eastern Europe so prepare to wait for shipping. It took my cat tank more than 5 weeks to arrive in the United States. 

Quality

The quality of this cat product is outstanding. Our only complaint is that some of the pieces came damaged. It didn’t impact the quality of the overall assembled tank but it was worrying to see some of the pieces in bad condition.

The cardboard structure also requires the use of plastic screws (included in the kit). These screws potentially pose a cat choking hazard. Once buried in the cardboard the screws seem to pose little to no risk of falling out. But while you’re assembling it, make sure to keep your little kitty away so it doesn’t decide to chew on something it shouldn’t. 

Assembly

Probably the worst part of the experience was putting it together. I’ve had my fair share of assembling cat furniture and IKEA furniture but making this cat tank took nearly two hours from start to finish. No step posed any real challenge but there were many steps. At least 75 screws were necessary to secure the cardboard pieces together. I recommend using your hand to get the screw started and then using a screwdriver to finish embedding the plastic screw into the cardboard. 

In total, putting it together requires 65 steps and some of the steps have multiple instructions. Be careful with some of the mirrored image pieces as they come in pairs and you can easily swap them putting the cardboard piece on the wrong side. I made this mistake a couple of times. 

Cat Test

Engagement

From the very beginning, my cat, Chalupa, couldn't stay from this kitty war machine. Before I pulled the parts out of the boxes, Chalupa investigated. Once it was together he immediately went inside to see what this new space was. 

From there, I grabbed a wand and he loved pouncing out of the main opening to chase the toy from his hidden vantage point. The hatch opening at the top enabled me to stick the wand through and dangle the mouse right in front of the entrance. The nice people at Cacao Pets even included a cardboard mouse. Quite a nice touch!  

Use As A Cat Home

The next day after our initial play session, I found my cat investigating the tank once again. I even caught him taking a cat nap inside. It provided him a safe and enclosed space like his very own kitty cave. 

The tank gun is also completely hollow. Slip in a little treat and your cat’s paws will shoot inside until the tasty gets shaken down the barrel to the inside. Overall, my cat found it a blast!

Reviews

Our overall review

Overall, we’re big fans of the cardboard cat tank and Cacao Pets in general. Their creative and well thought out designs truly inspire the imagination. Built not only as functional cat homes but also as beautiful works of art you won’t mind seeing in your living room.

Etsy Reviews

We’ve included a few reviews from the Cacao Pets etsy page. 

1. “LOVE IT! A totally ridiculous purchase but it’s great. Pros: Arrived in great shape, about as easy or easier to put together as IKEA. pieces fit together perfectly, and cats LOVE it. Bigger than I thought, two of our 15 pounders fit inside. Cons: Took a month to receive due to international shipping, instruction course be better,”

1. “Awesome !! So well designed, easy and fun to build, very sturdy, and looks amazing! Has withstood vigorous play from four active cats, they all love it !!”

1. “Holes were wrong on one sheet. I was able to poke the correct ones in to make it work. Once I got the hang of it, it was pretty easy to assemble. Cat likes it too.”