Our day at the National Pet Show May 2016 – ExCel London Part 1

This year saw our first visit to the National Pet Show in London which was held at the ExCel arena. I was very excited as a few months back we had been to the Birmingham event and this one promised to be even bigger with more cat related stalls than ever. As you can probably imagine, there was so much to see in such a short time. And we were only concentrating on cat related stalls. As there was so much to see and feature we’ve decided to split the post up into a few parts.

As usual we thought we’d take along some of our key rings to hand out so made a few during the evenings before the show. Of course they all had to pass Oliver’s quality control inspection…

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“Hmm, they’re ok but there are not enough featuring me!!”

Our day started off with a warm reception from Victoria of the press team and a cup of coffee and a muffin to get us in the right mood.

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Later that day we were given one of the lovely press kit packed with some lovely give-aways provided by our friends at My Purrfect Gift Box (keep a look out for our feature article in the next few weeks). We waited until we got home to open the box and I’ve put the chocolate bar away so we don’t get tempted to eat it all at once – Nubia was a little bit annoyed it wasn’t cat friendly chocolate ;). See further below in this post for more on their stall.

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The first stall to catch our eye was one with some very sturdy looking towers, we had to head over and find out what they were all about. We were greeted by  Sonnie and Dave from Pole Cat Designs who told us the story of when looking for something to keep their cats happy they couldn’t find anything sturdy enough to withstand the rough play of 3 Bengals. Not impressed with the scratch trees on the market, which are often all about sleeping, Dave decided to make use of his joinery skills to solve the problem. The result, as you can see from the photos, are these magnificent modular towers which focus on play and exercise. We watched a video showing the feline threesome in action playing hide and seek at the same time exercising as they climb up and through towers:

(see the video on Youtube here if the above video doesn’t load).

According to Dave, all materials used (including plenty of sisal) are all natural and the towers are made without the use of nails or staples which could catch a claw. The cat head shaped holes are a lovely touch. If yourfurry friend prefers place to curl up than climbing, there are also platforms with scratch pads which act as ramps allowing your cat to.

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The towers are very sturdy and would take a lot to topple and, as you can see from this picture, are a good height.

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Standing tall with the modular towers from Pole Cat Designs

We were really happy to see our friends from Genki Gear with their fantastic selection of cat (and other furry animal) related t-shirts. Along with our favourite T-shirts featuring Mr Tinky the destroyer of  Worlds and Overly Fluffy Kitten, the range has now been expanded to include bags too. If you want to look more like your pet you can also get yourself a pair of ears in colours to match your mood or outfit.

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Genki Gear’s new range of made-to-order T-shirts includes some designs that I’m sure will make a lot of cat owners smile and nod their heads in understanding. The Kitten of Joy and Cat Moralities designs (shown below) can only have been created by someone who has had the pleasure of sharing their home with a kitty or two.

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Making a debut at this year’s show were the team from Cat in a Flat, the project set up by Julie and Kathrin to help with the issue of what to do when you go away on holiday and you’ve ran out of favours with your neighbours. It’s not a company as such, but a community set up by two cat lovers who also happen to be digitally savvy. Their aim is to “help cats stay in the comfort of their own homes by connecting cat owners with trusted, local, cat-loving sitters”.

Up until now we had only seen the posters on the tube and spoken to Julie so it was good to meet them in person – and their cute mascot too.

Meet the Team, Kathrin (L) and Julie with their friendly mascot
Meet the Team, Kathrin (L) and Julie with their friendly mascot

Our friend’s over at 4Cats were kind enough to provide some of their cat toys to give away. You can see what Oliver and Nubia thought of the toys in one of our previous posts here. If you want to get your paws on some of your own check out Katzenworld’s shop.

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Also making a debut this year with their subscription service was My Purrfect Gift Box. If you want a surprise boxful of purrfectly selected cat-related goodies delivered right to your door, then this is for you. Contents can include fashion accessories, stationery, homewares and many more all selected by founder Kim from all over the world. Many are handmade and not something you’d usually find on the High Street. If you’re feeling guilty about getting all the presents you can opt to include some gifts for your furry friend(s) too. As well as tasty treats and grooming products, your cat could also gets in on the fashion act with accessories (i.e collars).

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That’s all on the Pet Show for now. Look out for more over the next few weeks.

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Thanks,

Iain

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16 thoughts on “Our day at the National Pet Show May 2016 – ExCel London Part 1

  1. Pingback: Our day at the National Pet Show May 2016 – ExCel London Part 1 – Rattiesforeverworldpresscom

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