Description:

Found in 40% of households in New Zealand, cats are the cute and cuddly killing machines wreaking havoc on our ecosystem. A blindspot in conservation efforts, domestic cats kill up to 1.12 million native birds a year in New Zealand and billions more across the globe. Evolved to be as irresistible to us as possible, owners often turn a blind eye to cats' destructive nature. Numbers continue to grow, and day by day, we lose the unique ecosystem we Kiwis identify so strongly with. Cats are here to stay; we are hardwired to love them despite what they do, so how can we eliminate their damage?

Traditional methods are only so effective; cats quickly adapt to bells, learning to hunt without triggering them. While keeping cats indoors requires considerable effort on the owner's part, it also impacts the cat's well-being. Thus, our team was presented with the opportunity to design. How can we mitigate the extensive damage caused by cats to the ecosystem without causing considerable effort on the owners' part or impacting the cats' well-being?

Research into cats' movement and hunting patterns has helped uncover previously unexplored areas that may hold the key. Cats' shoulder blades are ultra-flexible, uniquely attached only by muscle, constantly requiring extensive motion throughout hunts. A harness was developed to place the bell in between the cat's shoulder blades to utilize this momentum that traditional bells do not. This placement meant that the cats could not outsmart and adapt the hunting patterns as with traditional bells.

A hump was developed in the casing that the bell would roll over, hitting the other side of the casing, creating noise. This addressed the slow but deep strides cats take in their approach, making constant noise even when the cat is moving slowly.

By developing a more effective bell, the team discovered that new pain points for the cat's well-being had emerged. It became clear that the continuous sound of the now-improved bell would be agitating for both the owner's and the cat's well-being. This led to the development of a low-tech solution to deactivate the bell using a magnetic lock system. This simple system magnetically clamps onto any cat door, creating different polarity on either side of the door. This locks and unlocks the bell, allowing noise when the cat is outside hunting and quiet when the cat is inside.

This low-tech solution mitigates the impact on the cat's well-being from a now-improved bell while also serving as a learning tool that encourages the cat to spend more time indoors.

As the ecosystem we depend on becomes increasingly under threat, it's of the utmost importance to preserve and protect what native species we have left. By developing an innovative, low-tech, yet effective solution to address one of the biggest blind spots in conservation, Eco Paw aims to make a tangible impact, helping to preserve the beauty of Aotearoa and the world.