KitNipBox Review: Purchased and Tested

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

Few things compare to the thrill of getting a fun package delivered. Now your cat can share in that excitement too. Cat subscription boxes offer a convenient way to keep your cat entertained and happy, without having to shop around for new toys and treats every month.

In this article, we’re trying out KitNipBox, a leading brand that offers cat toys and treats at affordable pricing. We’ll go over what’s included in each box and compare it to other pet subscription boxes to help you decide if it’s the right service for you.

Why Trust Cats.com

In an effort to provide the most up-to-date reviews possible, we’ve now purchased and tested KitNipBox three times, ordering nine boxes total. A lot has changed since our first review two years ago, including a new type of KitNipBox subscription (they now offer a purr-emium option) and a slight increase in price.

Each of our three reviewers tested the KitNipBox products with their own cats, evaluating the toys and treats for quality, safety, and variety. We also watched to see how our cats responded to the toys. Every cat is unique with their own preferences, but we had a decent sample size with eight cats total testing the products.

Of course, we also considered our own experience as cat parents, from ordering each box to canceling our subscriptions. I unintentionally tested their customer service when I forgot to cancel my subscription before it was renewed. Since the box was yet to be shipped, they refunded me immediately.

KitNipBox Brand Overview

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

Headquartered in NYC, KitNipBox was founded in 2014—and the brand has been making a name for itself ever since. The company was even presented with a CUBE Award for the Best Pet Subscription Box by the Subscription Trade Association (SUBTA) in 2017, 2018, and 2020.

KitNipBox offers a monthly delivery of curated cat toys, treats, and accessories. Currently, the brand ships to the US and Canada, though they’ll try to accommodate buyers in other countries upon request. Shipping is free within the continental U.S. and costs $6.95 for customers in Canada. The company plans to expand its shipping to other countries in the future.

Contributing to animal welfare organizations is a core part of KitNipBox’s mission. The company donates to animal shelters, rescues, TNR efforts, and other feline welfare causes. Among others, KitNipBox supports groups like MeowSquad, Wayside Waifs, and The Paw Project. Additionally, KitNipBox collaborates with local artisan suppliers that donate funds as well.

Are Cat Subscription Boxes Worth It?

Cat subscription boxes are a great way to test out a variety of toys and treats that you might not have heard of before. They’re best for new cat parents or newly adopted cats, as they help you to learn your cat’s preferences and can be more affordable than a big shopping trip.

Bringing brand new toys into your home each month is also a great way to provide enrichment for your cat, as they get to experience new things and find new ways to play. Of course, this can also be done through shopping on your own, and choosing each item independently gives you more control over the variety of toys offered.

For some cat parents, subscription boxes like KitNipBox are a fun surprise to look forward to each month. Others have more fun shopping for their cat themselves, as they can get exactly what they want with no additional clutter. It depends on your preferences!

It’s also worth noting that you never know what you’ll get in a subscription box. Some months you may love the theme and items, and other months you may get toys your cat won’t touch or treats they won’t eat. For those on a tight budget, this can be especially frustrating.

KitNipBox Subscription Features

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

KitNipBox is a cat subscription service that delivers unique toys, treats, and cat accessories to your home each month, with the ability to cancel at any time. Each box has a surprise theme, with some examples being sports, gardening, and arts and crafts. Of course, they also have adorable holiday-themed boxes.

KitNipBox has three tiers to choose from. Their Happy Cat Box costs $25.99/month and comes with up to five items. Upgrade to the Multi-Cat Box at $33.99 for up to seven goodies, or go all out with the Purr-emium Box for eight or more goodies and at least one electronic toy.

All boxes come with the option to replace treats with other items, which is helpful if your cat has dietary restrictions or you’re just picky with what you feed them!

Though I didn’t personally receive them (KitNipBox sometimes sends similar items as replacements if they run out of product), at least one of my boxes was meant to have freeze-dried treats. This is something to note if, like me, you avoid feeding raw food to your cats.

My review today will go over all three subscription boxes, including treats.

KitNipBox is one of the most affordable cat subscription boxes available, though it has gone up in price over the past couple of years. It’s currently around $2 less than Meowbox and $9 cheaper than Whisker Box.

We also love that KitNipBox prioritizes cat safety and working with primarily North American suppliers. They also source some of their supplies from Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Before shipping out subscription boxes, their own team tests products for safety and quality.

If you want to gift KitNipBox but are worried you won’t remember to cancel, you can choose from a one-time shipment or their 3 month, 6 month, and 12 month plans. I personally find subscription boxes to be a great gift, since they allow your favorite cat parent to receive fun surprises every single month!

What We Liked

• Surprise themes each month
• Cat-friendly items
• Offers the opportunity to discover new products and brands
• Includes toys suitable for both interactive and solo play
• Includes treats, and also the ability to replace treats with other items
• Free shipping in the U.S.
• Easy, hassle-free cancellation

What We Didn’t Like

• Only ships to North America (although the company will try to accommodate shipping requests to other countries)
• Not much personalization or choice of items
• Not a lot of toy variety
• Toys are simple and sometimes low-quality

What Did Our Test Cats Think?

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

I ordered all three versions of the KitNipBox, with orders spaced out so that I received two different themes. My cats have learned that most packages arriving at our house are for them, so they came running to see what was inside!

The first to arrive was the Happy Cat Box, which had an arts and crafts theme with three toys, a bag of treats, and a lick mat. My first impression was that the toys were super cute, but some seemed cheaply made—such as catnip toys that weren’t completely stuffed.

My cats took to them immediately, however. They especially loved the measuring tape wand toy. While the dangling measuring tape is five feet long, I personally wished the wand part of this one was longer so that I didn’t have to bend every time they grabbed the top of the measuring tape. However, my cats haven’t had a wand toy exactly like this before, and they loved the way it snaked across the floor. It’s definitely going to be added to our toy rotation!

My cat Grumpy enjoyed carrying the glue-shaped catnip toy around, while the other cats took turns with the other toys in the box. Predictably, they loved the treats, and the lick mat was a hit as well.

Moving on to the higher tiers, the Multi-Cat box was also arts and crafts themed, with the same items as the Happy Cat Box as well as two additional items: a set of 2 Safemade All Nip Crayons, and a KitNip All Nip Art Class Palette.

My Purr-emium box was state fair-themed. It included five catnip toys, a wand toy, a bag of treats, and two electronic motion toys. My cats enjoyed playing with most of the items in this one as well, and loved the treats (which had a strong fishy smell!).

While they enjoyed the sounds of the electronic flap and play owl, they refused to play with it. They loved the Swat and Rock Butterfly toy, and spent hours playing with it over the course of a week.

Overall, I think this is a cute way to sample toys. My cats enjoyed most of the items, and the element of surprise was fun for me. I liked that all of the toys were cat-safe, which you unfortunately don’t see from most companies, but I was slightly disappointed by the quality of the items when compared to the price of each box.

What Was Included In Each Box?

Katelynn Sobus / Cats.com

Every themed box will have a new set of products, and you won’t receive the same items as I did in my own boxes. But, to give you an idea of what’s included, here’s what was in my arts & crafts themed boxes:

• All For Pets Plush Pencil Kicker: Filled with premium Canadian silvervine and catnip. ($6.00)
• Kitnip Tape Measure Wand: A wand toy with a plush, 60” measuring tape. ($10.00)
• Safemade Set of 2 All Nip Crayons: Well-stuffed with pure Californian catnip. ($5.00)
• KitNip All Nip School Glue: Filled with Californian catnip. ($5.00)
• KitNip Fun With Textures Lick Mat: Various textures to provide mental enrichment during meal or treat time. ($8.00)
• KitNip All Nip Art Class Palette: Floppy toy filled with a small amount of Californian catnip. ($6.00)
• Emerald Pet Wholly Egg Treats: Crunchy, limited-ingredient treats.

The Multi-Cat box included all of the items above, while the Happy Cat Box included everything except the crayon set and the palette toy.

In the state-fair themed Purr-emium box, I received the following:

• Max x KitNip Admission Ticket Kicker: Crinkle toy filled with Canadian silvervine and catnip. ($6.00)
• KitNip All Nip Knock Down Clown: Floppy toy filled with a small amount of catnip. ($6.00)
• KitNip All Nip Prize Fish: Filled to the brim with pure Californian catnip. ($6.00)
• Queenpet x KitNip First Prize Wand: Stuffed teaser toy with an enticing bell inside. ($8.00)
• Playful Pet x KitNip Whack a Mole Game: Two stuffed toys, infused with North American catnip. ($7.00)
• KitNip Flap & Play Owl: An electronic toy that acts just like a flightless baby bird, including a chirping sound to trigger your cat’s hunting instincts.
• KitNip Swat & Rock Butterfly: An electronic toy that allows your cat to hunt a moving butterfly, alongside a bright yellow ball on a track.
• Emerald Pet Wholly Fish Treats: With a strong, fishy aroma to entice even the fussiest of cats.

After adding everything up, the multi-cat box had the best value, with $44 worth of toys in a $33.99 box. The Purr-emium box, weirdly, only added up to $45 using KitNipBox’s own pricing system. (I paid $59.99.)

Products are also swapped out very frequently, and after ordering all three boxes, I never received every item listed on the card.

Since you don’t know what’s coming in the first place, this isn’t a huge deal, though I was disappointed to get off-theme electronic toys as a replacement in my state fair-themed Purr-emium box. The arts & crafts themed boxes were also meant to come with lickable treats, which would have paired more nicely with the lick mat than the crunchy treats I was sent.

What Do Customers Think of KitNipBox?

Positive Reviews

By and large, most customers were happy with the assortment of toys they received. A lot of reviewers mentioned their cats went wild the instant their KitNipBox arrived: loving on it, rubbing against it, and purring up a storm. Plenty of cat parents were tickled by the cute themes, too. At the end of the day, subscription boxes should be fun, and lots of reviews thought KitNipBox was a delightful treat every month.

Love these boxes! Perfect for a two-cat household. Enough treats and new toys to go around. Love guessing the theme each time. —Lisa on KitNipBox

Cats are like kids, they tend to get tired of playing with the same toys every day. KitNipBox solves our problem by giving them fun, new toys every month that they are always so excited to receive! —The Orange Bois on KitNipBox

Negative Reviews

Negative reviews tended to circle around value: some folks didn’t think KitNipBox was worth the price. Some cat parents were unhappy with the durability of the toys, and some complained that their cats lost interest quickly (not an uncommon issue with cat toys). There were also complaints of cats who didn’t like the treats included, with some reviews lamenting the lack of choice or personalization.

You get the same products you find in the local grocery store. Nothing fancy, and not worth the price. —Steph D. on Amazon

So I bought this for my cat cause it was cheaper than [C]hewy. Well I’m regretting it… I was not impressed with the items in this box. It was a waste of my money.. my cats had the toys all ripped apart In two days. And the treats my cats wouldn’t touch. —Chels on Amazon

Overall, Is KitNipBox a Good Choice?

Overall, KitNipBox is a fun surprise to receive each month. It’s a little more expensive than I’d like, given the items I received in my own boxes, but they’re also a small business and seem to have a thorough vetting process for each item. KitNipBox is dedicated to using North American suppliers as well, which is bound to cost more than ordering cheap supplies from overseas.

I still think some products could use a boost in quality, but overall, my cats and I were happy with what we received.

From our combined testing, most of the products in each box are stuffed catnip toys with a few additions here and there. However, the toys do have some variety to them. Some are fully stuffed, while some are more floppy. Often, they’ll include bells or crinkly materials that encourage cats to play.

I would consider purchasing KitNipBox again if my cats were running low on toys or I wanted to surprise a friend. I would likely choose the Multi-Cat box!