Tesla has begun selling a flat-pack cat house made of corrugated cardboard, with an angular silhouette that was modelled on the car brand's controversial electric pickup truck, in China.

According to the product description on Tesla's Chinese website, the design of the cat house was "informed by the futuristic shape of Cybertruck".

"The semi-open cat house, embedded with thickened corrugated paper, meets the nature and daily needs of cats," the brand continued.

Customers are required to assemble the house themselves using sheets of thickened, moisture-proofed cardboard, forming the frame as well as an integrated scratching board at the centre.

The house can sustain a weight of up to 7.5 kilograms, according to the website.

Its design is a homage to one of Tesla's most controversial products, the Cybertruck, which founder Elon Musk originally unveiled in November 2019.

Designed to look like a cross between a pickup truck and a stealth fighter jet, the bulletproof electric vehicle divided opinions online, with some people calling it "ridiculous" while others praised its "audacity".

The Cybertruck cat house is the latest product released under Tesla Life, a collection of lifestyle products for the Chinese market with products ranging from drinkware and outdoor sports accessories to pet products and apparel.

Other products released alongside the cat house include a skateboard, a drip coffee maker and a frisbee – all popular lifestyle items among young Chinese consumers, who are the brand's main demographic in China.

The average Tesla driver in the country is around 30 years old. And in 2021, Tesla was voted the most popular car brand among consumers within five years of graduating from university, with a 95 per cent approval rating among this demographic according to a survey by automotive think tank Yiche.

This is not the first time that Tesla has released eccentric products. In 2020, the company launched its own branded tequila, which comes in a lightning-bolt-shaped bottle, after Musk suggested the idea as an April Fools' joke.

Later, Tesla also released a set of limited edition sipping glasses informed by the shape of the Tesla Tequila bottle with angular contours and an engraved Tesla logo, complete with a metal stand.

The photography is from Tesla.