The Rode Deadcat is a windshield Mic protector. Considering the price I feel there are better ones on the market, but in the UK this is the only product which fits the Rode Videomic directly. When purchasing this product you should be looking for around the £30 - £35 mark. The windshield is a useful accessory and great to use when trying to eliminate, or reduce the odd gust of wind during filming. However the windshield doesn't live up to its price when filming in more violent conditions. To be fair, not many shotgun mics cope in hard wind and a proper blimp would be a better purchase; although these are often over the £150 mark. One tip I will share is that in windy conditions always test the audio first with headphones before going straight into filming, if the mic and deadcat aren't working then switch to a smaller lavalier mic - best used with a wireless transmitter. This smaller Mic will often not pick up wind interference as much, especially when the audio levels are configured manually (Recommended)
The deadcat packaging is very simple with it arriving in a plastic sleeve and the header card shown below on the left. To be honest no more packaging would be required and I would feel more packaging wouldn't be Rode taking a responsibility for the environment. When you first receive the deadcat it will be quite flat and I like to, before a shoot fluff up the fur. After a shoot you can smooth it down back into a more flat position for storage and so you don't accidentally damage it.
Other Features
As such the deadcat has one feature and function, which is to serve as... well... a windshield. However the deadcat has velcro which is so you can easily slide the cover on and off the mic and secure the velcro in place when it is in position. You want the velcro strip to be on the bottom of the mic as this helps the aesthetics and ease of use. The deadcat also has a small Rode brand label poking out of one edge. However this is very minimal and expected on all products of this sort, it is hardly noticeable so shouldn't cause a problem to you. If for some reason it does annoy you, you can carefully cut it off.
The bottom right picture is an example of the mic and deadcat on a DSLR, you may find with a more wide angle lens you can see the fur protruding into the top of shot. To eliminate this problem move the mic onto its own stand or invest in a boom pole and extension stereo mini-jack cable if you are taking your filming to a more advanced level. With a boom pole you often need a 'helper' who may be a friend or part of a team helping you out on a project. If you have no designated sound recordist then make sure you try and rotate the person holding the boom pole as concentration may flicker. Training is essential as audio can't often be made better, unlike video.
The bottom right picture is an example of the mic and deadcat on a DSLR, you may find with a more wide angle lens you can see the fur protruding into the top of shot. To eliminate this problem move the mic onto its own stand or invest in a boom pole and extension stereo mini-jack cable if you are taking your filming to a more advanced level. With a boom pole you often need a 'helper' who may be a friend or part of a team helping you out on a project. If you have no designated sound recordist then make sure you try and rotate the person holding the boom pole as concentration may flicker. Training is essential as audio can't often be made better, unlike video.