Chic, stylish…and completely uninteresting? Here’s what my cats think of designer toys
Three cat toys, two testers, one brutal verdict. Designed by Lotte toys may seem stylish and elegant at first glance, but at the end of the day, they need to withstand the critical paws of Bobo and Robin. Not every toy will survive, but there’s one that’ll trump them all.
There’s an unspoken rule that once you get a pet, you can kiss your well-crafted home aesthetic goodbye. Cat toys? Brightly coloured, garish and usually made of plastic. Scratching posts? Monstrous, carpeted tree trunks resembling an impulse buy from a motorway service station in the nineties.
Designed by Lotte has set out to change all that with cat toys that don’t just do their job, but look good too. Ditching the typically garish plastic hellscape for elegant wooden constructions, the toys are beautifully minimalist – and beautifully stylish. You could be forgiven for thinking that a certain Swedish furniture manufacturer had decided to start brightening up our cats’ lives. Designed by Lotte, however, is based in the Netherlands.
Source: Luca Fontana
But that’s neither here nor there. Design aside, the big question is whether my two four-legged co-critics Bobo and Robin will even take an interest in the toys. Is style actually relevant? Or will they be completely apathetic towards the toys beyond giving them a good pawing-over? Together, we put three toys to the test.
Bobo’s and Robin’s verdict
Bobo and Robin have always been a fur-wrapped enigma. They sleep in the most absurd positions, ignore their 80-franc scratching post in favour of my gaming chair (sigh) and expect me to rejoice in their regal presence on a daily basis.
In short, I love them dearly and couldn’t live a day without them.
So, they’ve got every right to have opinions. Mostly when it comes to food, but toys are fair game as well. I’m sure you feel the same way.
Source: Luca Fontana
So, let’s get to it. Here’s what Bobo and Robin have to choose from:
Toy 1: Neya
Source: Luca Fontana
Height: 17 cm
Width: 16 cm
Weight: 0.8 kg
If it weren’t for the built-in marble run, the wooden, futuristic sphere that is Neya wouldn’t look out of place in a design museum. Small balls roll around on the curved tracks, just waiting to be nudged with a paw. The balls are big enough not to fall off the tracks, even if the larger sphere ends up rolling around. It’s a toy that’d appeal to the most patient feline strategists – the ones who enjoy moving stuff around without exerting themselves too much. In other words, about 95 per cent of cats. I used to have a similar toy, but it was made of plastic and yellowed within a year.
The verdict* Let’s get down to brass tacks. Neya and Winni failed to pass the Bobo and Robin test. Which is pretty remarkable given Bobo’s penchant for marble runs and Robin’s adoration of scratching furniture. On paper, the two toys should’ve been in with a chance.
But Neya was simply too heavy and too unpredictable for Bobo. Maybe it’s because the marble runs are positioned higher up. Even with our other multi-level plastic marble run, he’s only interested in the lowest level. Or maybe it’s the shape. Since the toy’s ball-shaped, it wobbles, swivels and rolls like a yo-yo on steroids. And Bobo? He likes things to be predictable. So I wasn’t surprised that Neya didn’t impress him.
Toy 2: Winni
Source: Luca Fontana
Height: 30 cm
Width: 22 cm
Weight: 0.8 kg
Winni is a bit like a multifunctional playground for cats. It consists of a round, flat, wooden board with a built-in ball track – and there’s a little something extra. A rod tipped with a ball and feathers protrudes into the air from the middle; perfect for nimble paws and spontaneous attacks. A toy that moves on its own and has a ball track is pretty much the Ferrari of cat gadgets. And it looks good too.
The verdict: Winni was also an unexpected flop. Robin loves scratching furniture and Bobo loves feathers. But neither of them loved Winni. If you ask me, it’s because of the half-sphere on the bottom. The ball causes the whole contraption to move slightly whenever Robin sharpens his claws on it or when Bobo tries to catch the feather. Though maybe a nice idea in theory, the toy clearly isn’t my feline reviewers’ cup of tea. Too bad.
Toy 3: Zavi
Source: Luca Fontana
Height: 62 cm
Width: 39.5 cm
Weight: 4.2 kg
Zavi is a scratching post – but it’s not just any old, raggedy piece of fabric. Instead, it offers several different ways for cats to play. The sisal-wrapped post gives cats the chance to sharpen their claws and, if they’re on the smaller side, test out their climbing skills. Meanwhile the ball track in the base provides interactive paw work. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a feathery play string hanging from the post. A juicy challenge for cats that can’t resist attacking anything that makes the slightest movement. Zavi’s a real all-rounder that keeps your kitties moving and looks chic at the same time.
The verdict: We have a winner! Hardly surprising given the scratching post offers everything Bobo and Robin love, without the annoying, moving, wobbly parts you get with Neya and Winni. I barely had time to find a suitable place for it before Bobo was swiping at the feather, sending it twirling through the air with his paws, all while nudging the balls along the track.
Robin, on the other hand, remained at a safe distance, observing the spectacle with sceptical, narrowed eyes. Which is unusual – it’s typically the other way around.
But he couldn’t resist Zavi’s pull for long. After a few minutes, Robin had decided it wasn’t an evil monster after all, but a perhaps acceptable piece of furniture. The marble runs? Meh. The scratching surfaces? Yeah, fine, pretty cool actually. But the best part? Robin has since turned Zavi into a food-delivery bell. If he stands near the post and scratches the base or nudges the balls, it means: «Hey, human! Service, please.»
As soon as I show up to support him in his apparent need to play, he abruptly turns around and marches straight to the food cupboard. Oh well. Sometimes I wonder who’s actually training who here.
Source: Luca Fontana
In a nutshell
Beauty isn’t everything, but it certainly doesn’t hurt
Aesthetically pleasing cat toys? Sounds like a good idea… to me. But at the end of the day, it’s not us humans who get to decide whether a toy deserves a place in the household. It’s our four-legged friends. So could the fusion of design and function turn out to be a win-win situation?
Well, the Neya and Winni toys may look stylish, but they failed to win over my cats Bobo and Robin. What can I say? Our feline friends have their idiosyncrasies, and mine simply found these two toys too heavy, too wobbly and too unpredictable. The Zavi scratching post, on the other hand, was a big hit. It combines the very elements that my cats love, without getting on their nerves. And yes, I’ll admit it: I like it too. There’s no deluge of plastic, nor any riotous colours. Rather than taking a sledgehammer to your interior style, the toy really does blend into your home.
Pro
- The toy is made of wood and blends stylishly into your home.
- In contrast to cheap plastic, the material feels robust and durable.
- The scratching post combines several activity options and went down well with my cats.
Contra
- Design and build quality have their price; these toys are more expensive than typical plastic alternatives.
Header image: Luca Fontana
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Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»
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