Product test
This UFO is the only gadget that our cats really love
by Lorenz Keller
Chic, stylish…and completely uninteresting? Here’s what my cats think of designer toys
11/3/2025
Translation: Katherine Martin
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.
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.
So, let’s get to it. Here’s what Bobo and Robin have to choose from:
Toy 1: Neya
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
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
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.
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
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.
