Tried and Tested Cat Products You NEED
If you’re looking for tried and tested cat products you need, then look no further! I’ve been through every cat essential list on the internet and tried out so many different things to firstly, bring my girls happiness, and secondly, bring you this ultimate list of cat products.
Some people might say that I’ve overdone it a little on being a new cat mum, but my girls bring me so much happiness that I don’t really care, they deserve all the gifts for cats in the world. When the girls first arrived I would do a Zooplus order every single month, trying out new products and finding different things that they liked.
There hasn’t been much that I’ve bought that I would say was an utter waste of money (after all once they’ve lost complete interest we donate it), but there are a lot of products that I would not live without now. My girls wouldn’t be without them either. Here are the tried and tested cat products you need!
Like anything I ever recommend, please do shop around as prices and offers change constantly and I’d never want you to miss out on a deal! Always be looking for discount codes, I personally use Honey web browser extension, and always see if you can get Topcashback.
Gadgets
You might think gadgets are completely unnecessary. Cats never need much but honestly, cat products, specifically gadgets, are so evolved now and complete essentials. Not only can they help the environment by cutting down on waste, but they can also save you money too.
Catit 2.0 Flower Fountain / Cat Mate Water Fountain
We started off with this cat fountain very early on for the girls and they took to it straight away. I knew that drinking water was something I really wanted the girls to like and obviously with my chronic pain, filling up freshwater constantly wasn’t ideal. These cat fountains filter the water and keep it cool whilst also mimicking running water, which cats prefer. We ended up moving from the Catit design to Cat Mate Water Fountain as the Catit design would give Anya hiccups.
I think it was the angle of her drinking the water. If you’ve never heard a cat hiccup it’s honestly the most terrifying thing ever, I was asleep when it first happened and I literally threw myself onto the floor thinking she was choking. Depending on the area you put it in, the Cat Mate design has a lot more water surface area which means it gets dirty quite quickly. Ours is in our open-plan living room which means it needs cleaning out every few days, but you should do that anyway.
This is the first cat product I’m telling you about and probably the one I recommend the most. I’m so impressed and really wish we had bought it sooner. Cat food is quite honestly disgusting, we all know that. The smell, the look, and how fast it dries out is a real pain. This is a motion sensor bowl that only opens when your cat goes towards it for food. It saves on food waste by keeping the food sealed and fresh until it’s all gone!
I was a little worried the sound of it opening (mechanical sounds) would upset Anya but she wasn’t bothered at all. Bella was always going to use it regardless if it screamed at her every time she went near, she’s extremely food-orientated. This will definitely pay for itself in no time with how much food we’ll save. Just be sure to order some batteries at the same time so you can use it straight away.
Warning: It cannot detect black cats. We realised this once baby Coco arrived and it wouldn’t open at all. So black cat owers, don’t bother with this one!
We’ve used these so much over the last 6 years and I really do think they make a massive difference! From when they first arrive, to if you’re going on holiday, or it’s coming up to fireworks time, Feliway plugs pump a cat-calming pheromone into your home and massively reduce stress in cats. You can even get it in a targeted spray which would be great if you were travelling to spray on/in their carrier.
There are different types but we’ve moved on and stuck to Feliway Optimum now as it helps with tension, conflicts, fears, and changes. They basically say this is their enhanced formula. One single plug in should cover up to a 3 bedroom house, we’re across 3 floors so we have one in the loft and one downstairs to make sure everywhere is covered. A plug-in lasts around 4 weeks so it can be quite an expense.
Interactive toys
Catit Design Senses Play Circuit
This is by far the best £11 I have ever spent. The girls have been obsessed with this since it first arrived. It has a flashing ball that runs around the track and it’s the most low-maintenance toy ever. The batteries in the balls last forever and they’re only a couple quid to replace. The girls love playing with this when there’s something slightly on the top too, like bubble wrap, a box, basically anything that makes it slightly harder.
This is really such an amazing toy, you set the height and direction that you want your cat to play in and let them go wild! It stays on for 15 minutes at a time so it’s a really good exercise for your cat. I love using this in the hallway where they can jump up at the wall, it’s also great to point at their cat tower so they can scratch and climb at the same time.
Coco goes absolutely wild for this! It turns itself on at random points during the day (don’t worry it doesn’t at night), and she’ll go running from anywhere in the house to it! Anya doesn’t like mechanical noises/hairdryer/hoover anything like that so she’s really not a fan. The reason I wanted to share this is that there are smart toys available that turn themselves on, which is great for if you have to go out to work, might be out for a long time, or if you’re disabled like myself and can’t always offer manual playtime. I think it’s really smart!
Cat Beds & Cat Hideouts
When it comes to cat products and mentioning beds, I think most people will say not to bother. Maybe I have weird cats but they’ve used and loved every single bed that has come into this house. We’d had a few different types and they’ve rotated, shared, and even tried to steal the sleeping spots from each other. I’m not just talking about traditional beds either. Anya and Bella’s favourite bed as kittens was a small square design, this is because it touches them all around (also because they’re huge cats) and makes them feel cosy.
In my mum’s room, which is the cats’ favourite room, we’ve got a cat tent, cat sofa, and a very odd-designed bed with a slight cover. Basically, anything that makes them feel safe and cosy. Recently in the office, I’ve got some cat bed inserts for my Ikea Kallax units that they’ve all been fighting over so now I’ve got a second. Probably going to have to get a third soon!
Another favourite when they were kittens was a £5 cat tunnel I bought from B&M. This lays directly underneath the radiator and there was always one of the girls sleeping in it every single day. Don’t confine yourself to specific cat beds just because it says ‘cat bed’, there are some amazing ranges for dogs like Scruffs. They have the most beautiful beds in different colours, sizes, and designs. Just be sure to order a small or medium for cats as the large sizes are no joke!
Cat Tree
An absolute essential for kittens and cats is to have as many scratch posts as possible. It’s their natural instinct to scratch and sharpen their claws, even more so for indoor cats who don’t naturally wear them down whilst out and about. Never scold your cat for doing something that’s completely natural, instead, buy several scratching posts, and even have a go at making one yourself.
To start we only had one, this turned into two, which turned into three and you see where this is going? Until they were trained and recognised their cat trees, we would make sure they had little mini scratch posts everywhere. Even those cardboard ones you can get for a couple of quid. We now have 3 main ones because we have 3 floors. We’ve definitely found that having a cat tree for large cats has made it last longer as it’s more durable.
You’ll be able to see the difference between the thickness of the scratching posts below.
I will be completely honest and say that with scratch posts, you buy cheap and you buy twice. Probably more than twice. Our cheaper cat towers have nothing on the Cat Tree King ones I’ve bought. Obviously, the size and design I picked are ridiculously over the top, it was too big for our living room so I ended up donating it to a cat cafe in Sheffield and buying a smaller version.
Then I even switched the smaller version around for an even smaller one upstairs. Moving things around and having different designs is best to keep indoor cats active and interested. They have so many different designs and advertise how sturdy they are. Sure, these are expensive towers but they’re made to last. We will never need to buy a big tower again and if there’s an area that’s really worn down, we can buy a replacement part.
If you want a sturdy cat scratch post that your cat can also sleep on/in, then try a cat barrel. I got ours from Amazon and although they prefer the others to scratch, they do love sleeping on top and in it.
Cat Products To Make YOUR Life Easier
I can’t talk about cat products without telling you the things that will honestly make your life easier. £20 for a cat litter mat sounds ridiculous but hoovering and brushing up cat litter 5 times a day isn’t ideal. These mats have two layers and a honeycomb design which means any litter falls down the holes and safely onto the mat where it stays until you want it to come out. This is so much better than walking through cat litter and spreading it all over the house, plus it doubles up as somewhere they can scratch too.
Another new buy is this silicone placemat from Zooplus, this has a raised edge which keeps any food spillages in one place. So much easier for clean up!
New pet owner and a little anxious about leaving your fur babies? Want to know what they get up to when you’re not there? Buy a pet cam! They’re not that expensive and you can watch them whilst you’re out on your phone. Some even let you talk to them via it.
With kittens and even older cats, poop accidents will happen. It’s best to have some wipes on hand that are pet safe. I personally love the vanilla ones, they hate me using them now but the accidents are rare so I don’t have to.
Again you NEVER know what might happen and although lots of people are against washing your cats, I’m against having literal cat poop spread throughout my entire house. So we go our fur children into bathing from kittens and now we only ever need to bath Bella to help with her fur, she becomes so friendly and cuddly after a bath and it really helps to manage her long coat.
We’ve always groomed the girls from home so recently we got some proper pet clippers and had a go at shaving Bella down for the summer. It had questionable results but she absolutely loved it and started being super active and darting around the house! Whereas most summers she’s like an overheated slug on the floor so we’ll definitely be doing this again.
Cat Brushes
Other cat brushes we use include this de-matting comb, it’s always been fantastic on Bella’s fur but she just hates being brushed so much. Anya prefers this cat brush with thin bristles and helps you groom her by licking herself at the same time as you brush, it’s so cute. Coco will smack you if you go near her with a brush, all cats are different!
Cardboard Boxes & Other Fun Things
Essentially cats are happy with just cardboard boxes. Over the years we’ve cut shapes into big boxes and made cardboard towers of any that arrive. My cats love nothing more than hopping into a box the second I’ve taken my things out of it! Some other fun things we’ve tried, but definitely aren’t essential, include:
A cat ball pit is a little over the top but they absolutely loved it for months and then when they lost interest we simply donated it! So everyone’s happy. I opted for a Princess tent as of course, my girls are princesses! There is lots of fun to be had, just be sure not to overpower it with balls as they are cats after all.
A cat swimming pool is another one that’s definitely not essential but gosh is it funny! We picked up some mechanical fish to go with it and the girls were super interested!
Let me know if you pick up anything and what products you’d highly recommend in the comments! Want more cat content? Click here!
