Anyone who owns a cat knows they are not like the cat-food adverts portray. They are, in fact, furry little gits who enjoy nothing more than destroying your possessions. As a matter of fact, only yesterday did one of my litter-kickers decide to wake me by knocking over an entire pint glass of squash on my bedside table, sending an orange tsunami over my books and phone. Designer Esther van der Wurff also owns hairy little devils, which led her to design the Cat’s Trapeze when her kittens refused to stop using her curtains as a climbing frame.

Available with either two or three pillows, the Cat’s Trapeze is essentially a hanging tower of cushions with a detachable hammock on the bottom, with the idea that your cats will hang off this instead of your custom-made drapes (or Argos basics). The Cat’s Trapeze is made of natural cotton or jute, both open-weave materials with a natural smell that has been specifically selected to withstand even the most boisterous scratchy cat attacks. The pillow cases are machine washable and can be stuffed with your own old pillows or shredded newspaper for more options. It comes with a long length of sisal rope (like what you find wrapped around scratching posts) to hang the Trapeze. For maximum movement and cat challenges it is recommend that the Cat’s Trapeze is suspended from the ceiling, attached to the wall or even hung on a door with a hook (note: hooks are not included in the package). The rope is long enough to have it swinging from the ceiling, just resting on the floor and anything in between. The Trapeze can hold up to 25kg, but you will need to take into consideration the strength of the hook.

After trying the Cat’s Trapeze in a variety of locations, at different heights, with cat nip and toys attached, I concluded that this wasn’t going to work for my two. In a typical fickle feline way, they seemed curious when I first set it up but then proceeded to look straight through it thereon after. This isn’t necessarily a comment on the product, but I wonder if the pillows were spaced further apart or if it could be adjusted, my lanky lads might have shown more interest. Either way it looks like my curtains will continue to resemble grass skirts for the time being! RRP €64.95

4 out of 5

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Pros

Washable covers

Detachable hammock

Natural, durable material

Two colours available

Two or three pillow configurations

Cons

Narrow space between pillows

Our cats didn’t use it