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Accessories for your cat: useful, not gimmicky

Bowls, outdoor gear, everyday extras: the catch-all category hiding both the best value for money and the most useless gadgets. Our guides put cat accessories through the filter of real-world use.

The key point : Scratchers, microchip cat flaps, brushes: the right accessories protect your sofa as much as your cat’s wellbeing.

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• How much does a cat cost in the first year? The costs to price

Our dedicated guides

• Pet insurance for cats: is it worth taking out a policy?

  Cat insurance: what it actually covers, monthly cost, deductibles and exclusions, and the cases where it genuinely pays off.

• Kitten or Adult Cat: What Gear You Actually Need by Age

  Litter box, scratching post, bed, food: starter gear differs depending on whether you adopt a kitten or an adult cat. Our guide to equipping the home right.

• Annual cost of a cat: the recurring year-after-year budget

  How much does a cat cost per year once settled in? Food, litter, vet care, insurance and surprises: the recurring annual budget broken down item by item.

• Pheromone Diffusers for Cats: Do They Really Reduce Stress?

  Synthetic feline pheromone diffusers (Feliway-type): what research actually says about their effect on stress, spraying, and tension between cats.

• Cats and Remote Work: Setting Up a Home Office Without a Play-Zone Takeover

  How to organise a work-from-home setup with a cat around: protecting your equipment, channelling attention and keeping good habits.

• Scratch protection: save your sofa and furniture from claws

  Adhesive films, sisal panels, sprays: which scratch protection should you choose for your furniture? Effectiveness, fitting, prices from 8 to 40 € and best practice.

• Indoor cat deterrents: protect your plants and off-limits areas

  Which indoor deterrent works for cats? Sprays, citrus, prickle mats, protecting toxic plants and the gentle methods that genuinely work.

• Pet camera and smart feeder: keeping an eye on a cat home alone

  Pet cameras with an app, smart feeders, sensors: which kit for a cat left home alone? The features that matter and prices from 30 to 200 €.

• Cat first aid kit: what to pack and what budget to plan for

  A cut, a minor burn, a suspected ingestion... a well-thought-out first aid kit helps you react calmly while waiting to reach the vet. Essential contents and a realistic budget.

• Steps and ramps for senior cats: keeping access to high perches

  An older cat that gives up jumping onto the sofa or windowsill hasn't lost the desire to: feline osteoarthritis, very common and often silent, is limiting the movement.

• Plastic cat accessories: which ones are truly durable and safe

  Plastic is not to be banned everywhere for cats: essential for the carrier, questionable for the bowl. How to spot durable, safe plastic, item by item.

• Ceramic or stainless steel cat bowl: which should you choose?

  Ceramic or stainless steel bowl for your cat? Hygiene, feline acne, stability, price: the full comparison to pick the right material and avoid plastic.

• First kitten: 7 equipment mistakes to avoid

  First-kitten equipment mistakes cost money and complicate settling in: oversized litter box, pointless gadgets, premature purchases… The anti-trap guide.

• Second-hand cat gear: what to buy, what to avoid

  Buying your cat’s accessories second-hand cuts the bill by half or more. Cat tree, carrier, bowls: what is safe to buy used and what to steer clear of.

• Premium cat accessories: which ones are truly worth the price?

  Premium cat accessories: fountain, high-end carrier, sturdy cat tree… Which ones justify their price and which are pure marketing? Our honest sorting.

• Norwegian Forest Cat: what gear suits a large longhaired breed?

  Large build, semi-long coat, strong climbing instinct: what accessories should you choose for a Norwegian Forest Cat day to day?

• Deaf cats: what gear helps you communicate and keep them safe?

  A deaf or hard-of-hearing cat lives a perfectly normal life, but a few pieces of gear and a couple of home adjustments avoid unpleasant surprises.

• Shared custody of a cat after a breakup: what gear does each home need?

  When a couple splits up but still wants to take turns caring for the cat, the logistics of equipment matter as much as staying on good terms. What to duplicate, and what can travel.

• Smart litter boxes with weight tracking: a real health tool for cats, or just a gadget?

  Connected self-cleaning litter boxes promise to weigh your cat and log its visits. What they actually deliver, their limits, and which cats make the investment worthwhile.

• Pet insurance for a Tonkinese cat: the health predispositions to know before signing up

  Chronic gingivitis and feline asthma rank among the Tonkinese's known weak points. What that means for choosing an insurance plan suited to this breed.

• Blind or low-vision cat: which accessories keep daily life safe

  Whether vision loss is total or partial, cats compensate remarkably well through smell and hearing. The accessories and layout changes that genuinely make daily life easier.

• Litter box too small? What size to choose for your cat

  An undersized litter box pushes many cats to prefer another one nearby, or to eliminate outside it altogether. What a comparative study on box size shows, and how to pick the right dimensions.

• Allergic to your cat: which supplies and habits actually cut down allergens

  You don't need to give up your cat to breathe easier at home. Brushing, air purification, and targeted diets: what actually reduces the Fel d 1 allergen day to day.

• Russian Blue: a reserved cat, managing visitors and hiding places

  The Russian Blue withdraws the moment a stranger walks in. What research on hiding boxes and feline stress shows, and which gear to set up before guests arrive.

• Insuring a Selkirk Rex: the polycystic kidney disease inherited from its Persian ancestry

  Crossed with Persians to fix its curly coat, the Selkirk Rex also inherited a real risk of polycystic kidney disease. Prevalence, screening, and what it means for pet insurance.

• White Turkish Angora: what its coat means for deafness risk, and how to adapt its accessories

  White coat, blue or odd eyes: the Turkish Angora ticks the boxes linked since 1971 to congenital feline deafness. How to adapt its collar, windows and monitoring accordingly.

• Whiskers and bowl shape: what the whisker stress study actually measured

  Across 38 cats, a wide bowl changed nothing about meal length, spilled kibble or amount eaten — yet 63 % chose it when given a free choice.

• Your cat tracks where you are from your voice alone — and is startled if you "teleport"

  A Japanese experiment on 50 cats shows they map their owner's location from voice alone, and register surprise when that voice comes from an impossible place.

• Pet-separating feeders for multiple cats: a validated tool against overweight

  Stopping one cat from stealing a housemate's ration genuinely eases a weight-loss programme, according to a 2022 study. How to choose this type of feeder.

• Foil, spoons, keyboards: the sounds that trigger seizures in older cats

  Across 96 older cats, everyday household sounds triggered jerks or seizures. Crinkling tin foil topped the list.

• Colourful collar cover or bell: each one protects a different prey

  Thirty-one Swiss cats tested in rotation: the colourful cover cut birds returned home, while adding a bell cut small mammals.

• Pheromone diffuser against scratching: a trial on 1,060 cats, and a placebo effect worth noting

  A randomised double-blind trial measures the effect of a feline pheromone diffuser on destructive scratching. The result is positive, but the placebo group improves sharply too.

• Fountain, fixed bowl, or free-falling drip: a study measures what actually makes a cat drink

  A controlled study compares three ways of presenting water to cats. The result tempers what fountain marketing promises.

• Why cats cannot neutralise phenols: one inactivated gene and 443 poisoning cases

  The cat is the only animal in the home to have lost the enzyme that breaks down phenols. What that means for essential oils, and what the studies really measure.

• Scottish Fold: the same gene that folds the ears weakens the joints — which gear to adapt

  A genetic study shows the Scottish Fold's folded ear signals a variant that also affects limb cartilage. What that means for choosing a litter box and ramps.

• Walking your cat on a leash: what the first qualitative study on owner experience reveals

  A 2025 study interviewed owners across seven countries about their experience of harness walking. Benefits, challenges and safety: what they actually say.

• Microchip or ID tag for cats: which one do you need?

  Mandatory microchip or ID tag for cats: differences, cost, and why the two forms of identification work best together.

• Cat urine spraying: understanding the behaviour before blaming the litter box

  Cat urine spraying: why it happens, how to tell it apart from a litter box problem, and the gear that genuinely helps reduce it.

• Self-cleaning litter box: gimmick or genuine time-saver?

  Self-cleaning litter boxes promise an end to daily scooping. How they work, prices, limitations and which cats they suit: our full analysis.

• Cat brushes: how to stop finding hair all over the house

  Brush, slicker, comb or grooming glove: which tool for which coat? Brushing method, seasonal frequency and anti-hair tips for the home.

Accessories breed by breed: every cat profile covers this product family with that species’ own figures.