Great Cat Toys and Furniture For Indoor Cats

Great Cat Toys and Furniture for Indoor Cats

We have always had rescue cats in my family and they are part of the family! We have had three in total during the past ten years. Sadly one of them passed away two years ago due to a heart condition, he is sorely missed, and he loved to play with everything. We called him our “Dog-Cat” because he used to play fetch with some of his toys! I am glad that I took so many photo’s of him, inside boxes, in cat beds, on top of units… he had such a wonderful life with us, and for that we are so grateful…

Since we lost our boy his sister got quite lonely, and eight months after he passed away we got the opportunity to adopt a stray kitten who was in need of a home.

We know we are incredibly lucky with our cats, not just that they are affectionate to us, but also because they get on really well together considering they aren’t related.

Here are all three of our fur babies. Our angel in the stars ✩♡✩ on the left, his sister is in the middle, and she turned 8 this week! And finally our youngest is on the right, she will be 2 this June!

They may not be sisters by blood, but they are sisters by love for sure 

I’m writing this blog post to show people how happy my indoor cats are, providing they have the necessary toys, water and food, and of course their own space, there is nothing wrong with keeping your cats indoors.

Furniture was hugely important when we made the decision to keep our original two as indoor cats. There were several reasons, one was due to living metres away from a main road, another was due to neighbours keeping dogs in their back gardens, and finally because of our boys health problems. We purchased three main pieces, one was from Argos and two were from Pets at Home.

When choosing cat furniture and scratching posts always introduce them together, and encourage the cats to use them. If you make it fun as kittens they are more likely to continue with it on to adulthood. Choose items that won’t become a nuisance in your rooms and that blend in with the shapes you already have. There are some awesome trees out now, that are even designed to fit into corners of the room. You can pay around £100 for these sorts, but if you maintain them with regular trimming and hoovering they should last several years.

We had a cream cat stand from Argos back in 2010 when we first got our kittens from the rescue cattery. It was around £30 at the time, and it lasted us for the next seven years! Here is a shot of our original two rescue cats when they were tiny kittens using the stand all those years ago! It gave them so many hours of fun and also was somewhere soft to sleep until they got bigger.


We replaced it in 2017 with the new version, one in grey, an almost identical shape, they just changed the colour and made the base piece more sturdy. Perfect! The colour goes well in most rooms and it stands at 85cm tall. The material is soft fleece and easy to hoover with our pet attachment. It has scratch posts attached and a hiding hole for cats to go into, however we use that to store all their toys when not in use – super handy either way!

Available At: Argos
Design: Grey and Cream – Soft Grey Fleece with Scratching Post Parts
Information: Self Assembly Required
Dimensions: H85cm x W50cm x D42cm
Price: £35.00
My Rating: 5✩’s 

Here is our youngest, she loves to sit up as high as possible and watch what everyone is doing. As you can see, she is a fully grown adult cat and still fits nicely across the top of this particular cat stand. We use the section inside the drum to store some toys.

Our other main cat unit is this one, it is brown and cream and has a lovely large section for the cats to lay across. It’s situated upstairs so it gets the light in the afternoons.

Available At: Pets At Home
Name: Pets at Home Tudor Tunnel and Scratch Cat Post
Design: Brown and Cream – Soft Fleece with Scratching Posts and Tunnel
Information: Self Assembly Required
Dimensions: 44cm x 40cm x 34cm
Price: £37.00
My Rating: 5✩’s 

As our youngest demonstrates there is more than enough room for an adult cat.

Cat beds have been one of those items that are used periodically in our house. If it’s during the cooler months of the year you will often find the cats curled up inside the pyramid bed or on a cushion bed near a radiator. But in the summer these don’t get much use. I often decide to wash them in the summer, dry them outside and then set them to one side, this totally refreshes them ready for the autumn.

I would recommend getting the ones with removable covers or cushions that can go in the washing machine, Argos, Pets at Home and various large independent Pet Stores should do ones of this kind. They range from £12 to £40 depending upon size and quality of material, but we have never paid more than £20-£25 for one of ours, and most of them are several years old now, still going strong.

Available At: Pets At Home
Name: Paw Fleece Igloo Cat Bed
Design: Black Fleece Material with Cat Paws Print
Information: Machine Washable
Dimensions: 35cm x 35cm x 38cm
Price: £12.00
My Rating: 5✩’s 

Here is our eldest in her Igloo Pyramid Bed, they changed the design recently to incorporate the paw prints on the outside as well as the inside. Ours is all black but otherwise identical to the one I have mentioned above. Bought from Pets at Home back in 2010 however! We bought the matching round donut bed at the same time too!

Available At: Pets At Home
Name: Paw Fleece Cat Donut Bed
Design: Black Fleece Material with Cat Paws Print
Information: Machine Washable
Dimensions: 46cm x 46cm x 10cm
Price: £9.00
My Rating: 5✩’s 

The girls are ready to play!

As for cat toys ours do like a real mixture and it can depend what mood they are in as well. They adore Ping Pong balls, Rattling Mice and the range from Kong which contain catnip. I bought coloured Ping Pong balls from Amazon and white ones from the local Pound Shop – these get an awful lot of use in our house and they often go missing for days and then turn up (usually under a unit or chair), so it’s good to get a few in!

You could also consider making your own toys such as Pom Poms! But you need to supervise play with these items for sure as cats usually pull them a part!

Resting after some pom pom play time!

Other toys like Mice we have bought from Pet Stores such as Pets at Home. Here are a few items that are still available to buy out of what we have recently gotten for our cats.

Some of our toys are looking old but they are well loved and well used.

Available At: Amazon by Pet Love
Name: Pet Love Playtime Ping Pong Balls for Cats
Design: Coloured Ping Pong Balls
Information: Wipe Clean Coloured Air Filled Plastic Balls
Dimensions: 4cm x 4cm x 4cm
Price: £3.49
My Rating: 5✩’s 

Amazon Cat Toys Choice and Quality Available 4✩’s

Available At: Pets At Home
Name: Catnip Might Mouse by Petstages
Design: Bright Green Mouse with 100% Premium Catnip inside
Information: A crunchy sounding Mouse that offers hours of fun (Pets should be supervised when using this type of toy)
Dimensions: 15cm x 4.5cm x 5.7cm
Price: £4.50
My Rating: 5✩’s 

Pets At Home Toys In General Choice and Quality 4✩’s

Available At: Pet Shops / Pets at Home / Amazon / Garden Centres
Name: Catit Senses Play Circuit
Design: A Plastic Circuit That Fits Together In An Array Of Shapes
Information: Contains A Ball That Goes Inside The Plastic Track, Ideal For Increasing Motor Skills In Kittens And Keeping Indoor Cats Senses Active. Multiple Layout Choices
Dimensions: 24cm x 24cm x 8cm (Approximately and Range of Sizes)
Price: £7.49 – £20.00 (Range of Sizes and Colours Available)
My Rating: Catit Senses Circuits 4✩’s

 

Here are our two on Christmas morning playing with their new layout (green), this was the second Catit Senses Track we had gotten them. The image above shows their first one, a blue one we left in a circle. They love it!

Something else that may encourage your cat to scratch “it” rather than your furniture is a Kong Kickaroo! These can be bought from Vets that stock them such as Vets 4 Pets or from some larger Pets at Home stores. Made in the USA they come in several sizes for both kittens and cats. They are like giant sausages that contain catnip, they have a pattern of fleece and are finished with a soft feather-like end. Ours take a real hammering of back feet and claws on a daily basis, and the cats have yet to ruin one! We have three of them and they are dotted around the house so the cats get the most out of them. It’s pretty hilarious sometimes when they “have a go at one”! Each cat was bought one after their first ever annual injections and the tradition just stuck!

These Kickaroo Toys are awesome! Good quality material, even though they are well used in our house our cats have yet to rip one open!

He loved to hug it, attack it, sleep on it and carry it around… 

My Rating: Kong Kickaroo 5✩’s

✩♡✩

When we move house I would like to purchase a large cat tree from a company whose page I found on Facebook. They are UK based and do them in a range of colours and sizes to suit all homes. I want my cats to have somewhere high up to escape to, once my baby begins moving around independently too. The page is called Cat Tree UK and I like the look of their items and prices, though I will continue to read reviews in the mean time.

✩♡✩

Thank you for reading this blog post today, I hope that you have enjoyed looking at my life with my cats and seeing them having fun with an array of awesome items! Any questions about products just send me a comment, I’m happy to answer any that I can!

 Sabrina 

Toni & Guy Salon Professional Glamour Jumbo Curling Tong Review

Toni & Guy Salon Professional Glamour Jumbo Curling Tong Review

Today as part of my most recent Argos Testers review piece I am reviewing the Jumbo Curling Tong from Toni & Guy.

This Jumbo Curling Tong is certainly ideal to curl long hair. The barrel is considerably larger than most curlers on the market at 38mm. It is best used to create large loose curls on longer hair lengths. The barrel is made of Tourmaline which ensures you achieve a smooth and shiny finish to your hair style.

Another great feature is the 3m salon length cord which is rather useful if you don’t have many plugs in a room. With a 210’c variable heat and several settings for different types of hair such as fine or thick, it’s got a range to suit all hair. You would need to test the product out to see what setting curls your hair best. Because of these settings this tong is ideal for both fine and thick hair.

Personally I would only recommend this tong for people with long hair, because those with shorter length hair may struggle with the barrel width. I usually prefer more spiral curls than loose, but this product would certainly be ideal for a more casual wave look. I found it quite difficult to manipulate my hair to curl an entire length and did some in two parts. The tong has a lift-able section which holds the hair in place but I never managed to get all of my hair strands to stay inside. I think it was partially because my hair was soft but also due to the smoothness of the barrel.

The photograph below shows my natural hair on the left, washed and dried but not brushed, VS the left hand side which was washed and dried, then brushed and curled using the Toni & Guy Jumbo Tong. As you can see it gives a lovely shiny finish and the curls are loose.

Overall Review Scores

Ease of Use 3/5
Quality of End Result 4/5
Overall Appearance of End Result 3/5

Final Score 3.5/5

I own several curlers and have to say the types I rate the best are the ones that are called “Wands” that are slimmer than barrel ones, but not as thin as the “Chopstick” curlers. These Wand types can be used to do spiral or corkscrew curls. The chopstick ones tend to reveal tighter and more defined curls that will give more volume.

If you need any more advice on curling please leave me a comment, I’m always happy to give my opinion. I do have naturally curly hair, but it doesn’t always have a “good day” and that’s why I have a few curlers of my own. If you want to read anymore about my other hair products click the category on the list on my homepage.

Thanks for visiting Severn Wishes today! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this review and hair related product post!

 Sabrina 

Sennheiser GSP 107 Gaming Headset Review

Sennheiser GSP 107 Gaming Headset for PS4/Xbox One/PC/Mac – My Detailed Review

When I began testing this headset I was looking for three main features. These were the Quality of the Sound, whether any Background Noise could be heard, and the level of Comfort when wearing it for a length of time. Over several tests, two of which were more than three hours of wear, I established the key features of this Sennheiser headset.

The headset is surprisingly lightweight and sports an open design; this is perfect for someone like me who enjoys a lot of gaming. I tested this headset with my PlayStation 4 console, and I was impressed with how easy it was to set up and to use. This Sennheiser product comes with the headband and main cable attached, as well as a double adapter for use with a variety of devices.

The Clarity and Sound were excellent, not only is it clear to myself as the user, but also to others who were listening to me through the microphone. There is no background noise and the sound itself through the microphone is crisp and clean to listen to. People can hear me clearly and I can also hear others with clean definition of sounds and voices. The noise cancelling feature is one that definitely works to the benefit of the user.

Now for the Comfort level of the headset. The two ear muffs are soft to the touch and sit comfortably on the ear. The headband is adjustable for those who have larger heads or more hair to fit beneath it. By having the ear muffs either side of the headset it sits level and stays in place because it’s balanced. There is a foam section on the underneath of the headband which is a nice addition to allow for a soft sitting on the top of the head. The final comfort feature surrounds the design of this headset, where by the ear pieces are made with gaps so as to keep your ears cooler with prolonged wear. After testing this for several hours I can agree that in comparison to previous headsets I have owned, the comfort of this one is substantially better.

The headset features a double adapter which allows you to plug into the console or device and then into the microphone and audio. I was surprised not to find the ability to mute on this headset design and that is why it has lost a point for me on Design. As a Gamer it is something that I have used regularly on other headsets, you might be in a Party Chat with several others when you get a phone call for example. That ability to mute the Party is one that I expected to find on such a high profile headset. The only other issue is with the adapter, if you remove one (like the microphone because there is no other way to mute the conversation) while in game, others will then hear a distinct crackle sound as you disconnect the adapter. When you reconnect the crackle is also heard and it rather loud, but then the sound quickly becomes clear again once the adapter is firmly back in place. This is why it has lost a point on Connectivity as well.


Overall the Sennheiser GSP 107 is an excellent headset. If you need one for clear sound and wonderful clarity then this is the headset for you. Sound, voices and music all exist crisp and clean through the ear pieces. I have used the headset to record my own voice on to pre-recorded gaming video, to listen in game, and to chat with friends in an in game chat. I have been impressed with the quality of the product and the features. The headset has some wonderful appeal and merits, especially if you’re looking to use the item frequently. The Sennheiser comes with a 2 year warranty as well.

I am extremely happy with the headset, and would recommend it as a gift for anyone who loves gaming. Ideal for teenagers and adults because of the adjustable headband and the range of devices that it can work with.

I would like to thank my gaming friends who helped me to test out the item and by listening to me go on and on over the gaming chat 😉

 Thank you for reading this review today, I hope you’ve enjoyed finding out what I thought about this headset, I would definitely recommend it.

This item was supplied to me by Argos (because I am a registered Argos Tester) so that I could review it. It has an RRP of £49.99 but is currently on offer for just £29.99 (as of today’s date 08/11/17).

If you would like to take further a look at this product here is the link to the Argos website.

Have a wonderful day!

 Sabrina