It’s our first cat-related product review. We welcome Boris, our official cat tester (along with human slave Stephen Elmer) – the claws are out as he climbs Hagen’s new Vesper V-Tower.
Mud filled, dirty pickup trucks are what I usually fill my time with. As an editor at AutoGuide.com, my day is packed with engines, transmissions and all sort of automotive wonders. But just about five months ago, we brought home a beautiful Siberian kitten named Boris and suddenly, I was spending all my time with my feline friend.
Unbeknownst to him, I signed my furball up to be the latest product tester for PetGuide.com, joining Oscar on the quest to find the latest and greatest in pet products.
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Boris’ first assignment is a big one: a cat tree. But not just any cat tree – this is a super fancy, nicest-piece-of-furniture-in-the-house kind of cat tree.
The new Vesper V-Tower from Hagen is part of the brand’s new line of modern cat furniture that is meant to not only provide a great spot for kitties to hang out, but to keep owners happy with its modern design. This tree enhances any room it’s in, with off-center stacked boxes leading up to a tunnel like a piece of modern art. Capping off the look is a natural wood finish that makes it polished as brand new hardwood floors.
The wood is MDF made from New Zealand pine, finished with a scratch-resistant surface. All of the corners of the V-Tower are nice and rounded to keep cats safe while playing, also adding to the pleasurable aesthetic.
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Walking in my front door after having been gone all day, Boris is nearly always waiting in the tunnel of the V-Tower and I’m greeted by a set of eyes peeking through a small open slit on the side of the tunnel. He seems to love the soft memory foam cushioning housed in the top tunnel. I even get jealous sometimes. I don’t even have memory foam!
All of the cushions of the Vesper can easily be replaced and are held in simply with Velcro strips. Something else that you will need to replace on this tower: the hanging balls on the string. It took Boris about three weeks before he had taken every single one of them clean off. When that does happen, you can replace the hanging toy easily with whatever you’d like, as long as it dangles on a string.
There are two scratch pads on the V-Tower, though Boris seems to only care about the top pad, which is seaweed wrapped on the outside of the tunnel. We’ve tried to get him to scratch the second pad on the side, but he’s not interested. Luckily, when we drop him on top of the tree and he scratches away, keeping his claws from our carpets. After a nearly two months of scratching, the top seaweed seems no worse for wear.
The lower boxes are fun for playing with your kitty. Holding a toy on a string or stick, you can turn it into your own personal mini kitty maze, getting your cat to run through the boxes and go back over the top. Boris did sleep in the middle box a few times, but for the most part, these lower parts of the V-Tower go unused unless we’re playing in them.
There’s no doubt this tree is big enough for a multi-cat family, which would surely put those boxes to good use. Luckily for Boris, he’s spoiled, so he gets his pick. And he always picks the tunnel.
Believe it or not, the V-Tower has even helped us sleep at night. Boris, like most cats, doesn’t want to sleep when we want to sleep. We kept the bedroom door open for a few nights when we first brought him home, but soon realized that arrangement wouldn’t work. Before we brought his cat tree home, he would sit at the door and cry, but once he got his now headquarters, he stopped bugging us.
To bring the V-Tower home, you’re looking at spending $154.99. Cheap cat trees will accomplish some of the same tasks sure, but they are usually wrapped in material which is a one-use deal; once it’s torn up, it’s done. Get the V-Tower if you’re looking for a signature, furniture-quality cat tree. Thanks to its easy-to-replace scratch pads and cushions, I guarantee you’ll be keeping this tree for a long time.
Boris says buy!
The V-Tower has been durable and sturdy the whole time we’ve had it and is easily one of the best looking pieces in our living room. Those looking to treat their cat to a little oasis and to treat themselves to a pleasurable addition to any room should consider the Vesper V-Tower. And Boris gives it four enthusiastic paws up – not bad for his first time at being an official tester!
A cat owner since birth, Stephen Elmer has always loved having a feline friend around. Professionally, he spent the first four years of his working life behind the wheel of a 30-ft straight truck, before his passion for writing and photography led him into automotive journalism. Now, Stephen covers every angle of the automotive industry for AutoGuide.com, with a special focus on trucks. But most importantly, he recently brought home a Siberian kitten named Boris, who has been tasked with putting the latest and greatest cat-cessories on the market to the test.
