Most cat toys get five minutes of attention and then live under the sofa for a year. A tunnel does better, because it is not really a toy at all; it is cover. Cats move along walls and through gaps by instinct, and something soft they can run into, turn around inside and then lie down in gets used through the day rather than only when you are holding the other end of a wand.

The centre is a thickly padded plush bed, and the tunnel sections detach and clip back together on buckles, so the same pieces make a closed ring, one long run, or two hideouts in different corners. Buckles are the sensible choice: they hold the shape without stitching or hook-and-loop chewing at the pile every time you rearrange it. The centre mat lifts out and goes in the machine, which is what keeps a plush toy in use past the first moult.

• Plush throughout with a thick padded centre bed
• Tunnel sections detach and reconnect on buckles
• Configures as a ring, a long tunnel or separate hideouts
• Hanging ball fitted at the entrance
• Machine washable centre mat
• Lightweight circular frame, folds down for storage
• Supplied as one cat tunnel bed

On measurements: It is described as taking several cats, a small dog or a rabbit at once, but that claim is the maker's and not something we have measured, so treat it as a starting point rather than a promise.

Who it's for: indoor-only cats with energy and nowhere to spend it, two-cat households where the chasing needs somewhere to happen, and kittens who need a hiding place that is not behind the washing machine.