The five minutes after a bath are when most of the mess happens: the shake, the sprint down the hall, the damp patch left on the sofa. A drying robe buys those minutes back. It wraps around your cat or dog and stays put on its own, held by a hood and an adjustable fastening, so the coat is actually being dried during the part of bath time when a flat towel has already been dropped on the floor.

Microfibre carries far more surface area than a cotton towel of the same weight, which is why it lifts water out of a coat rather than pushing it around. The dense pile draws moisture off the hair and holds it, so one robe generally does the work of two ordinary towels, then gives that water back quickly on the line. It goes through the machine and comes out ready for the next wet walk, which in a British winter matters more than any single clever feature.

• Dense microfibre pile that absorbs faster than a standard towel - Hood and adjustable fastening hold it in place without you holding it - Suitable for cats and for dogs - Machine washable and quick-drying between uses - Three sizes, S to L, in light blue, light yellow, white or pink - Useful after baths, rainy walks and swims

On sizing: The robe works by absorbing water, not by generating heat, so a genuinely cold animal still needs a warm room as well.

Who it's for: Owners of pets who will not tolerate a hairdryer, and anyone tired of mopping up after bath night.