Reusable Cat Hand Warmer

There is very little to explain here, because the warmer has no technology at all. It is the plush cat cover and the heat pouch inside, and nothing else.

• Reusable click hand warmer with a cat-shaped cover
• Cover in polyester faux fur, white with a grey patch over one eye and ear
• Grey tail, pink nose and pink inner ears
• Embroidered closed eyes, whiskers and paws
• Heat pouch inside made of PVC with sodium acetate and water
• Activated by snapping, reset in hot water
• Measures 16 x 13 x 4.5 cm, weighs 76 g
• Fabric label on the back of the fur

Click hand warmers use a saturated sodium acetate solution. As long as the liquid is left alone it stays clear and fluid, even though it could already be solid. A short impulse from outside upsets that balance: the solution crystallises and releases the stored warmth in the process.

In everyday terms that means you reach through the plush, give the pouch a quick bend and feel the contents change. Then the little cat goes into your palm or your coat pocket. Once the warmth has been used up, the manufacturer says to put the warmer in hot water until the contents turn liquid again, and it is ready for the next round.

At 16 x 13 x 4.5 cm the warmer is roughly the size of a flat hand, with a depth of about 4.5 cm. It weighs 76 g, and the manufacturer's images show it resting in a palm in front of a jacket pocket.

The cover is a fluffy polyester faux fur. Because the eyes, whiskers and paws are stitched rather than printed, the details sit in the fur itself. A small fabric label is placed in the fur on the back. All of this makes the cat feel less like an accessory and more like a small companion that happens to warm your hands.

It is made for anyone whose fingers go cold quickly in autumn and winter: waiting for the bus or train, walking to school, standing at the side of a pitch or heading out for a winter walk. Cat lovers get the extra pleasure of the motif.

As a gift it is small and affordable enough for plenty of moments: Christmas, St Nicholas, Secret Santa, an advent calendar filler or a little something to bring along. Adults and school-age children both get the hang of it straight away. It is part of the manufacturer's autumn and winter range, which is exactly when cold fingers turn up.

A few small habits make the warmer more useful day to day.

Put it in your jacket pocket the night before, so it is already where you need it in the morning. If you want both hands warm, take two, one cat per pocket. After use you can pop it in hot water as the manufacturer describes, so it is ready again for the next cold day. And as a present it barely needs wrapping: the furry face peeking out of a small bag explains itself. If you want to make more of it, pair it with another warming piece from the range, such as the sleeping cat hot water bottle.

How do I activate the hand warmer? You bend the pouch inside until it clicks. According to the manufacturer it then starts giving off heat.

Can I use it more than once? Yes, it is reusable. To reset it, the manufacturer says to pop it in hot water.

How big and how heavy is it? It measures 16 x 13 x 4.5 cm and weighs 76 g. The product images show it resting in one hand.

What is it made of? The cover is polyester faux fur and inside there is a PVC pouch with sodium acetate and water.

Does it fit in a jacket pocket? The manufacturer describes it as pocket-sized and shows it in front of a jacket pocket.

Does it work as a small gift? Yes, it suits Christmas, St Nicholas and Secret Santa, and it is small enough for an advent calendar.