Review: Liebe Seele White Braided Cat O Nine Tails Flogger

The third—and final for now—review I have for Liebe Seele is the White Liebe Braided Cat O Nine Tails Flogger. This impact play toy is made from white cow leather, is part of the White Liebe collection—which also contains a padded blindfold, a paddle, a leash and collar, a ball gag, and a whole set that includes padded cuffs—and comes in two sizes. The cat o nine tails I was sent was the larger of the two sizes, with a total length of 30 inches (not including the wrist strap), with each tail measuring just over 22 inches from tip to end. The smaller sized White Liebe Cat O Nine Tails is slightly shorter—with a total length of 22.8 inches—as well as slightly cheaper, at $55 to the larger size’s $65.

What Is a Cat O Nine Tails?

Firstly, what is a cat o nine tails, and how does it differ from more conventional floggers or whips? The cat o nine tails—or just ‘cat’ as it’s often shortened to—is most associated with the British Royal Navy historically, where it was used for severe physical punishment—right before I asked to review the White Liebe Cat, I had actually visited the National Maritime Museum and saw some historical examples on display. It’s not the only implement of its kind that was used for punishment in this way, but it is one the most iconic, so it’s no wonder that in the modern day, people want to use it in their BDSM play.

The difference between a cat and a single tailed whip is the easiest to explain—a cat has nine tails, while a single-tail whip only has one. Defining the difference between a cat and a more conventional flogger is a little more fiddly, but the two main points I’d bring up is that the falls on a cat o nine tails are braided where on a flogger they’re strips of leather (or whatever other kind of material is being used), and that the falls of a cat o nine tails are sharp. I’d still personally define a cat as a subtype of flogger, but one where its roots as a tool of punishment really show. There’s less of a variation in sensation with cats—while different floggers can create anything from sting to soft sensation, a cat is designed to deliver pain.

Leather & Stitching

I have stanned Liebe Seele’s leather enough in my previous reviews, so I’ll keep this one short. The leather in the White Liebe Braided Cat O Nine Tails Flogger has a stronger leather smell than the Wild Gent Ball Gag, but not as strong as the Wine Red Leather Split Tawse Paddle. Overall, the leather texture is very even. There are a few places that show stretch marks, but not enough to be an aesthetic flaw, and in fact I’m happy to see these as it’s a sign the leather texture hasn’t been embossed into the surface. There’s actually very little stitching in this cat—the only stitching is on the teardrop shaped points at the end of each fall. I… honestly do not have much to say about it, for once. It’s very even, and the one out of place thread I found on the flogger was actually not even part of the stitching, but a random loose thread tucked into the braid of the fall.

How It Feels To Throw

As a quick aside, I’m going to talk about what I mean when I say ‘balance point’ and what I mean when I say a flogger is balanced. The ‘balance point’ of a flogger is the point at which the weight is split evenly—you should be able to hold it on one or two fingers. For a flogger to be ‘well balanced’, this balance point should sit on the handle of the toy. It’s important for a flogger to be well balanced, as a balance point that’s not on the handle will mean the tails ‘pull’ against the top wielding the implement, meaning it can be used for less long and requires more strength to use accurately.

I’m pleased to say that the White Liebe Braided Cat O Nine Tails Flogger is well balanced! The balance point sits a little bit far forward on the handle, but it’s not the most far forward I’ve seen or used.

This cat does require a bit more room to throw that my preferred impact implements—which are batons, riding crops, and paddles for the most part—but not as much as a single tailed whip would. It does feel a bit harder to control than I would like, as the falls spread in motion, but with some practice (apologies to my plushies) it wasn’t too hard to wrap my head around. And it feels really lovely and weighty to throw!

How It Feels To Bottom For

I would describe the feeling of the cat as a sort of ‘heavy sting’, if that makes sense? When I think about my memories of it, I seem to recall it as being quite thuddy, but after asking my partner to give me a few test swings before I wrote this review—thanks babe!—I realise it’s definitely stingy, but feels like it has a lot of weight behind it. More stingy than my other floggers, but not quite so stingy as a cane, for example.

The control issue with falls that I mentioned earlier does also come into play, as it feels less predictable where I’m going to be hit, which may be a positive or a negative to some people. (Caveat: It didn’t feel unpredictable to the point of not knowing if it was safe or not. My top had enough experience and training that I trusted her, and I didn’t feel like I was risking my safety at any point).

Overall

The White Liebe Braided Cat O Nine Tails Flogger isn’t a toy I’ll likely reach for regularly, but that’s entirely because of my personal preference for thuddy toys over stingy ones. As an impact toy in general, I think it’s wonderful. It feels nice and weighty, and makes me feel powerful to wield. Hell, at one point I told my partner ‘I’m so glad we moved to a place with a larger bedroom, because it means we have room to swing this’. The only thing I have a caveat on is that I’m not sure how quickly the white leather will pick up signs of wear, although this hasn’t been a problem so far and Liebe Seele does have a cat in black and red if that’s more your thing.

 


This product was sent to me by Liebe Seele, in return for a fair and impartial review. No affiliate links were used in this post.