OTOTO Katie Cat Soup Ladle

Katie is a black cat, and her tail is the handle. She’s a soup ladle from OTOTO, the award-winning design brand whose kitchen tools all come with a quirky twist, and she turns stirring a pot of chili into a small cartoon. Pour soup with her and it looks like the cat is doing the serving.

The tail is shaped for a comfortable, ergonomic grip, so she works as a real everyday ladle and not a joke that lives in a drawer. She’s made from heat-resistant material for ladling stews and steaming soup, and she measures about 11 inches long and under 4 inches wide. The black color makes her a natural for a Halloween party or a spooky-season soup night, though a cat person will happily use her all year.

She suits the cat lover who cooks, the friend who hosts a big soup night every winter, or anyone who collects funny kitchen gadgets. At this price she’s an easy add-on to a bigger gift, or a stocking stuffer that actually gets used.

The catch: she’s plastic rather than steel, so treat her a little more gently around hot burners and pan edges. And at about 11 inches she’s a good length for a soup pot, but on the short side for a deep stockpot.