As a toy, it is long enough for human safety and functions as a wand, is soft and fluffy for cats, and it is surprisingly hard-wearing (probably because it was one for dance!). Only a few of the fronds have come off after almost a year of HARD wear. And the 'spine' was finally broken just last week. It has worked comfortably (for the humans) and unbearably enticingly (for the felines) on couches, stools, as a jumping gambit from the floor, in tunnels, in boxes, and all over their massive cat tree. This is the toy that will have them racing up the cat tree to play, or any other place we use it. It is also the fail-safe toy for Ava...because she sits and whines at us and refuses to play (while demanding playtime!) until we select the toy she wants!
It has been a while between posts on toys - not because we've stopped playing, but just because I've been a bit busy (lazy??). A firm favourite in our home for the last year has been a long 60cm ostrich feather. It was SUPPOSED to be safely stored in the cupboard for a dance costume (so it was bought from glitter and dance, a dance fabric store for about $10 plus postage). However, husband man thought it was safely stored as a cat toy, so thats what it became!
As a toy, it is long enough for human safety and functions as a wand, is soft and fluffy for cats, and it is surprisingly hard-wearing (probably because it was one for dance!). Only a few of the fronds have come off after almost a year of HARD wear. And the 'spine' was finally broken just last week. It has worked comfortably (for the humans) and unbearably enticingly (for the felines) on couches, stools, as a jumping gambit from the floor, in tunnels, in boxes, and all over their massive cat tree. This is the toy that will have them racing up the cat tree to play, or any other place we use it. It is also the fail-safe toy for Ava...because she sits and whines at us and refuses to play (while demanding playtime!) until we select the toy she wants!
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Well, it's winter and we are upping our vitamin C intake and fighting colds. Cue a big bag of oranges - too big for a home in a cupboard or the fridge. So they were plonked on the kitchen bench...only to have me turning in puzzlement at a strange ripping noise, and cats on the bench! Both Kato and Ava were fascinated with the tough, mesh orange-bag. So I cut off a piece for them and threw it on the floor. POUNCE!
They also liked jumping for it if I held it high in the air, and batting it around the floor. And of course holding it and ripping at it with their teeth - it's very tough! (As my cats enjoy ripping and spitting, I'm not worried about them eating any shredded chunks, but I do pick them up and bin them when they finally succeed in tearing off a piece.) And of course the next metamorphosis of this toy was to attach it to the 'Da Bird' wand and turn it into a whizzing wand toy. Lots of successful sommersaults with this toy! Just look at the glee on Ava's face when she caught it in her little paws! Bringing a bit of the outdoors inside is lovely for cats. And we've found that a long weed makes an excellent 'wand toy'. It has the added advantage of its green smells to entice a feline, and if picked long enough, is quite convenient for a human to operate. One note of caution - pick a plant that is not toxic to cats. We use the grass they like to eat on their walks. It looks very much like our pots of cat grass, and in fact, one of our pots has gone crazy and the massive stalks have sprouted a wheat-type feather of seeds - very similar to the wild grown grass they munch. And that brings me to another caution for the humans....while the head of seeds makes a delightful rattle, they WILL come off and spray everywhere in play! Not great for the house. Oh, and you'll need to judiciously play with such a weed dependant on where you live. The same things grow in Western Australia, but they are baked by the climate so the seeds are little daggers. We learned the hard way on our last holiday there with Kato - he got one of those seeds stuck in his throat. It did get swallowed, but had irritated his throat. The emergency vet said there are a lot of problems with these grass seeds, as they are so sharp, they can imped in mouths/throats or even in an animals skin. Fortunately over here in Victoria, the climate is much gentler, and the same grasses just don't do this. Moral of the story, use your judgement, and if in doubt, just rip off the seeds (like you probably did when you were a kid!). As you can gather from all my posts on wand toys, these are used more than daily in our home! Last night our two furries waited with avid interest while husband-man made a new toy for them. And then we had two hurricanes bolting around and over the furniture in frantic chase of this thing that was attached to the DaBird wand. We played for over an hour, and had to remake the toy twice! The 'toy' was simply (but imaginatively) a scrunched up ball of paper, placed inside an inflated plastic sandwich bag - the bag got decimated twice. So we also tried a tiny toy mouse inside the second bag...winner!
What makes it such a good toy? The plastic and paper rustle. The allure of something hiding in the bag. The yielding inflation. The pesky toughness of the plastic that won't allow them to instantly get at the lurking thing inside. The flick and speed of the whole thing attached to the DaBird wand. And husband man's re-arrangement of our furniture into a circuit so that they zoomed around the room with minimal floor contact. Just to give you an idea of what that looked like, this is an early version of our circuit (it has grown!) - Kato is actually chasing a stick of lemongrass (he goes bananas over the smell and pulls them out of our shopping bags the minute we get home): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3UVR50WEBM The inspiration for this new toy came from watching some old movies of Kato as a kitten. We had made this toy before...but it was 'new' because of the wand element (and the 2 years break in between). So yes, this is a 2-in-1 toy - it can be a stand alone toy (but it works better if you admire your cat while they rabbit around with it, plus we always watch over plastic bags for safety), and it can be a wand toy. Here's Kato after our first stand alone version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydNjYX2Ect0 A couple years ago, we were quite delighted to discover another wand toy that had an array of attachments, as we truely loved 'Da Bird'. So I ordered the Neko Flies wand with the dragonfly ('Kragonfly') and furry mouse ('Kittenator') attachments.
The wand itself is fairly short - shorter than 'Da Bird', made from a clear plastic, and far, far more rigid. The string part is a woven green cord, which clips onto the wand, while the toy is permanently attached to the other end of the string. Now, all of these design ideas differ completely to 'Da Bird', which is fine in and of itself...BUT...they ALL mean reduced 'playability'. The cord does not flick - it's too heavy/soft so it sort of 'floops' with a good deal of arm movement needed to get it to move. The wand, being rigid, has no flick and swoop, which compounds this problem. Sure, the handle is really nice to a human hand - and better than 'DaBird' as their end cover tends to come off and you have a sharp stick end in your hand - but you have to work so hard to get the wand to move, the cord to move, and thereby the toy. Now, the attachment was a secondary issue, as I thought I'd just switch over the toy to the more user friendly 'DaBird' wand. But, their attachment mechanisms are opposite; 'DaBird' cord is fixed into the wand and the toy is removable from the end of the string. So, in order to use the NekoFlies toys, I had to cut the cord off the toy and find a way to fix the toy to the 'DaBird' string...and without an attaching loop, the moveable wiggle of the toy is lost, as you have to tie the string around the actual toy, or tie two bits of string together which isn't very aerodynamic. So, that's the human review. The cat review is somewhat different. The toys were FASCINATING. The mouse (more of a rat) had a middle hinge that gave a lifelike wriggle. Kato loved it - it really is a 'Kittenator'. He did somersaults and took his prey off to various lairs. Ava was no different. The dragonfly ('kragonfly') was equally fascinating, but unfortunately it was chompable, and Kato took great delight in removing its stretchy legs - not something I want swallowed. Which is a shame, as the toy had great billing as being durable and even won the 2009 Cat Fancy Editors' Choice Award. I guess they didn't road test this toy with a Korat. So, all up, I can't call this an 'absolute dud', but I haven't gone back for more Neko Flies toys - plus they are quite pricey at around $18-$30. We have far better toys from our home-made attachments combined with the 'DaBird' wand - at a much reduced price and with greater 'human operator' ease. But I'd hazard a guess that the advent of Neko Flies prompted 'DaBird' to make a greater range of toy attachments (previously they just had the Bird). And all of these toys are a hit, and far more reasonably priced, around $6-$15, and more durable. So for that, thank-you Neko Flies! You can get both 'DaBird' and Neko Flies from pampered cats playground.
An exhausted cat 'flop'
Wand toys are the best toys for exhausting your cat, which is super important for high energy cats like our Korats! And a happy cat is a cat who has had their energy drained - otherwise it can mean they are wound too tight (stress...which leads to illness), or they are finding fun we don't like. Actually, I do have to say that now we have Ava, a second high energy cat trumps a wand toy, and playing human-cat chasey will sometimes trump a wand toy - but it's not so physically easy on the human! So wand toys are very, very high on the list of ways to expend cat energy. As you can see from Ava's picture, the 'flop' is what we aim for when we play. This is a cat who is thoroughly satisfied with playtime. And depending on our cat, we may need more than one flop! High energy cats are also often high-intelligence cats. This means they need heaps and heaps of variety in terms of toys, play style, and changing up the environment. Variety captures their intense interest and keeps them going bananas during playtime. So here are a few more home-made toy ideas we have used with success. You can roll the toys, throw the toys, and of course, do the ultimate - tie or fix them to a wand like the 'DaBird' wand: -Scrunched up Alfoil (good for sound) -A piece of baking paper (good for sound and satisfying to shred, but lasts longer than tissues or paper) -Twist ties. Get six and add them together one by one, by twisting each one around the middle of another. You end up with a 12 legged 'spider' that has great tactile interest as it is a bit 'springy'. You can see how crazy Kato went for this toy when he was a kitten: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8nb2JPJ0Kk -Remove the rope handles from gift bags. They're thick enough not to be eaten and a nice soft toy. Our cats carry these around the house and sometimes will play fetch with one particular orange rope. -If you sew, fabric offcuts, ribbon, and most dressmaking things are endlessly fascinating. Lycra fabric is nice as it is stretchy and doesn't fray. I have had to rehome my pin cushion though - into a screw top tub. -Packaging. Bubble wrap, product tags, firm moulded plastic like a nanobug package (even has a hole so it can easily be attached to the 'DaBird' wand!) -Paper-towel roll. Well, you CAN give it to them complete with the paper towels and they will definitely love it (you may not), but I speak more about the inner cardboard tube. Cut it into various sizes - you could even cut the tube open for something a bit sneaky that 'grabs' back at a paw. -Plastic Milk Bottle Rings, or similar. Yesterday we had fascinated cats using a small clear plastic ring from a pop-top choc milk bottle. They make an interesting scritchy sound. And then...you COMBINE toys. The toy in the photo above is a paper-towel roll (cut small), plus one side of the nanobug plastic package. The two together make a good scritchy sound, and somehow, when you add two things together - even when each individually is 'exhausted' - you have a brand new interest grabbing toy!
Caught it!!
I know I've posted before about attaching all sorts of things to the 'Da Bird' fishing pole...it really IS endless! This week's toy of choice, which has Ava running circuits and doing summersaults, is simply a stuffed mouse, that we tied on the end of 'Da Bird' by its tail. We have several of these little mice - gifts from friends and from our Vet. But Kato doesn't think much of them, and nor did Ava. UNTIL I tied one onto 'Da Bird', and off Ava went!! Now, even when not attached to 'Da Bird', the mice have 'hit toy status'. Ava runs around with them in her mouth, plays with them by herself, and even plays FETCH! I also found her trying to eat one, right next to her food bowl. I picked Ava up and placed her next to her actual food, but no, she returned to the mouse. And then put her mouse in her food bowl (twice!) When she catches the mouse during our 'Da Bird' play, she stalks off with her prey, pulling the rod out of my hands. Then she sits over her mouse, as in the above picture, and growls! These sorts of mice are easily found in pet stores for a few dollars.
Go Cat Cat-Catcher Mouse; new and old
First off the bat I must mention the favourite toy of the past two weeks...go cat replacement mice attached to the DaBird pole. As you can see, our first mouse, in use a year ago, got thoroughly trammelled and has lost his tail and ears. Our new mouse has already lost an ear. Such is the frenzy these mice incite...both Ava and Kato react as if they are the real McCoy. Once caught, the mouse is even dragged off to a lair and munched upon. So, in amidst the crazies inspired by this toy, do keep an eye out for small parts you may need to snatch up for safety's sake. The original toy comes as a short wand toy with the string being thin wire. We don't use this anymore, as the wire made our cats shake or lick their paws, and that was the inspiration to switch the mouse over to the softer Da Bird wand. In our opinion, that modification made for an UBER toy! It has also inspired other add -ons; bread clip ties, rope handles from gift bags, sales tags, hair elastics, cheap things from haberdashery stores like feathers, fur, and sparkly fabric. The possibilities are endless... After the crazies have worn off, we then change up the play environment to get even more interest and use from our toys. This is what it looked like this morning... A cardboard box, a sheet of cardboard packaging, a carpet rug I purchased for $15 (100% wool for safer toxin load). The carpet - or anything you get that is texturally different - adds value in and of itself and will be investigated, rolled on, jumped and scratched, tunnelled under and through even before you add in a toy! In fact the way you configure various bits and pieces makes an unlimited 'new' toy environment. Which is exactly what we want with active clever cats!
Ava got to play with the DaBird Sparkler before its death today - in fact, she killed it. Both Kato and Ava have absolutely gone bananas over the sparkler. Even from the second Ava spied it in the cupboard, she wanted it! And Kato was much the same the minute we took it out of the shopping bag. It has had a good 4 months of heavy duty use. REALLY heavy.
I was a bit sceptical at first, thinking those streamers would rip out very quickly. Not so, it is another quality toy from the Da Bird range. There's something about the rustle of the streamers, the sparkle of light bouncing off them, and the lightness of the toy such that it zooms and flicks everywhere but is soft to catch, that really makes it a winner for both cats and humans. Sadly, today, the streamer attachment has begun to crack off- still not disseminating tinsel all over the place mind you. It had a worthy death and will definitely be replaced. Widely available in good online pet stores...including my favourite for cat toys www.pamperedcatsplayground.com.au
DaBird Fur Fun after 30mins of crazy
Tonight's new toy is Da Bird Fur Fun. It got Kato going BANANAS! I have to say every new Da Bird attachment elicits this response...the trick with Kato (who has an Elephant's memory) is to give him new things. He still plays with all the Da Bird attachments, particularly if you are creative in your play, but a new one gets the full-on crazies. And Fur Fun did not disappoint. (Kato was a four flop cat tonight!) the least blurry of the action shots It's kind of like a furry 'rabbit foot'. A firm core that both Ava and Kato like to chew, and the fur is not the type that fluffs out - which is good, because Kato likes to lick it after he has calmed down and is gloating over his 'prey'. The attachment is different from other DaBird toys - which have a metal loop. Fur Fun has an elastic loop. I think this gives it a bit more spring and wiggle in play, which is excellent. Available from my favourite cat toy store http://www.pamperedcatsplayground.com.au/contents/en-us/d382.html |