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!
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Craters in the egg box hide things!
I'm not exactly sure how this toy came to be. I was busy in the kitchen and it went something along the lines of 'Ow, ow, not my feet', 'Here, chew some cardboard' (tossing the empty egg carton off the bench - I was baking biscuits). The next thing I knew, Ava was well occupied with all the dents and depressions, holes and flippable bits of the egg carton. And Kato had joined her. 'Here, lets make it even more interesting,' I say, getting out the treat box and popping some tiny treats down into the deep craters on the underside of the box. Magic! Actually, Kato is motivated by treats, but Ava, being a kitten, just wants to work out how things work and GET things. She got the treats out - Kato ate them, lol! So the next day I put a small bell-rattle into the box. Eureka! More magic. I can see this will be a very good toy... When it's a busy morning, I'm up to my armpits in doing full cleans on the litterboxes, and husband man is intent on the serious business of breakfast...little Ava can be thought of as pesky. By the hungry toast making man. When he has to get Ava out of the garbage bag where I'd dumped the litter. And then fish her out of the rubbish bin where Kato's breakfast can sits...for the fourth time.
I came to the rescue and suggested, in my bleachy gloves, that husband man gets out a nano bug. The verdict: 'Gee, you're just like a Mum!' Of course I am! I know Ava is not being naughty - she's just a bright young thing who's bored and making her own mischief. So we gave her something that could more acceptably occupy her. And all I can say, is yay nanobugs! I pull these out when I have no hands to play with the cats, and both of them find them fascinating. The nanobug is the true hero though, as it always rights itself (even after being swatted upside down), and rarely gets stuck anywhere - unlike the larger crab and ant. These things run into something, then go off in a new direction. They are on a par, fascination-wise, with a live cockroach - which is high praise from a cat!! I believe I got mine off ebay. Also search ebay for large packets of replacement batteries. I haven't met such a dud toy before. Maybe because I wouldn't have chosen this toy to begin with - anything that says something along the lines of 'don't stretch, don't bite, don't move' has no business labelling itself as a toy for cats. But this 'Amazing cat toy from Mars' was a freebie. So I dutifully unpacked it, puzzled and plagued with the question of, 'What does it DO??'
The answer? NOTHING. Besides emitting a very annoying high pitched sound, and lighting up. So, you might as well give your cats Christmas tree lights to play with, which have the bonus of being silent...and we don't do that, do we? Which begs the further question, what were these people THINKING? The cat verdict was no less scathing. Both Ava and Kato spared it just one glance - a mingled look of disgust and wariness. And walked off. It's a colossal gong from us. If you have money to burn and want to try it for yourself, I found it at ebay: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/AMAZING-CAT-TOY-MARS-CATS-CANT-RESIST-/380367230921 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
Ava and the Cat it Senses toy
So, we came to another period in the day where I needed a toy to occupy Ava and Kato, while I had a rest! We bought the Senses toy about a year ago for Kato. It is basically an enclosed track that you can configure in different shapes, with sneaky paw gaps that just let a cat bat and touch the ball that runs along the track. And that ball runs very smoothly, with the slightest movement. Kato was mildly interested - more in the packaging and in the setting up (which was a bit stiff and took some time). He did really want to get that little ball, but his smarts soon told him it was useless, he would never succeed, and so he walked away from the toy. That's a super smart cat for you. However, today I pulled it out and both cats were entertained - Kato by watching Ava! The Senses toy kept Ava well and truely occupied for 25minutes. If I can use it a few more times without her growing disenchanted, I will be happy with the purchase, as it was pretty expensive. I am practising toy rotation - putting away the toys and taking them out again so they are 'fresh' - but if she is like Kato, the period of in the cupboard time could be years (seriously, memory of an elephant!) But, when you need a break, a toy that takes the slack for even a one time period of 25minutes is priceless! The Cat it Senses toy is widely available in both pet shops and online pet stores. UPDATE: Ava regularly goes and plays with this toy! We like! Soft toys have a big place in satisfying our cats' 'kill' urge. There are a lot of toys that can't have teeth sunk into, or can't be grabbed and 'kangaroo kicked' and bitten. Often these are toys that have hard attachments or metal components. But soft toys can be carried around as prey, soccer-ed around the floor, and 'killed' to their hearts content (and the durability of the toy). They are also brilliant to stuff into a cat's maw and paws if they are biting you!
As always, I'm a bit fussy about materials. I want materials that are not toxic or chemically laden or with unknown stuffing. I want materials and workmanship that last - and don't fluff apart, or have loose threads that will get eaten. So we have very few commercially made toys as I don't trust much that comes out of China. Afterall, China is responsible for thousands of pet deaths, when they sold melamine as a food ingredient to pet food manufacturers (who shouldn't have been looking to take short-cuts with protein content from a plant source in any case). But back to materials. The three soft toys we have, and which are much loved are: 1. Several large homemade crocheted mice. We were given these as a gift from a friend of our breeder - Kato loved them so much, I had to ask for a bigger order! If you are making these yourself, one design improvement that was discovered, was that crocheting was far more durable than knitting. 2. A couple of alpaca and sheepskin things from Hyendry products: http://www.sheepskincattoys.com/. Not so much of a hit with Kato, but nice to know they are so natural and material safety is a high priority. Ava is currently liking the black sheepskin one to blow her aggression on. 3. An accidentally genius toy I made from my favourite high-quality polar fleece and pillow stuffing. I originally made it as a wand type poker. And quickly found that this was a unique idea; the stuffing makes it just rigid enough to use as a wand, but it's all perfectly soft for maws and paws. Both Ava and Kato love me to play with them using this 'squid' on the cat tree. And anyone who has tried to wave a wand around the corners and small angles of a cat tree will appreciate just how user friendly the soft design is. Plus the waggly bits on the ends are very enticing. And yesterday, Ava came up with yet another use for it - it was purfect for her to hug, bite, kick and maul.
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 The Kurukuru Dragonfly is life-like! I knew I'd need some toys that could amuse a cat without human involvement, and with the current state of separation as we introduce Kato and Ava, the Kurukuru Dragonfly has had it's road-test! I used it this morning when I put Ava into the downstairs room for an explore, and left to take Kato on his 1hr morning walk. So I wasn't around to see how she dealt with it - but it was tipped over and dragged when I came back. I'm sure it was kitten-fun worthy. The real test is, of course, with a big smart Kato. And in my state of weariness last night, Kato gave his verdict: it's interesting. Naturally, Kato likes it better when a human uses it as a wand toy - and involves his tunnel and towers in the game - but it still got attention even in it's stand alone set up. The Kurukuru Dragonfly passes our human and cat requirements. It is easy to set up (even without instructions), and things click into place smoothly and hold well. It is also sturdy - while it has not had much play yet, the dragonfly seems of good quality, and has survived biting, swatting, and being dragged (I don't think they've tried to eat it, so not sure if it would survive chewing, but it really does seem an 'indestructable' type of material). The whole toy has been dragged off with little issue to it's working-ness. I did wonder about stability - but it was ok, and I could always tape or otherwise anchor it to the floor. The movement of the dragonfly is quite mesmerising and life-like. No noise. Using the attachment to convert it into a wand toy was also fine - but it is somewhat unwieldy. You can't use it to swoop and flick around like a fishing-pole type toy. But what was interesting, is that the motor comes with the toy in hand attachment mode, so the dragonfly is still fluttering around.
Now, my cats are the super-smart, super-athletic, people orientated type, so no self-standing toy is going to enchant them for long, or satisfy energy expenditure. But there are times I just need something interesting to occupy them for a short time. On that basis, this toy works! All up, including shipping, the cost was about $32. http://www.japantrendshop.com/kurukuru-dragonfly-cat-toy-p-1664.html We have been preparing for Ava's arrival for a year. So tonight (while Kato was asleep) I thought I'd better check in on the stockpile of toys that has been growing in our cupboard! But these aren't toys for Ava, they are for a massive Kato party. By all accounts, Korats readily bond with each other, but I'm prepared for an introductory phase where I might need to convince Kato that this a happy event...so, while Ava is getting used to her new room, we'll be having a party (or maybe there'll be two parties happening on either side of the door!)
As you can see, we have gone to town with various Dabird attachments. This is Kato's favourite toy, and we've been using a variety of homemade attachments, so I thought it would be nice to get some new things. Not all are the 'Dabird' brand - anything will work so long as you can poke the pin through it, or there is a ring to clip into. Then we sometimes use Bandaids to soften the metal attachment area. In addition to 'DaBird', we have some feather ticklers. We broke into the stash last month and gave Kato something similar to prick his 'appetite'...he really wanted it for about 2 minutes. And that's it. So these ones might be more enticing to a kitten - we'll see. And quite randomly, there is a bottle of cat bubbles! I think the best variety of cat toys I have seen is at http://www.pamperedcatsplayground.com.au/ |