Category: Toys

* Originally written by me for katzenworld.co.uk

By now you all know Dirk loves toys he can kick vigorously! He likes to chase toys too – the fishing rod style toys with feathers drive him mad – so I was quite curious if he would chase his new GiGwi PetDroid Interactive Mouse…

I was a little sceptical myself at first, as these toys usually make a very annoying buzzing-like sound when the mouse moves around. The mouse just runs straight ahead and by the time it reaches the wall I’m usually the one walking over to turn it in a different direction (yes, my cat trained me well LOL).

This one is a little different! I really quite like that the texture of the mouse is not a soft and smooth one, but a bit rough with different textures and fabric lengths. One of the best things about it, though, is that it makes squeaking sounds much like a real mouse. This makes the experience a bit more real and when you switch the mouse on and it starts squeaking, it triggers hunting behaviour in Dirk. He was instantly curious!

Dirk does not actually stalk the mouse much – more on that later – but he loves pouncing and of course kicking it. He seems surprised that the toy does not always respond in the same way when he pounces it: sometimes it stops moving and other times it moves in a different direction.

The front wheel of the mouse can turn so the mouse moves in different directions. This unpredictability helps keep you cat interested for longer. It also stops moving when your cat touches it again so it really tries to mimic a real mouse’s behaviour. I guess it’s the closest our indoor kitties are going to get to actually getting a mouse – unless you have real mice willing to risk their lives by venturing inside your home!

The best part of playing with this toy, for Dirk at least, seems to be picking it up and tossing it away or kicking it.

In the early stages of the game you can of course easily play with the mouse together. Dirk goes through the phases of being curious about the squeaky noise first and observe from a distance. I then pounce the mouse or drag it in a different direction by its tail and the fact that the mouse keeps moving and squeaking keeps Dirk very interested. Inevitably he’ll go into hunting mode as he cannot resist having a go himself. I sometimes try and grab the mouse by its tail when he’s playing with it to get Dirk to go after it, but as you can see he usually does not want to let go of it…

The packaging rightly recommends using the toy on a flat surface and I think laminated or tiled floors (or similar) would work best. I have low pile carpet, but when Dirk is playing with the mouse the wheels seem to pick up some threads and slow down a bit. On smooth surfaces you should not have this issue and your cat may even stalk his prey 😉

The GiGwi melody chaser mouse is available via online pet shops (worldwide) as well as in selected physical stores (UK & US).

* Originally written by me for katzenworld.co.uk

What’s not to love about a mouse in a block of cheese?! And what’s even better: there are two mice inside this PetSafe FroliCat Cheese! The mice play a game of peek-a-boo with your cat. What I love is that the mice don’t take turns when appearing form the cheese: you never know which mouse is going to come out next!

I took a while for Dirk to actually start playing with it. He was curious about it and sat looking at it whenever I switched it on, but for a while that was all he did.  Maybe he was trying to figure out a logic to the mice popping out…? Sometimes he checks both sides of the cheese to see if the mouse is there, but more often he stays on one side and tries to pounce the mouse that appears on that side. I can imagine kittens really going for it and trying to pounce both mice.

Normally, Dirk eats his dinner when we’re having ours. Lately though he’s sitting next to the table staring at me and he honestly wants me to put down the cheese block and switch it on! You can imagine my surprise!

This peek-a-boo cheese has another great feature: it has a “play-while-you-are-away” mode. This means you can leave the toy out on the floor for the cat to play with during the day. In this mode your cat has 3 play sessions of 10-15 minutes spread over 4.5 hours. If you have a very playful kitten, I think they will love this. Kittens are very curious and leaving them alone for a longer time means they can get a little bored (more so than mature cats). The “play-while-you-are-away” mode helps keep them entertained at regular intervals. The toy will switch off after a session, so your cat won’t go entirely mad chasing the mice. I’ve used this mode – although I have no idea whether or not Dirk actually played with the cheese while he was home alone.

Where did it go?

If you don’t particularly like mice or cheese or are not sure your cat will like it, have a look at the other PetSafe FroliCat toys. I’m rather curious about the fox den toy and I think Dirk will like it. They also have a rotating pounce toy with unpredictable movements which I think will appeal to cats that like the ‘ball in a roller track’ type of toys.

* Originally written by me for katzenworld.co.uk

Dirk is one lucky cat as he got to try the 4Cats Premium Rustling Cushion. It’s soft, has strings, there’s catnip inside and it rustles when your cat kicks it so what’s not to like?!

I love teasing Dirk with the rustling sound. When he’s in a different room and hears the noise he is instantly curious and wants to find out where it came from. By now he knows the sound comes from the toy so he knows he gets to play with it if he can find it! This makes it a lot of fun to play together: I like to hide the toy behind my back and move it around when Dirk is looking for it 🙂 Not for too long of course, I don’t want him to get frustrated.

Finally!! I knew you had it!

It’s fun though as he get’s the feeling of chasing or hunting something and once he’s got his paws on the cushion or the strings he’s not letting go!

Now it’s all mine 🙂

Dirk loves tugging and kicking this toy a lot! I haven’t seen him cuddling with it quite as much as with other 4Cats Cushions, but it is quite soft so he does actually sleep on it.

As you know by now, there are lots of toys Dirk likes as long as he can cuddle or kick them. I would recommend this particular toy if you have a cat whose curiosity is piqued by interesting sounds such as rustling paper or aluminium foil. You may well be using foil or paper balls for your cat to chase around the house. This toy has the added benefits of strings, catnip and durable soft fabric so your cat can really enjoy this toy for a long time & you can play with him too 🙂

* Originally written by me for katzenworld.co.uk

The MelloCat Rocket Roller is one of those toys I wasn’t quite sure of initially. I mean, it looks like a rocket (complete with take-off smoke) which is sort of cool. But rockets and cats?

Once again, Dirk took me by surprise and was immediately taken with this toy.

Give me that, I know it’s for me!

I’m sure you all know what Dirk is going to do with this toy! Yes, that’s right: give it a good kick 😉 And he can be really quite ferocious when kicking it so this is a proper workout for his hind legs. The toy is quite large: he can easily grab hold of one side and then kick the other side of the rocket.

My favourite thing is to send it ‘flying’ through the house so Dirk can go and chase it. He doesn’t really let go of this toy very easily though. I guess he’s happy he’s our only cat because sharing toys would be a serious problem…

Look at me and my cool rocket! We’re totally going places 🙂
(No, not really Dirk, you just look silly)

The MelloCat Rocket Roller is handmade and it looks amazing. It’s really well made and quite sturdy, it can take a lot of kicks! Cats that love kicking toys and want to look cool doing it: this is your toy 🙂

Going to take a nap now, but don’t even think you can have the rocket back now!

* Originally written by me for katzenworld.co.uk

I’m sure most of you have read about Grumpy Cat or seen pictures of him. I think he’s super funny even if it’s unintentional. I doubt he’ll be happy to hear I love him or that he now features in cat toys – at best he probably can’t care less.

Yes, you read it: Grumpy Cat toys!! I have to admit I think I might like these even more than Dirk does. The toys have the characteristic grumpy face which just makes me laugh out loud.

How do Dirk and the grumpy faces get along? Well, let’s find out!

Whoa, seriously what’s that look on his face?!?!
(It’s his natural facial expression Dirk, Grumpy can’t help it)

All right then, but I sure want to give it some good kicks 🙂

The Catnip Sock has some bells attached to it and the sock itself makes a funny rustling, crinkly sound. Most cats absolutely love this. Dirk will come running as soon as he hears it. You can hide the toy and squeeze it a few times to arouse his hunting instincts. Wait for you cat to get into ‘hunting mode’ and just watch him pounce and kick it around 🙂 And of course it contains the much-loved catnip… I’m afraid Dirk is an addict and I’m his enabler…

The other Grumpy Cat toy we play with a lot is technically a door hanger. I say technically because Dirk much prefers playing with it on the floor or anywhere else rather than the door. It makes sense too, because it is quite big and really suited for interactive games or stretching&kicking it around – which Dirk loves 🙂

No mom, I don’t want to play with you. It’s all mine!

The door hanger looks like a cat and thus has also got four legs. Initially Dirk wasn’t so sure about all those dangling legs, but he soon discovered you can stretch and kick all at the same time. Another fun feature: when he gives the head some proper kicks it makes a squeaky sound too – which sent him flying the first time around.

While Dirk prefers dragging and kicking this toy around, you can absolutely hang this toy on the door knob. We only have door handles in the house and it’s therefore a bit difficult for Dirk to get the toy off the handle and play with it. However, if your doors have knobs then your can can easily grab hold of the toy’s legs and pounce them. With some effort they might be able to get them off the door knob. Just imagine the look on your cat’s face when they succeed!

Dirk is truly becoming one of Grumpy Cat’s fans and as they say “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”!

(work those ears&eyes a bit more Dirk)

Featuring: Jakks Pacific Grumpy Cat Plush Door Dangler and Jakks Pacific Grumpy Cat Catnip Sock, Smell This!