Big Hits and Big Bombs

As we close this year out, I would like to share some of the products we have used that have been great successes and some that bombed. I only review products that we have used, and I do not receive any compensation in kind or money for my recommendations. Click on the pictures or the links embedded in this article to view them for purchase. I did not link the Bombs.

One of our latest rescues is a very fast eater. Bunny would eat all of her food and then stick her head in her sister’s bowls and finish them off too. I looked for a slow feeder bowl but most of them had design flaws that I could see just from the picture. I settled on a ceramic bowl will a wide mouth and a shallow dish mounted on an attached pedestal at a tilt. It works really well at slowing her down. The bowl looks deeper than it is, and the shallow dish is perfect. This one came from Amazon and cost $20.00

For stuffed mice, SmartyKat mice win paws down in our house. They are just the right size; they have no plastic parts, and it takes a while for the seems to tare. If you have a chewer, you might have to cut off the tails. You can find these at some grocery stores or on Amazon. I usually order the 10-pack. Target sells holiday-themed ones and they are great too.

For cats that like to chew we love Petstages Fresh Breath Mint. The outer mesh acts like floss for your cat’s teeth and the toy itself is durable and packed with cat nip. I have only found these at Petco and on Amazon. They are a little pricey for what they are, but they last a long time, so I think they are worth it.

If you are looking for a good catnip toy Cosmic Fish wins the prize here. They are full of very finely chopped catnip. Our cat nip fiends have torn them up. And that is the downside. Once they are torn open it can be very messy, and the fish are not worth trying to repair. Chewy has them for sale for $4.95. They are also available on Amazon and Publix.

The best interactive toy is the Petstages Tower of Tracks Every cat we have had since we got it has enjoyed playing with it. Cats will play alone or with a friend. It has not become boring yet. The only downside is the sound. We used to put it away at bedtime. It no longer registers as something I need to worry about, so we leave it out. We got ours at Petsmart, but I think you can get them at most pet supply stores and of course Amazon. When we got ours it was $9.99. Thats a great price for a toy that gets used as much as this one does.

For wand toys, I recommend the long fabric wands over the short wiry wands with feather teasers on the end. Feathers are fine if you are paying attention very well, but feathers can become a choking hazard. We got this three-piece set from Amazon, and I cut the feather off and I also tied a mouse to the end of the rainbow ribbon. These toys are much better and safer to use than your hands, and you can start using them with any age cat.

The bombs

Flippy fish bombed in our house until the battery ran out. Once the fish was dead, it became a kicker toy. I filled it with catnip and our Buddy likes it now. For the price, it is not worth buying a toy that moves and makes noise if your cat won’t use it until it’s dead. We vote to go straight for the kicker toy. In the interest of full disclosure, our friend got one for her cats and they liked it for a little while. But like most things it was a flash in the pan.

Cheap lazar toys are also a bomb. I bought one at the grocery store and it didn’t work. The beam was so faint you couldn’t see it. If you want to invest in a lazar toy don’t cheap out. There are many brands and styles. Just don't get the grocery store one.

The last bomb is the windmill toy. The base is a suction cup so you can anchor it to the floor, or it is supposed to stick to a wall. It didn’t stick for long at our house and the cats did not seem very interested in the toy at all. The one we got comes with hard catnip balls, a flashing light, and may have also come with a bell. Don’t waste your money. Pictures do lie sometimes. I'm not sure how much we paid for this but it is not worth the money at any price.