Catcraft: Cat Tree Product Review

I bought this for $40 at Walmart for Artie and some foster kittens to get some energy out on. I already have other cat trees but for $40, I thought I'd try it.

It was easy to set up. It took me about 20 minutes. I decided to put the cat tree right next to a wall to offer some extra support because I was nervous about it falling over. It does move when Artie (12 pounds) runs up and down but it has not fallen or even appeared like it was going to fall. It is pretty sturdy with that tension spring which holds it to the ceiling. The platforms are pretty small but they are sturdy and support about 20 pounds kitties (two fat kitties!) with no problems.

The carpet is attached to a cardboard post with glue and a few staples. The carpet was showing wear so I ripped it off and replaced it with sisal rope. It was a pretty painless process but it took me about an hour to get the rope on. You have to hold it very tightly and keep pushing it down to keep it together. (I want to repeat that...keep pushing the rope down to keep it together, otherwise you will have rope with spaces between it that won't be good for scratching on.) I used 1/4 inch sisal rope and used a staple gun to put it in place. I put about 5 staples on the bottom (and top) to hold the first few "rings" of rope in place then every 3 inches or so I put another staple. I only put the rope on the bottom post because it is used much more often than the other ones.

I also drilled a hole in the bottom platform and put a hanging toy there for some playtime.

SmartyKat Loco Laser vs. Laser Chase Product Review

This story can now be read here

Petstages Cheese Chase Product Review

I have some kittens and some older cats (11&12).  My 11 year old is really playful and she does like this toy but doesn't play with it too often.  I have found that kittens really like to play with the ball on the top.  Jack and Isabella (they are 3 years old) liked this toy when they lived here and preferred the outer ball to play with.  

This toy comes with different things on top.  Along with the mouse, they also have a butterfly and something completely different which is thin strips of plastic that looks similar to grass but is white.  I had one with that on top (I cannot find a picture of it) but I cut it off because my cats were chewing on it and biting pieces off of it and I worried about them swallowing them.  

Here is a link to this product on petsmart.com.

Cataction Swatical Toy Review

This toy is completely ignored at my house.  Nobody likes it.  The feather hangs down past the bottom and doesn't really work the way I thought it would.  I thought the feather would be shorter and when it was pushed over, it would be more enticing.  It is also not as easy to move as it looks.  My advice? Don't waste your money.

Here is a link to Petco to this toy.

BirdBoing Product Review

This toy is called the BirdBoing.

This toy is fairly sturdy but is able to be knocked over by really rambunctious kittens.  The spring is covered by cloth and poses no risk of injury.  The toy on the top is interchangeable if you buy more toys of the same brand (that say they are interchangeable-not all toys they sell will work). Under the toy is a little piece of plastic (below) and it snaps into place on top of the spring.

The chirping sound entices cats from all around-even from other rooms!  It sounds realistic and it is pretty loud.  For $10, I think it is a great toy.  I would buy it again...and Artie certainly likes it.   Although, one of our new kittens is scared of it but I think that is because she is still pretty shy and the toy can be loud.

Artie turned 1 yesterday!

Our sweet Artie turned one year old yesterday!  Here, is playing with one of his new toys!  This toy is the BirdBoing springy electronic sound toy made my the smartykat brand.

Peek and Play Toy Box Product Review

This is the Peek and Play Toy Box.  I initially bought this because I thought I could clean it but without being able to open it, it makes it very difficult to clean the inside.  With having so many cats and different cats (because I foster cats) it becomes necessary to be able to clean toys more than I would if I just had the same cats here all the time.  Also, the inside of the toy does not have a sealant on it.  I made a toy similar to this out of a cardboard mailing box and I put treats in it.  I cannot put treats in this because the oils from the treats are absorbed into the toy (only on the inside).  The outside is sealed and will not absorb the oil but I do not put treats on top.  The point of putting the treats inside the toy is that the cats have to work to get them.  It doesn't fold down, either.

Besides those drawbacks, I really like the toy (seriously!).  It is very sturdy as you can see Artie is standing on the toy in one of the pictures.  He is a heavy cat, weighing about 13 pounds (he is 11 months old!).  The toy doesn't bow or anything while he is standing on it.  I put enticing toys inside and watch them try to get them out.  At night, I put a lot of toys inside and by morning almost all of them-and sometimes all of them-are on the floor around the toy.
 

I think it is fairly expensive (about $18) because it doesn't do anything-nothing motorized, no sounds, etc.  I think it is worth it if you have bored kitties.  Even some older, playful cats of mine liked it.  

Here is a link to this toy on amazon.com

Pet Stages Dental Health Chews Product Review

I bought these for my newest cat, Artie, because he has been chewing on cords. He is still young, 7 months, so he tossed this around for about 5 minutes then lost interest. Until...I put it in catnip! He loved it and played with it for about 15 minutes that time. I also want him and my other cats to chew on these because they are supposed to help reduce tartar on their teeth due to their design.

Two of my adult cats also liked them-with catnip of course!

They feel very sturdy and ready to be chewed on by many kitties. They are also in fun colors with different type of materials.

I think I would buy these again simply because it is something that is meant to be chewed on and help their teeth. I don't think any cat would touch this without catnip though.

Make 2009 the year for animals!

Make this year the year for animals!  If you truly care about the welfare of animals, this is your year to prove it!  If you have only one hour or one day available, there is something you can do!  I recommend donating to smaller, local shelters.  The larger, more established shelters have many supporters while smaller organizations generally have only local residents supporting them.

Things you can do for a shelter:

Offer to help at adoptions, set up cages, take down cages and anything in between!

Return calls (to people who want to donate, people who want to relinquish their cat or dog, someone found an animal, or lost an animal, etc) or make calls to recent adopters to see how the animal is doing in their new home (you can do this at home!).

Volunteer to do laundry (at home or at the shelter if they have the facilities).

Foster an animal! Fostering an animal means that the animal lives with you and you help socialize that animal and learn more about their likes and dislikes and personality which makes for a very informed adoption when someone comes asking about that particular animal. Check with the shelter to see if the food, litter and vet costs are covered. Some shelters only offer paying for vet care, others, like the one I volunteer for pay for everything.

If you have extra money consider donating towards their medical care or food costs.  If you would rather buy items (instead of giving money) buy cat toys, dog beds, cat trees, chew toys for dogs, scratching posts, etc.  With so many animals, supplies can wear out fast!

Walk dogs for a local shelter or help socialize cats.  Animals in shelters benefit immensely from human contact.  Having a play session, being brushed or getting a pet behind the ears calms them and reduces their stress. (Which makes for happier cats and dogs on adoption day!)

Have computer skills?  Design a shelter's website, create invitations for upcoming events, design flyers to promote adopting an animal, etc.  The possibilities are endless!

Anything, really anything, you can give to or do for your local animal shelter will be appreciated. We always need an endless supply of air tight containers to hold dry food, newspapers, blankets, towels, pillows, toys, cat litter, treats, wet food, high quality dry food, flea medications (NOT over the counter meds-only Frontline, Advantage) laundry detergent, dryer sheets, hand soap, Purell, we use Swiffer Wet to clean the floors, plastic bags (for cleaning up after dogs), plastic baggies (ziploc-type bags of all sizes), trash bags, plastic measuring scoops for accurate amounts of food (not the glass cups), Clorox wipes, paper towels, latex gloves, cotton balls, q-tips, KMR-powder, kitten formula, KMR- powder, 2nd step, Royal Canine-small bite kitten formula.  These are things that we use daily and can always use.

Other things that we use that we don't necessarily need as often are collars, leashes, harnesses, food bowls, water bowls (stand alone and ones that attach to cages), cages, carriers, beds, scratching posts, cat trees/towers, brushes, cat window perches, anything that the cats can scratch on, not necessarily just scratching posts (cats have different preferences on scratching), night lights, rotating floor fans, space heaters, brooms, dustpans, trash cans, clip boards, pens, bird feeders, bird seed and anything else you can think of.

Whether you buy treats for $1.99 or a cat tree for $199.00, it will be appreciated! The more you donate, the more money shelters have to save more animals!
 

Click here to find your local shelter 

A little bit can go a long way when you help out a local animal shelter! Most of the people there are volunteers and are not paid anything. Some are a more commercialized and have very few volunteers with mostly paid workers. Those shelters have generally been around longer and have more supporters and get more donations.

And lastly, support the no-kill shelters! Why would you want your money to go to kill an animal?

What do you do for your local shelter?

Scrunch N Punch from Hartz product review

The Scrunch N Punch from Hartz is pretty much a waste of money.  This was destroyed after about 5 minutes.  It was very flimsy and has almost no support to hold it up.  Maybe if you put some books over the bottom, it might work.  The cats do like the hanging toys, even though they end up on the floor because the wires are so weak.  

Here is a link to the toy on amazon.com , even though I don't think you should buy it.

Tick Tock Teaser Product Review

This is the Tick Tock Teaser.  It is a good toy in theory and I thought the kitties would love it.  The pendulum does not move as freely as the cats would like-it requires a lot of force to move it.  I am not sure if that is because there is just a short space for it to move or if it is something with the screws holding it in place.  It seems to only move a few inches, then go right back to the middle.  It doesn't swing back and forth with normal use.  If I push it hard enough, it will go back and forth but only once.

Also, when two cats (and sometimes just one cat) are playing with it, the top stick thingy hits them in the face.  I think the cats noticed the mouse on the bottom because the tail hangs out of the toy a little.  If that gets bit off (which it will eventually), I don't think they would even notice the mouse.  Here is a link to this toy on amazon.com

Cat 'N' Mouse Cat Powered Cat Toy Product Review

I bought this for about $10 at Petsmart. Out of 4 adult cats, 2 like it and all of the kittens love it! There is something about the way the mouse moves that attract the cats. The fur is almost completely off the mouse because it has been played with so much. I have one cat who, over the course of a week or so, bit the tail off while he was trying to get the mouse out.

On top is some carpeting that I have only seen the cats scratch on once or twice. Although, it is good if a cat is confined to a cage because they do scratch on it. I don't think it is very deep, so they can't really get their claws into it, so they use it as a last resort.

Omega Paw Arch Groomer Product Review

This is a nice product in theory but I have never seen a cat use this for grooming themselves. I have seen them use the bottom to scratch on though. Some cats like to just lay on it. Personally, I would not buy it again. It just takes up space and is virtually ignored.

Loco!Motion Electronic Cat Toy Review

This toy is a definite favorite for the kittens, not so much for the adult cats. Although I do occasionally see my adults take a swipe at it. Unfortunately, this is easy to break. The top metal part that holds the plastic piece that flies around is sturdy but the plastic part broke off after about 3 hours or so of active play with some very hyper kittens. I was able to fix it by using superglue and inserting the plastic part into the hollow end of the metal part. It is still holding up fine. On the bottom, there are some fold out plastic supports to help prevent it from tipping over-which can definitely happen with overly excited kitties.

Here is a link for this on Amazon.com if you are interested in buying this. I bought this at Target for around $20.

Feline Enrichment: How to entertain your cats Part 1

Enrichment research has shown that toys that are removed and then returned after several weeks regain much of their novelty; extend your enrichment budget by rotating your cat's toys regularly.

Provide different toys, different days of the week.

• paper bags
• used pens with ink removed (just the outer part of the pen, remove everything inside and the lid)
  
• plastic milk caps
• film canisters (empty or put bells, pennies, rice, etc inside to make noise)
  
• ping pong balls (put them in the bathtub for enclosed fun!)
  
• treat balls (can use whiffle balls)
  
• flashing balls
• cork?
• tissue paper (supervised play!)
  
• tunnels
  
• paper towel rolls (rip the roll a little to give it more appeal)
  
• child's sock filled with catnip and sewn closed
• tie shoestrings to cage bars
• put pipe cleaners on cage bars, or twist around finger to make a spiral and put on the floor
• spools with thread removed
• any box, even one that seems too small for your cat. Cats are notorious for attempting to fit into small boxes
  

Put squirrel/bird feeders/bird baths outside each window.
Provide places in the sun to sleep.
Provide cat grass or other types of greens. Catnip, Thyme, Sage, Mint and Parsley are good alternatives.

Take your cats out for a walk (seriously)!
Click here to be directed to my website where I describe the process of teaching your cat to walk on a harness.

My top 10 favorite cat toys

I have cats of my own and I volunteer at an animal shelter. I see lots of toys that get no use and toys that actually have to be thrown away because they are used so much they no longer function.

It seems that certain types of cats like different toys. If I have noticed the type of cat that likes a toy, I will note that in the review. These toys are not necessarily the only ones available, there are many versions of each one of the toys below.

These are in no particular order. I was initially going to list them in order but how can I choose? They all have good qualities! (Pictures are linked to amazon.com, where you can price them or see the different varieties)


This kind of toy requires minimal effort on your part and most cats love it, even lazy cats will swat at it a time or two. Any kind of toy like this will do, it doesn't need to be fancy.



There are lots of different mice to play with. I have found that these kind are a favorite--by far! I am not sure what it is about these mice, the noise they make, their size, their hard bodies (as opposed to cotton mice). Cats love these! Many, many of these have been thrown away at the shelter because they are too damaged to play with anymore.



Very playful adult cats and kittens like this. I often throw a treat or two into the outer/bottom part which cats can easily get it out. If you put it in the top, they will never get it.



Random balls are always a good thing. Cats can play with them alone or with you. I have a long hallway and I just stand on one side, throwing all the balls, then go to the other side and throw them all back. My cat, Ashtyn, loves to run. Try to vary the types of balls you play with until you find the ones you cat likes the most. There are solid balls that bounce, open balls with things inside, noisy ones, quiet ones, ones that light up, lightweight, heavy balls, etc. The options are endless!



My cats absolutely LOVE the Fat Cat brand of toys and catnip. I have found that some brands my cats love and some they ignore. Explore the pet aisle to find the one your cat likes. I like this toy because I can take out the catnip and wash the little duck bag when it gets gross. There aren't many on the market that can be washed.



Tunnels! Many cats love tunnels. If you have more than one cat, make sure to get a tunnel that has holes throughout and not just the ends. Just in case they get in a fight, one of the cats can make a quick escape. Make sure it is sturdy. Cats generally don't like tunnels that collapse on them.



This toy seems to cater to the high energy cats and some kittens. For those who don't want to play with it, there is a nice scratcher in the middle. Try putting some catnip into the cardboard scratcher, they love it.




There are a few toys like this but I wish there were more. This caters to the hunter in your feline. Try throwing some treats inside among the balls and mice for a pleasant surprise. No cat can resist this. *Note: You can easily make one of these out of a shallow box. I made one out of the box that my keyboard came it. Cut out holes on the top and sides, your cats will love it.




This is great for kittens. Kittens have played with these much more than adult cats. It could be because of it's size. It is fairly small, maybe 8-10 inches wide. As I said before, there are other versions of this kind of toy.




This is a laser pointer. I bought one a "dollar store". It still works just fine. It also came with different filters for when you get bored of the same red circle. If you want a red mouse on the floor or walls, you probably have to buy one that is for cats. This is great, you can sit on the couch and watch tv while you play with your cat!

Are there toys that your cat loves that you don't see here?
Leave a comment or email me and tell me about it!