The Good: Durable, Gollum loves it, Comparatively inexpensive
The Bad: None that I can find!
The Basics: Gollum completely came out of his shell to play with the Hartz Angry Birds Wand Cat Toy, making me very happy!
Recently, I reviewed the Hartz Quackers dog toy (reviewed here!) and that review drew the attention of the fine folks at the Hartz Company. When they contacted me about sending products to me for review, I mentioned that I had a cat, Gollum, who also helps with the product testing. I challenged them to send a cat toy along that would actually get Gollum out. I was excited about all of the dog products Hartz sent for Myah to review, but the standout was for Gollum. Far and away, the new Hartz Angry Birds Wand Cat Toy is the best new cat toy Gollum and I have found!
For those who do not follow my many reviews, two months ago, my wife and I got a Siberian Husky named Myah. Myah is four years old now and about five times the size of Gollum. Before Myah's arrival, Gollum had run of the house and was occasionally a jerk. But, he was playful and he had a lot of fun playing with the cat laser I have for him (reviewed here!). But even the cat laser could not draw Gollum out, probably because he started looking at the source (in my hand) as opposed to the laser dots projected wherever I aimed the toy. Gollum has spent the past two months in fear of Myah, hiding constantly and even losing a little weight because he has been afraid to come out at times to eat.
All that ended on Saturday when the box arrived from Hartz. Inside the box, amid many toys for Myah, was a Hartz Angry Birds Wand Cat Toy. The Wand Cat Toy is a 19" long flexible plastic wand attached to a 36" elastic cord. The wand comes with two plush Angry Birds toys. The Angry Birds are 2" in diameter and feature the red Angry Bird and a green mean pig. The red toy has a 3" feather cluster and the green pig has a 2" feather. Traditionally, Gollum has not responded to the toys with feathers. In fact, he loathed the Kong Crinkle Ball (reviewed here!). Attached to the plush and feathers is a little plastic rattle. At the top of each plush ball is a tiny nylon loop. The nylon loop attaches to a hook on the elastic cord. The hook is a plastic snap hook, that resembles a safety pin.
Playing with the toy is exceptionally easy. Simply attach one of the two stuffed balls to the hook and hold the wand. Holding the plastic wand at the bottom and letting the ball drop, the cat eagerly begins to follow the ball with his eyes. Gollum watched the ball and began to bat at it within three minutes. Three minutes of agitating the ball by wiggling the wand and the prior two months of fear just dissipated. Gollum started by playing with the ball like he was playing tetherball. I spent an hour "fishing" for Gollum.
Shaking the wand worked wonderfully to keep Gollum's interest because the rattle would rattle and shake, so he was inclined to follow the plush toys based on the sound, even when it was out of sight. Gollum has bene playing fairly aggressively with the toy and the elastic has held up fine with no wear after hours of play. Moreover, the plush balls are washable and look good. Both plush balls feature Velcro that leads to a compartment that may be filled with catnip. What impressed me most about the Hartz Angry Birds Wand Cat Toy was that the plush elements did not come with catnip in them initially. That Gollum was so active and eager to play with the toy based on the sound, the bright colors and the movement instead of any chemical reaction, was a huge benefit.
Usually, trendy toys do not impress me; Hartz licensing the Angry Birds for cat toys did not inherently impress me. What did wow me was that the Hartz Angry Birds Wand Cat Toy brought out my scared cat and got him playing . . . right in front of Myah! The Hartz Wand Cat Toy is made of new polyester fibers and the plastic wand is easy to clean, as well.
Anyone looking for a great cat toy that has versatility, durability, and is easy to clean, the Hartz Angry Birds Wand Cat toy lives up. This is a perfect toy; it is inexpensive, engages my cat and is just fun!
For other cat toy reviews, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
SpotNips Crazy Cluster Ball
Fatty Frog
Mews Ments Krinkle Mouse
10/10
For other pet product reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
| | |
No comments:
Post a Comment