SmartyKat Electronic Motion/Moving Toys for Cats & Kittens, Battery Powered, Mimics Motion of Real Prey, Fun & Interactive Play – Multiple Styles

Best Kitty Entertainment (next to me )
This is one of my girls’ favorite toys! They loved the first so much that I got a second one! They will sit and stare at the mat until I push the magic button and then roll around on it, under it, pounce on it or simply watch and stalk it. (Sure beats waving a toy around as they just watch.) The video sounds loud, but actually, the sound level isn’t bad at all. My kitties love these toys, and they provide up to a half hour at a time of entertainment, which isn’t bad for cats!

Great Idea, Bad Execution
One of the reasons most of us purchase electric toys is to have entertainment for our cats without having to be 100% involved (while still monitoring, of course). This idea was great for this toy, but the execution was poor – because the human has to straighten out the toy every minute (or more often) for it to work properly.Some reviewers don’t understand how this is supposed to work… so let’s clear that up first. This furry/feather/ribbony end isn’t supposed to peak out from the fabric like other similar toys. Instead, it helps cats with their hunting instinct. It is jointed to stay under the fabric. The hoop within the fabric hem then keeps the circle somewhat taut to make it arch in a few places, so the cat can see the movement above the fabric and gets a peek every so often of a mouse-like shape when viewing it from the side. This concept was right on the mark. I love this concept about the toy… if it only worked with the materials used.Here is where it goes wrong: 1) Fabric is too light. 2) Wire/filament hoop within hem is not attached properly to form a full circle or becomes detached with very little play.The shaping provided by the hoop/wire/filament is essential to keeping the mat flat to the floor but raised at a few places for the cat to “peek” at the mouse. When the frame becomes detached, the “mouse wand” continues to become caught on the place where the circle hoop is not connected – making the fabric twist and twist so that the point is lost and the motor unit is often turned upside down due to the tangle or the cat trying to play with it. I have now had two of these toys (initial order and the replacement order because I thought the first was broken as a fluke). You will see in my third picture where there is about a 1-inch gap where the filament has become detached so that there is no longer a full circle. Even a gap this small causes the problem. I have tried and tried to rethread the “wire” to reconnect it, but the hem is so full of thread or the “wire” is at a seam that it will not reconnect and eventually rips through the fabric if you keep trying.So…. I ordered a replacement. The second arrived with the hoop already disconnected upon arrival. The first and second picture within my review are within one minute of opening the new box. I’m returning both units for a refund. (If I were not already too busy, I would be seriously tempted to just keep one of the motor /machines and make a “fabric and hoop cover” of my own…. because the manufacturers did get so much right on this.)If the too-light fabric and frame/hoop for the mat were not issues, my cats would love this toy. They DO love it for the seconds that it works properly before I have to reset it and reset it. The “mouse,” the random motion, the lights, being able to peek at the animal… all of these are often missing from other similar toys, so again, these parts were wonderful.But, I do not want to reset this toy every 20-60 seconds to make it work properly. I would recommend not buying this – as the manufacturers need to resolve the design issues.

Older models seemed more versitile.
I had an older model of this a long time ago [not sure from the same company though] and thought I’d get another one since it broke after a few play sessions but my cat LOVED it. Unfortunately, while I think this one is an improvement in many ways, it also is worse in others.The fabric top is too long now and bunches up easily, making the toy get stuck and unable to work without being reset. It also makes it so the feather top does not poke out and for some cats that can be less enticing for them [though for others like my roommate’s cat, it was more enticing so results may vary].This isn’t really a negative, but it’s something to keep in mind:It stops moving for a while to, what I think, check to see if the cat is still there? I would rather it just keep going like the older model since I’m there and can turn it off when the cat is done since the stops are often and so long one of the cats will just wait to grab it and break off the feather tip then. So I end up having to reset it every time it does this.The feather tip being easy to remove is honestly a good thing, though. The older model had his plastic tube thing and when my cat got a good grip on it, it broke in half compared to this one that just comes undone and you can reattach it when they drop it.This model is also not very strong and one gentle grab will cause it to stay in place and make this awful noise compared to my last one that had enough strength to pull away and stop if not [or at least it didn’t make noticeable noise]. It also tops over easily since my roommate’s cat likes to jump over/on it to grab the feather tip so I feel like I’m resetting this thing more than he is playing with it.Overall, I wouldn’t say it’s a bad toy. Despite not being as good as the previous model I had, the cats loved it all the same and if you’re fine resetting it often while they play I’m sure they’ll have a blast with it.

Katten älskar den. Men den låter väldigt mycket och kvaliteten är inte speciellt bra. Den håller så länge den håller helt enkelt. Men katten är underhållen i timmar och jamar bär jag stänger av. Tre AAA batterier krävs och önskar att den hade kunde laddats upp istället.

Both cats love it. I’m not sure it will last very long, it doesn’t look very sturdy. My boy doesn’t usually like toys but he won’t leave this one alone. My girl chases him off if she thinks he’s getting too close. Fun to watch them interact and chase each other and the toy around.