Overview
Cats can be pretty finicky about what they play with, and how long they play with it. If they don’t have enough stimulation throughout the day they may end up taking it out on your furniture, or trying to play with you and inadvertently scratching you. It’s good to get the excess energy from your cat out with toys and daily exercise with play time.
The Claim
The makers of the Cat’s Meow say that it will keep your cat engaged and keep them from scratching up the furniture or playing rough with each other. They say the rotating wand imitates a mouse that is scurrying underneath things, which immediately gets your cat’s attention and gets them to at least be curious about it. To keep them guessing it says that it’s designed to randomly change up speed and direction so that they don’t get bored with it.
As far as the durability of the toy, they say that the motor that runs it is designed to keep going even if it gets pounced on. The circular flaps are made out of nylon so your cat can claw and paw at it and it won’t shred it up as much as if it were made out of cloth. They point out that it’s battery operated, so you can place it anywhere your cat likes to hang out and you don’t have to worry about being tethered by a cord. They also state that both kittens as well as older cats will want to play with this.
The Hype
They have an infomercial that shows different cats using the device and batting at it. While these ads are
The Cost
They send you two Cat’s Meow units for $36 which would work for those that have multiple cats, but might be excessive for those with just one cat. It might be handy to have one as a backup in case the first one breaks down, has the batteries go dead, or otherwise goes out of commission. They also mention a mystery gift that’s included with your order, but we were unable to ascertain what that might be, making it a true mystery.
The Commitment
You’ll likely want to watch your cat use this and turn it off when they’re done so you don’t wear out the batteries so quickly. If this can help keep them from scratching and other unwanted behavior it would represent a better relationship with your cat.
Evaluation
The Cat’s Meow does a good job of getting inside your cat’s head and mimicking what they like to chase. For some cats and kittens it doesn’t take much to get and keep their attention, but others are more picky about what they’ll play with or get interested in.
They say the outer flaps are made or ripstop nylon which is the same sort of material that they use on hot air balloons to keep them airborne and hole-free. This is one indication that they are making this thing durable so that you don’t have to worry if your cat gets rough with it and uses their claws on it.
The Cat’s Meow is getting our Potential Try rating, as it will depend largely on what your cat likes to play with. If you know for a fact that your cat likes to jump and pounce on things that appear to be scurrying, like if you
move your hand under a blanket, or they have a mouse on a string or some other toy with a similar effect to this, then it would be a go. Most kittens would really enjoy this device, but we’re skeptical that older cats would use it for more than a minute or two.We’re pretty convinced that mechanically this cat toy will work, but it will depend entirely on how much your cat subscribes to it.
Our Recommendation
The cost of each unit breaks down to $18 each including delivery, which would mean that they have to work just as described with a motor that lasts a while. This is a pretty pricey cat toy, and if you’re willing to invest in it it had better withstand repeated use. After all, if you return it you’re only getting $20 of your $36 back and you’ll have to pay return shipping costs.
If you have problems with saving money and keeping track of your spending habits then…
When you are looking for space-saving multi-purpose shelving products, you may want to purchase the…
Today's innovative advanced technologies have created many conveniences. The ability to read on the go…
Experiencing the luxury of owning a wireless speaker is a favorite of many people. The…
Home decor is a very individual and personal choice. A new product like Chasing Paper…
Keeping track of events and goals may be difficult for some people. Purchasing a product…
View Comments
I found that the batteries wore out after 2 to 3 sessions. It would stop half way around until I gave it a push to get it going. It only went one direction which was forward but not backwards. My kitty loved the chase but would pounce on top of it and lay on it so it couldn't move. Good idea but just not good enough to purchase again.
My cats love it, but have torn it apart on many occasions. It is way overpriced for how shoddy it's made, and it eats batteries like candy. We tried rechargables, but they don't work at all. A set of batteries is good for one play session, at best. The machine works intermittently. It isn't too loud, but the complaints of our operatic tabby are when the machine quits, which it does often. Good idea, poor execution. Customer service is non existent.
As for this cat’s meow cat toy I have seen the infomercial on television and I was rather unimpressed. I personally have two cats and know that they would, if I bought this toy, play with it for all of two minutes and become uninterested and likely never give it a second glance again. The makers of this toy claim that it is so your cat(s) don’t get bored and also burn off some energy, well I will give them that it is a good concept but I can entertain, play with, and give my cats some exercise without spending nearly forty dollars. I could spend less than five dollars and make them a toy that will have me interacting with them as they interact with the toy and me. Granted, another thing that comes to mind when cat boredom is mentioned is that it has been my experience with my cats (more than just my current two) is that most of their day consists of sleeping, and I don’t think that any toy is really going to change that for any cat. Now all I know is that maybe this toy would be great for another cat, but for me it really would just be a waste of my money even to just try it.
My brother's cat is just about a year old, and she loves to play. When she's home with someone during the day, she'll pounce on them until they play with her. When she's home alone, she gets bored and either naps a lot, which isn't great for her health and activity levels, or she gets into things. She tips over her water bowl and scratches up my brother's chair. This toy seems like a great option for her, because she loves to pounce on things, and she could play with it while she's home alone. It seems like it would run out of battery quickly if you left it going during the day while no one is home, and that would be when I would imagine getting the most use out of it. I suppose you could change the batteries, or just use the next one once one of them is worn down.
My brother's cat especially loves to pounce on things that she can't see, like when you move your hand under a blanket. This toy seems like the kind of thing she would love.
I was watching television and seen the Cat’s Meow. I have 2 curious cats that love to slap things off tables, scratch my furniture and knock things over so they can play. I thought I have to get the Cat’s Meow. It really does work. The key is to put it on hard floors. Don’t try it on carpets. The game is large enough that both cats could play with it at the same time. One of my cats is five years old and played with it for almost an hour. That is major activity for that cat. This does work. It’s worth buying. You want use good batteries so it stays running for a long time.
I’ve seen the Cat’s Meow advertised on TV lately and I am now considering buying the product. My cat is just over two years old and is still fairly rambunctious in our railroad apartment. My cat loves chasing around the plastic balls with bells in them, but that can disturb neighbors at certain hours.
Cat’s Meow seems like a good idea and I’m sure it works, but I’m not positive my cat would play with it. She tends to be wary of anything with a motor (dust buster, etc.). Also, the price made me balk at picking up the phone. While some of the more elaborate climbing trees and so forth can run in the hundreds of dollars, most basic cat toys cost between $5 and $20. I’m still not convinced, so can anyone who bought the product vouch for its efficacy?
I can tell you that all cats just love this toy. My cat (and many others) like to pounce on it and lay on top of it so it can't move which causes the batteries to wear out fast. I was told it would turn forward and backwards which it did not. It only went forward. I would not buy it again. Hope that helps you.
Keeping your cat active,yes, that is a good idea, but this cat's meow toy... not so much. You mention
that your cat likes to play with the plastic balls with bells inside but that it could disturb your neighbors at certain hours, well from what I could tell from the video is that while it might not make a whole lot of noise this motorized toy still makes a bit of noise, especially the inner mouse-like toy scratching against the nylon. Personally it wouldn't take me very long to get annoyed by that scratching sound.