Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsCats LOVE it; good for a variety of play styles
Reviewed in the United States on May 25, 2019
It's an absolute crime that I took so long to review this product, because it is AMAZING.
To be honest, I mildly hate these "fishing poles," as we call them, because my cats love them so much. Gone are the days of sitting on my phone scrolling endlessly, replaced with my cat meowing at me to get the toy out. I actually have to keep them sealed away inside of the China cabinet beyond their reach, because they'll drag them out of any other spot I try to hide them (spots they shouldn't even know about) to drop the pole at my feet. Even in the China cabinet, my cats paws at the glass and stare into it with their pitifully sad meows until I take them out.
And when I take them out, oh boy, the real fun begins. My 10 month old cat is the laziest boy ever, but he'll chase and run and jump and crawl like no tomorrow after one of these toys. The 6th month old is just ad fascinated. She's normally shy and skidish, but once we bring the pole out, she bulldozes across the room after it without a care in the world. It's wonderful seeing one little toy make them so bold and active.
What initially drew me to this product was that it's actually more than one toy, and for a superb price. I tried buying the replacement toys in other ways to see if it was cheaper, but it's honestly better to just buy another one of these, that way you have replacement toys *and* poles for a much better price than getting the toys alone.
That being said, not a single toy has broken except for one lone carrot-looking worm that was hung under the table for the cats to get independent play, which only broke at the string. Despite all the love and terror these cats show to the toys, they've held up amazingly well. They get five stars just for durability alone.
I'm also thouroughly impressed with the variety of the toys. The worms slither. The feathers glide through the air. The fuzzy thing isn't that much different than the worms, but when my cats catch it, they like to pin it down and lick it for some reason (?) which I guess is good. On top of that, the older cat likes something that will hold still so he can ambush and pounce on it, while the younger cat likes something fast she can chase. This toy meets both their needs and then some. It's hard to believe that something as stupid and simple as a worm on a string could be so versatile, but it is.
Overall, it's worth every penny. I actually already bought a second one earlier this month when I got my second cat, just in case my older cat didn't want to share (which he doesn't, but they're learning to take turns and work together on hunting the worms). It's been at least a few months and the toys have held up great, which is impeccable considering my older cat likes to chew through any string he gets his paws on. I'm sure they will eventually break, at which time I will not hesitate to re-order this again.
100/10 will recommend to anyone willing to listen to me brag about a feather on a stick.