New Toy Friday #4 - Cat Crazies
Watch this week’s New Toy Friday video here and check out the toys themselves here.
This week’s New Toy Friday took place on a Sunday, because time is an illusion and we’re rebels in this house.
Out of the four weeks we’ve done so far, our first Friday—in which we reviewed Cat Dancers—was the biggest winner. The Cat Dancers are almost outrageously simple, and yet they’re still the most fantastic cat toy I’ve ever tried.
Inspired by that success, I wanted to try something simple again. I chose “Cat Crazies Bracelets,” which currently have 4.3 stars on Amazon (out of over 3,000 ratings) and had a plethora of glowing reviews. And—given that they are currently retailing at $2.93 for a pack of four—it was an extremely low-stakes purchase.
In theory, I love the idea. The Cat Crazies seem like a less dangerous version of a hair tie (Dave’s forbidden fruit), though the manufacturers still recommend supervision during use.
The toys are straightforward with virtually no set up required, given that they are just wavy little loops of plastic that feel oddly similar to the bands below a water bottle’s cap.
After scouring the package for instructions (there were none), I took one Cat Crazy out of the package and flung it. No response. I tried a few more times with little success (though there was some mild interest), which prompted me to wonder if I was, in fact, even using them correctly.
According to online descriptions, you can “slide them, flip them, roll them, bite them, and carry them.” They are “designed to spark the imagination of your naturally curious kitty.” I don’t think they so much sparked the natural imagination as elicited half-hearted amusement. I kept at it, though, and both Dave and Gandalf—to their credit—ended up playing with them for a bit.
Dave seemed to like them the most (which is admittedly saying something), Gandalf found them most entertaining when they were out of her reach (she pushed them all under the laundry room door), and Natilla, for her part, couldn't care less.
As we tried different methods of sliding, flipping, and spinning, both Dave and Gandalf proved to be intermittently interested, though the Crazies didn’t seem to hold their attention for more than a few moments at a time—if that.
Personally, I prefer cat toys that have entertainment longevity rather than just novelty. I want my cats’ enrichment and playtime to keep them actively engaged rather than sporadically intrigued.
Am I writing these toys off entirely? No. I think, for the right cat and under the right circumstances, the Cat Crazies could be a really fun toy. We’ll keep trying them, but I don’t anticipate that they’ll become the first thing we reach for in the toy box.
It is worth noting that these things are the perfect size for sliding under doors, shoe racks and other elevated pieces of furniture. If getting down on your hands and knees frequently is uncomfortable or not possible for you, I would recommend looking for something else.