by Chase Townsend
The New Year arrived with new toys for the Townsend Cats! We enjoy our gifts so much that we want to tell our feline and human friends about them so you can enjoy them, too! Following is my review of three new experiences and two long-time favorites. This is a genuine Townsend Cat review – neither we nor our humans were asked by any company or offered any compensation for any review.
Grass Patch Hunting Box by Petstages
Cost: $16 to $22 each
Townsend Cat Rating: TEN !!!
One of our very favorite new toys is the Grass Patch Hunting Box by Petstages. You can purchase it online, but Dad found ours at the local Feeder’s Supply pet store. This box has a layer of fake grass on top and openings cut out of the top and sides. Three small jingle balls lurk inside, the purrfect prey to hunt, swat, pounce on, pursue, and retrieve! The box is sturdy enough for cats to stand, walk, or lie on, and it encourages high-energy play, as Sierra and Josie demonstrate in the video. Mom and Dad recommend the Grass Patch Hunting Box for supervised play time for two reasons: bringing it out a couple of times a week keeps the challenge fresh and new; and we cats will, sooner or later, hook our claws into those jingle balls and retrieve them from the box, chase them across the floor, and bat them under the furniture. While other small toys will fit into the box, there’s just something about those jingle balls that brings out the kitten in us all. Supervising our play allows our humans to catch them and toss them back into the box for continued play!
SmartyKat Catnip Caves
Cost: $3 to $7 per package of 2
Townsend Cat Rating: Five
What could be better for feline play than paper bags? How about catnip-infused paper bags? Toss one on the floor and watch your cat dive in for a great time! These are available at online retailers and at some local pet supply stores. The average rating is based on practicality, because Mom and Dad really didn’t notice much difference in our excitement over these paper bags vs. the paper bags they give us after a trip to the grocery. We jump into the bag, especially if a human tosses a toy into it for us to pursue; we roll around inside, wallow and crush it from the outside, tear holes in the bottom through which to espy and swat siblings and humans and toys. Bags are great for ambush. And naps. And many other uses that we may discuss in a future klog. But after less than half an hour at the mercy of the Townsend Cats, the first SmartyKat Catnip Cave lay crushed, torn, and wadded on the living room floor. I think a trip to the grocery is in order!
Cat’s Meow
Cost: Less than $20 each
Townsend Cat Rating: TEN !!!
I must confess – this toy is not new to us! Our human grandparents gave us our Cat’s Meow two years ago for Christmas, and the only reason it has survived this long is because Mom and Dad bring it out once a week for a couple of hours of supervised playtime. I had to include it in our review, because it is one of our Favorite Toys Ever! This toy has held up under a *lot* of exuberant play by felines ranging in age from kittens to 18-pound cats! And that’s saying a lot, when you consider that there are eleven – and for a while, there were twelve – of us Townsend Cats enjoying playtime with *one* Cat’s Meow! You will see in our video that the hem has a small tear on one side from being clawed repeatedly. Not bad for a two-year-old toy that has endured countless hours of boisterous attention. It’s great fun that never loses its appeal. I would like to add that this video was recorded on December 13, 2017. Just twelve days before Melody crossed the Bridge, she joined her siblings for an hour of Cat’s Meow fun! The Cat’s Meow is available through a wide variety of online retailers.
Tea Zing 100% Catnip Filled Toy by Petlinks
Cost: Less than $3 for a card of three bags
Townsend Cat Rating: WOW !!!
CATNIP !!! Ahem. Pardon me. What was I saying? Oh, yes – THESE !!! Mom and Dad like them because they are adorable little tea bags filled with organic catnip – catnip grown and processed with no pesticides or chemicals. We like them because they’re filled with CATNIP !!! While they might appear fragile, six Tea Zing bags have endured a week of ecstatic Townsend Cat play that includes swatting and pouncing, hind-paw kicking, front-claw gripping, face-rubbing, and, from certain of my siblings, a fair amount of drool. All six are still intact and ready for the next round of play. Tea Zing catnip bags are available through online retailers and at some pet supply stores. Mom and Dad found ours at the local TSC store.
Jingle Balls!
Cost: Less than $1 each
Townsend Cat Rating: Fun!
While also not a brand new toy, plastic lattice balls with bells inside are a Townsend Cat favorite. We enjoy playing with them alone or in teams of two or more, swatting and rolling them from room to room, racing them down the hall, or corralling them in a shallow cardboard box and enjoying the noise of batting them from corner to corner. Jingle Balls are a popular toy and can be found in most any pet supply store.
While my siblings and I have vast experience with a wide array of cat toys and furnishings, I wanted to share these five in particular with our friends. Purrhaps I’ll share more of our experiences in a future klog. In the meantime, take time to play and enjoy new experiences in *your* Extra-Ordinary World!
Original Post January 5, 2018