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

This quickly became Peaches’ favorite toy! It movements are random. Clockwise then counterclockwise. Fast then slow then stopping for a moment then starting again. If she stops playing with it for too long, it stops. I appreciate this feature, as it saves battery life.

My cats love this toy. They never seem to tire of it. The batteries last a long time too.

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.

I have a 9 month old cat that loves to play but I don't always have time. She doesn't like static toys, things that don't move, but likes chasing and hunting. She loves this toy. Press the button once and it runs for 15mins and she plays with it the whole time.Reason for 4 and not 5 stars: Batteries are in a compartment held in by a screw and takes 3 AA's. Rechargeable battery would have been a lot better and the plastic tray should have been held on my a clip or snap into place. Also, the wand holding the mouse will unwind itself as the cat plays with it. After a 15min session will be on the verge of falling off and sometimes will fall off before that.

As the title says, my cats LOVED this toy. Unfortunately there are many flaws in the product that ultimately has lead to its demise:1) The quality of the mat - the wire was very flimsy and the feather would often get stuff on it, making a horrible clicking sound. The fabric also ripped in spots, especially near the wire, about 2 weeks into ownership2) The sound - as mentioned in other reviews, the wand makes a horrible clicking sound when it gets stuck (either on the fabric or on the cats) which was something I was able to look over since my cats loved it so much3) The wand - FREQUENTLY falls off, to the point where I'd have to reattach it almost every time my cats wanted to play. Again, not a huge deal, could probably be fixed with super glue if needed4) Longevity - I'll preface this my saying that my cats love this toy. I probably turned it on no less than 5x a day for the first week. I first noticed the power on the "slow" setting going probably 3 weeks in. No problem, I thought, there are 2 settings. Well, tonight I go to turn it on (after giving it a few days off) annnnnd nothing. Tried the fast setting... nothing. You can (sort of) hear the motor trying to turn, I even tried without the wand on it thinking that maybe it was too heavy for it. Unfortunately its lifespan seems to have run out. Decent price but not if I have to replace it once a month. As much as my girls loved this toy, I am now on the hunt for a similar product with better design and (hopefully) a longer lifespan