Wand Toy Review / Safety

jcnassoc

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Hi all -

I want to treat our girls to a few new toys for Christmas and see some pretty cool-looking wand toys on Amazon. The problem I have with some of the ones that caught my eyes are the connectors (between the wire/string/rope/etc. and the "target" mouse/feathers/etc.) are made of metal. In fact, they look like those small metal "clips" I used as a kid to attach bobbers and lures when fishing. I'm thinking that potentially is a problem if it gets in their mouths or caught up in their teeth.

That led to looking for a cat site that reviews wand toys for--among other things--safety (the above issue, materials used, etc.) but I'm coming up blank.

Anyone here know of a site or have recommendations?

TIA!

________________
_____/ Regards,
____/ al
 

Kflowers

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If you like one with the metal clip, you could remove the clip and 'sew' the feather to the string. Or you could keep the wand in a closet when not playing with it, which is what we do. Of course, if she gets stuck in it there will be blood. (Okay, I hadn't thought of that before I just wrote it. Going to get the sewing kit. sigh.)
 

daftcat75

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My Krista loves the original Cat Dancer, the one that looks like cardboard rabbit poop on a wire. I have that propped for her and she'll jump and bat at it several times a day. She also loves the Charmer above but she grabs onto it and doesn't let go. Hence the Charmer play sessions don't last very long. I also can't leave the Charmer out for her because she will wrestle that loose and drag it around the house crying for me to play with her. Except she doesn't play well with it. But she's excited by it. So I pull it out of her toy box every now and then for as long as she'll play with it.

Honestly, I worry more about her getting a claw caught on a scratching post than I do about the wire in her mouth. The way I have it propped up, she bats at it more than she bites it. I don't leave anything with feathers out for her. That's where I worry (that she might ingest one and that her slow digestion wouldn't pass it properly.)
 

maggie101

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This is my cats favorite and the safest toy I have because it's leather. It does not get tangled no matter how much you shake it. I have had it a year

 

lutece

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With the cat charmer pictured above (the long rainbow colored piece of fleece), I always make sure to put it away after playing with the cats, ever since a few years ago when I found one of the cats in the process of eating the whole thing... she had swallowed about 1/3 of the length of the piece of fleece. No string-like thing is really safe around cats.
 

daftcat75

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This is my cats favorite and the safest toy I have because it's leather. It does not get tangled no matter how much you shake it. I have had it a year

Funny! That’s the one I just bought for Krista today. There was a kitten on a leash in the pet supply store. As I was talking with the kitten’s guardian, he wandered over to the bin of wand toys. Of all the choices, this is the one he kept coming back to.

Kitten tested. Krista approved!
 
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