Customer Reviews

Da Bird Cat Toy - Easy Store - 2 Part Pole

5 star:		(193)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

We first purchased a "Da Bird" cat toy, based on its mention on the ASPCA website. Our cats loved the toy from the start: enough so that we purchased a second one along with some feather refills. The cats get a ton of enjoyment and exercise with these, and having two toys allowed us to play with both cats at once.

Unfortunately, during one session, a few weeks after buying them, my wife felt a burning/stinging on her hand where she was holding the wand. Upon closer inspection it was apparent that the wand, made of fiberglass, was damaged, and splintering at the "handle" end, leaving dozens of shards of fiberglass in the palm of her hand and fingertips. The shards are painful and tiny. Removal was only possible with tweezers and a flashlight; even then only a few of the largest shards could be pulled from her hand. She had to let the rest of them "work their way out" over the next few days.

Needless to say, we were alarmed by the hazard Da Bird was causing, not only to us but more seriously to our cats. -Our boy cat is especially fond of playing with and chewing on the wand end of the `fishing pole' type cat toys. Had he gotten a paw or his mouth on the splintering fiberglass wand, he likely would have been in real pain and/or danger.

Doing a simple Google search of "Da Bird fiberglass splinters" we came across several product review sites and online cat forums where people had suffered from the fiberglass splinters, however these warnings were not known to us when buying the item online for the first time.

Given that Da Bird's manufacturer, Go Cat, prides itself on "Quality interactive cat toys handcrafted in the USA", we contacted them in early 2009, hoping that they might issue a warning to resellers of the toy, post a warning in the toy's packaging and change to a more safe and durable material to prevent serious injuries to cats.
In spite of the skin injury mentioned, they never responded to us.

There are certainly other materials that could serve as the wand, without the fiberglass splinters included! The fact that GoCat hasn't improved the safety of the product after several years of this issue being known speaks poorly of the company and its leadership.

We still use the product (two of them, actually), but had to tape the ends with electrical tape in an effort to "seal off" the fiberglass shards that are exposed at the tip of every wand, (exposed even when the wand is not damaged). The manufacturer does put small rubber caps on the wand ends, but they aren't very secure and both of them fell off of the ends after a short while. We're also now careful to keep the toys stowed away from the cats when not in use (BTW this also keeps toys interesting for cats: if they know a toy "lives" in a place they cannot normally access, they're a lot more excited when it comes out to play!)

One other tip for users: Our cats destroyed the feather ends pretty quickly so we've ordered a lot of refills - then a family member put an end to those purchases by making some cool, sturdy attachments out of scrap leather and fur from a fabric shop: we call them the "bat" and the "mouse", and we haven't had to order refills in a year!!

Before introducing them to Da Bird, my two indoor cats were none too impressed with any of the myriad of cat toys I had purchased for them. In fact, they were much more enthralled by a plain old drawstring that I had removed from a pair of sweatpants than by any of the various mice, balls, or wand toys that I futilely dangled in front of them. Da Bird, however, has them in an absolute frenzy, so much so that they know it by name. If I even motion toward the living room, where we typically engage in our Da Bird sessions, the cats will come darting in immediately in eager anticipation. I don't know if it's the the colorful feathers, or the spiral flying motion, but something about Da Bird drives my cats wild. I never before had heard my cats growl or hiss, until the first time they each proudly captured the bird in their jaws. They will chase, chew, and bat at the thing until exhaustion, and not boredom, brings and end to the play time. Many thanks to the inventor of this toy, for it has allowed me to throw out my cluttered congeries of useless mice and balls, although I'm still hanging on to the sweatpants drawstring.

A note of caution...If you want each bird to last as long as possible, it's a good idea to stash the toy away after use. Otherwise, you may return to find a shabby, featherless, and rather un-aerodynamic object. Even with proper storage, I still replace the bird about once every 3 weeks or so due to wear. Also, I found that the string needs to be replaced every so often as well. Rather than purchase an entire new wand, I simply bought a spool of elastic stretchrite thread and replace it myself.

This is ESSENTIAL for truly enjoying your cat(s) and having them truly enjoying themselves...it's a cat toy that they'll actually USE, not one that just looks good in the store and then collects dust as soon as you get it home.

I discovered it on the cats dot about dot com forum, and it's totally lived up to all the raves it got there. (BTW, that forum is an excellent resource for cat info in general, especially cat food information.)

The key with using DaBird is to occasionally let your cat capture the feather prey so it won't get frustrated and stop responding altogether.

Also it's good to make the cat STALK the DaBird...put the feathers behind something and just make noise with it, soon your cat will approach it on tiptoe, crouch, and spring. It's a beautiful sight to watch all the predatory instincts come out in your otherwise normally subdued domesticated kitty.

Using this toy say 15 minutes a day with your cat will provide it with plenty of exercise, mental as well as physical, and this in turn will keep your cat happier and less likely to vent its energy on your plants, rug, etc. It can also provide YOU with some exercise, too! Sure beats watching TV all the time...

I'd give this TEN stars if I could!

mousie loves birdies! she likes to watch them at the feeder. oh, she'll chase balls and pounce on fuzzy rodent toys, but birds are where it's at!

i can't really add anything to all the other glowing reviews of this product. just look at the customer photos of the cats playing; how can you resist?

but, i want to add a note about the size of this toy. if you have a small apartment, or crowded furniture, you may want to get the 3-sectional rod and use only one or two pieces, instead of the original 1-piece rod, which is 3 feet long. and/or roll up the string (which is also nearly 3 feet long). otherwise, you may not have room to use it.

although you can dangle it like most teasers, the true beauty of it is when you make it 'fly.' you'll need about 12 feet to swing it in an arc. i use mine by standing on the second step up, and swinging it between two opposing doorways. making it fly in a circle is difficult, because the rod and sting are so long. again, you can use the shorter sectional rod, or roll up the string a bit.

lastly, don't settle for cheap imitations. it's not just a bunch of feathers on a string. there's a swivel-attachment, and two wing feathers positioned in such a way as to make it spin as it flies. a regular soft-feather cluster may flutter, but the spinning motion is closer to looking and sounding like a bird flapping.
if you don't have wing feathers to use for repairs to this toy, you may want to splurge on a couple replacements, or the two-in-one deal where you get the toy and 2 replacement birds for 12 dollars. again, slapping some feathers on a string doesn't give you the same results as this carefully designed and constructed "lure."

I recently got my cat Boris this toy. He loves to chase and tackle the feathers and really gets a good work out when we play with it. Overall it is a great toy for cats, with one drawback however. The rod is made with fiberglass and Boris chewed on the end of the rod. When I picked it up my hand received lots of tiny fiberglass splinters which are very painful and impossible to see to get out. Once the pole was wrapped in duct tape it worked great. So a good product, but keep the pole part away from your cat, and your hand.

We've had Da Bird for several weeks. Initially, we stored it on top of the refrigerator where we thought it would be safe from cats. It's new storage spot is in a closet with a door we can close and securely latch. We usually find Gabby by the door with both front paws searching underneath for Da Bird. Our 25 pounder, whose trips to his food bowl and litter box usually constitute his exercise, gets all four paws in the air when he leaps to capture Da Bird. Great gift for friends and families with cats; don't forget extra feather refills!

This toy looks very simple, but the way the feathers are arranged allows the "bird" to twirl in the air in a way that really drives my cats crazy - they just want to try to grab it out of the air. When it lands they run over to try to get it. It's great exercise for them, and for me. I've used replacement feather "birds" that aren't the real deal, and somehow they just don't spin right in the air. The real deal is cheap enough, just go for it! You won't be disappointed.

We've been using toys like this for a couple of years now - they're all wonderful, and Da Bird is no exception. Just like you can see in the customer pictures, cats will leap, flip, charge, sneak, ambush and kill the feathers on the featherstick with total abandon. And it IS total, so be careful where you play with it - your cats won't be beyond leaping into the air and coming down hard on something that'll hurt them.

For indoor cats especially, this toy is truly invaluable. Exercise and hunting are great for stress relief and health for kitties, and Da Bird is a wonderful way to give them both - by the time our kitty's chased this thing down for a few minutes, she's gasping for breath and well exercised. It's not just a toy, it's a healthy work-out for your indoor kitty!

When you buy it, though, make sure to pick up some spare feathers - after the feathers have endured too much abuse, they just won't fly and flutter the way they did new, and although our cat still likes them they don't excite and captivate her the way fresh feathers will. New feathers transform it into a whole new toy, though.

Highly recommended for anyone who likes to play with their cat; and doubly, for anyone who wants to give their indoor cats a good run-around and some great exercise.

I bought one of these at a cat show about 6 years ago and have never regretted it. This thing absolutely memerizes my kitties and.... ***This is an update, I bought a replacement set of feathers and within a week my cats had torn them out of the holder. I guess the quality went down. ***

The reviews I read on this toy in Cat Fancy was right on. My cat cries for this toy every night when I get home from work. She knows where it is kept and runs right to it. I have had her for 9 years and she has never been one to play with toys until Da Bird!