# Cat Doesn't Like Da Bird...Now What?



## ericthegreat (Oct 10, 2012)

Hi all,

My two year old kitty is close to being at a healthy weight (just barely overweight) but I'd like for her to be in the lower range of healthy weight, not the higher range because of her small stature. She has already lost a lot of weight after switching her over to organic wet food (By Nature brand). 

I bought her Da Bird a few days ago hoping that she would jump around like crazy in all those videos I see so that she could lose the extra weight but she has no interest in it. She's actually afraid of it. She'll swat at it very casually a few times and then run under the bed. I think she became afraid of anything flying after we had a slight fly infestation two months ago. I tried to make it a ground chasing game but she doesn't seem to like that either. When she was a baby she LOVED the peacock feather (I will try to order more of those) and right now the only thing that gets her going is the laser pointer. When she hears the chain dangling she immediately looks at me and then down at the ground to catch her immortal red bug!

Nevertheless, the laser pointer does get boring for her and for me and I want to have another toy to play with that keeps us both entertained. Any ideas?


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## Ritzpg (Dec 7, 2010)

Your cat sounds like my cat, including being almost overweight. So exercise is what I'm focusing on (I feed raw).
In addition to DaBird, the same company makes DaMouse, DaButterfly and DaBug. Same idea: bird/mouse/butterfly at the end of a (invisible to the cat) wire attached to a wand. Ritz likes DaMouse, got a little bored of it, so I brought out DaBug, and I think Ritz prefers DaBug. The Bug is on a shorter wire than DaMouse. Also try any kind of feather (the kind you buy at a craft store like Michaels) tied to a shoe string.
With all of these hunt-and-pounce type of toys, drag along the floor, under something like a rug or plastic bag. Vary direction, item on floor. 
I recently bought DaBird and will see if Ritz likes it now; before she liked it but then she--like your kitty--got scared of it. 
Ritz really only likes this type of toy, unfortunately. Also and what I keep on forgetting is: play with one toy for a week or two, then put it away and bring out a different toy. Variety is the spice of life!


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## Ritzpg (Dec 7, 2010)

Me again. Amazon.com: Neko Flies - Kragonfly with Rod - Interchangeable Toy: Pet Supplies I'm wrong, DaBird not made by same people who make NeKo. The mouse are more durable than the flies, but well worth the money (the wand gives out before DaMouse).


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## Ritzpg (Dec 7, 2010)

Last one, promise: this bug/fly is attached via a wire. I find I have more control over where I drag, maneveur the bug/fly when attached to a wire versus string.
Amazon.com: Go Cat Butterflier Wand Toy, from the maker of Da Bird: Pet Supplies


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## cinderflower (Apr 22, 2012)

for years before i got dabird i loved cat dancers. they are inexpensive, which is good because they don't last long. they're just some little pieces of tightly rolled cardboard at the end of a wire that crazily bobs around. if your cat doesn't like it i'd be surprised but she didn't like the other one.


a slightly more expensive one is made by the same company called a cat charmer. it's brightly colored fuzzy material at the end of a wand and all my cats love that one too.


dabird sent me a long peacock feather with my last order, i got a big green feather thing (very fluffy) along with the usual fishing lure type things, also a rabbit fur attachment, a sparkly looking one, so i change them from time to time so the cats don't get bored.


then there's always the balled of piece of waxed paper that every cat i've ever had wants to play fetch with. they really get a work out with that one and it's just something you were going to throw away anyway. 

i haven't added a hurricane to my turbo scratcher yet but that's more of a passive toy.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

My girls love to chase a small rubber ball or a ping pong ball, provided I throw it in one of two places. The first place is on the stairs...I throw it to about the 5th stair and let it bounce down (that presumes you have stairs). The second place is to toss the ball in the bathtub, and it bounces all over when they hop in chase it (no water in the tub of course!). 

As for Da Bird, when mine get bored of it after a few minutes, I make the Bird hide, either underneath something or behind a door... or I slide it under a closet door. That instantly peaks their interest again. Since you already have Da Bird, you might give that technique a shot.


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## kflei (Dec 21, 2012)

If I could collect back all the money I've spent on cat toys that my seven cats don't like, I'd be a rich woman. You just have to keep trying with different toys. A HUGE point is don't leave toys, especially interactive toys, laying around. Play with them, then put them away. The toys that you DO leave out, i.e. mice, balls, etc., put away each morning and bring out different ones. My vet said to have four different toys for each day of the week- yes, this means 28 different toys. My cats LOVE wadded up pieces of paper- like from burrito wrappers, or envelopes that have the cellophane windows in them that really crinkle. They love boxes- I've yet to find a cat that can resist the allure of a cardboard box, or paper sack, for that matter. Does you cat like catnip? Store your toys in a bag of catnip if she does.


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## jawramik (Dec 3, 2012)

ericthegreat said:


> When she hears the chain dangling she immediately looks at me and then down at the ground to catch her immortal red bug!


Haha, my cat Coda does this as well.

The "fishing pole" type toys seem like they're pretty universally a hit. If she liked the peacock feather, she'll probably like the fishing pole type toys, too. They come in all sorts of varieties, but the basic design is just a stick with a string attached to the end of it. Some of them have bells or feathers or what have you to make them more fun an eye-catching for both human and feline.

One thing both my cats LOVE (even Cal, who is older and mostly not too interested in play time and toys) is tying a string around a catnip-filled toy and dragging it on the ground for them to chase or dangling it in the air to get them to jump and bat at it.

My mom got my kitties some neat catnip toys for Christmas. They open up and close back up with velcro, so you can replace the catnip inside so you can make sure that the catnip toy is always filled with fresh catnip. My cats LOVE them and when I tie a string around it, they go bonkers chasing after it.

I have several different fishing pole toys, and Coda (our younger, very playful cat) seems to enjoy the variety. When she gets bored with one, I'll just switch out for a different one and she goes crazy for it again. I have one with some sort of frills and bells, one with a bunch of feathers, and one with a catnip mouse on a sort of stretchy bungee cord. 

I'm actually not even sure what "Da Bird" is, though I've seen a lot of people on here mention it. I'll have to look into it, but Coda very much enjoys her fishing poles and laser pointer, and she and Cal go crazy for the fresh catnip-filled toys on a string.

Coda also likes those little balls with bells in them (she really likes bells), but she usually plays with those on her own. When I try to toss them for her to chase, she just looks at me like she's saying "Do I _look[_ like a dog??" Lol.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

ET was terribly afraid of the DaBird the 1st time I took it out. He went into hiding and when I brought it near him, he hisses very very loudly at the feather, quite funny actually. It took me more than 12hrs before he started swatting at the feather and another 1 full day before he started playing and since then fell in love with it so much so he refused to play laser pointer anymore.

Anyway, I DIY my own feather replacement so he won't get bored with the same feather day in day out. I also buy cheaper teaser, cut out the toy and make it as a replacement so I can attach it to the DaBird wand. You must be wondering why I wanna do that, cos the original teaser wand and string is too short and hard to manouvre, I rather use DaBird Wand, lol. ET loved all the new replacements.


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## CJinCA (Dec 5, 2011)

Different cats like different kinds of toys (prey)..you may need to experiment and find her favorite prey (mouse, bird, bug, reptile, etc)...and find toys that mimic that prey

Lickorish loves loves loves feather wand toys and da-bird and also bug toys (the rubber piece left over after she destroyed the mylar on a string toy was so much more fun than the mylar ever was). Squeeks favorite is the leather bouncer. She'll bring it to me when she wants to play and meow until I pick it up and she can start chasing it.

Just keep trying until you find what she likes.


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## friendlyFool008 (Oct 25, 2012)

I second small rubber balls, especially if you have a hallway of some sort. My cat loves bouncy balls, to the point that he'll start panting and we'll have to put them away otherwise he'll just keep playing. We'll each stand at one end of the hallway and throw it back and forth. He likes both chasing it when it's rolled on the floor and leaping in the air when it bounces. Sometimes if there is just one of us or if he's bored and we're busy, he'll even play fetch! 

Also if you cat likes catnip I highly recommend Yeowww brand. My cat went crazy just at the box before it was even open! He loves the banana and rainbow (though I did have to reinforce the stitching in the arches a bit). As another way to play is to take a small box (shoe box works well) and put it over a toy (both the capnip toys and bouncy ball work well for us). Our cat will keep pouncing and pushing it around with his nose until he finally gets the toy.


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## thepennywhistle (Dec 23, 2012)

My cats are in agreement that chasing DaBird is a waste of
perfectly good nap time. However, if I would just agree to
let one of those real birds out -- the talking ones that live
in my home office (room) -- my sweet little kitties all promise 
they would chase THAT bird until it chases no more. Even with 
four sets of Puss eyes begging, I can tell you this is NOT going 
to happen. It's DaBird or nothing, I tell them.

rcat


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## Jeckybeanz (Nov 29, 2012)

Just and idea my cat use to like to chase hair scruchii's you know the little small fuzzy ones? I would by a pack at the dollar store. Flip them towards her so they go up in the air. My cat use to love it she would do flips and went crazy. Also you can flip paper wads at her. Good luck.


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## ericthegreat (Oct 10, 2012)

Thanks for all your suggestions, I really appreciate it! Since money is a bit tight right now (I'm a college student) I have to work with what I got. Today, after realizing that every time I've come home the rug in my room was all screwed up, I finally understood that my baby likes to "chase" thing hiding under the rug! So I put Da Bird under the rug and she went bananas! This should keep her satisfied for quite some time I hope! 

Thanks again and when I have the available funds I will purchase some of these toys.


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