# Da Bird



## Buggsy (Jul 14, 2010)

Well i got 'da bird' delivered the other day and i havent ever seen Arnie so animated. He LOVES it! too much in fact, we have to lock it away at night because he rips the feathers out of it and rubs his face with them!

I just thought id share it if any one wants a treat a kitty out there!


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## icatguy (May 15, 2010)

It's the best cat toy made. Be sure to stock up on refills. And be careful.....when I first started playing with Da Bird, I had problems with cats slamming into walls and furniture because they weren't watching where they were going. After a while you get used to knowing just how far you can fly the thing so the cat chasing it doesn't risk hurting himself.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

It is indeed the best cat toy made. My girls love it.


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## dmcwlvssr (Apr 24, 2005)

Ditto here, My gang go total nutso too with this toy.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

I'm not sure why all of you favor the toy. Even though it's supervised play, I don't like it that there are feathers that Miu could consume. I'd rather break out the laser pointer instead.


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## raecarrow (Oct 27, 2009)

Alpaca said:


> I'm not sure why all of you favor the toy. Even though it's supervised play, I don't like it that there are feathers that Miu could consume. I'd rather break out the laser pointer instead.


My boys are more likely to just shred the feathers, roll round on the pieces and bat them about until my place looks like they killed a very colorful bird. I've never seen them eat the feathers.


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## thenakedorchid (Sep 15, 2010)

Alpaca said:


> I'm not sure why all of you favor the toy. Even though it's supervised play, I don't like it that there are feathers that Miu could consume. I'd rather break out the laser pointer instead.


The laser pointer doesn't satisfy their hunter instincts, though. It's basically prey that they can never catch; it can lead to frustration for the cat. Like raecarrow, my girls have totally obliterated Da Bird before and never eaten the feathers. They LOVE the thing.

Another toy by the same company (Go-Cat) called the Cat Catcher is a mouse toy on a wire. If possible, my girls go even more crazy for this toy. They love it so much that when they "catch" the mouse, they will go away and try to hide it. But the mouse breaks apart even more easily than the feathers on Da Bird.


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## raecarrow (Oct 27, 2009)

thenakedorchid said:


> Another toy by the same company (Go-Cat) called the Cat Catcher is a mouse toy on a wire. If possible, my girls go even more crazy for this toy. They love it so much that when they "catch" the mouse, they will go away and try to hide it. But the mouse breaks apart even more easily than the feathers on Da Bird.


One of my boy's FAVORITE toys is the Cat Fancier's Association House Mouse with Catnip. I tie a 6-8ft string to the mouse's tail and I throw the mouse and reel him back in, I'll also kinda fly fish for cats without a pole by whiping the mouse back and forth across the room. Both of my boys go BONKERS for this. They do all sorts of flips and jumps for the mouse. They really love it when I toss the mouse under the table and the string winds around a chair leg.










They also love to play with each other with this toy. Teddy will bop the mouse about, jerking the string and Leo will attack the string that is twitching. I have a video of this but I need to find it.

Another bounus of this mouse is if you don't jerk too hard and sew up rips in the mouse when they appear, this mouse will last for YEARS. I have 3-4 of them because they keep getting lost and I find them after I bought a new one.


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## icatguy (May 15, 2010)

thenakedorchid said:


> The laser pointer doesn't satisfy their hunter instincts, though. It's basically prey that they can never catch; it can lead to frustration for the cat.


I agree with this; it's been my experience as well, and I haven't used a laser pointer at all for a long time. My observation is that the kitties got quite annoyed, frustrated, and generally ended up agitated and unhappy when I played with the laser pointer.

Besides, it's never been proved that it's safe. The laser pointers that meet the certifications for safety are safe for HUMAN eyes. Cats' eyes gather a whole lot more light energy than do human eyes, and we have no idea whether or not even a brief flash directly into their eyes causes harm or not. And honestly, there's no possible way you can guarantee they'll never get even that brief flash into the pupils of their eyes before you can react and move it away. Because I've observed that while they are looking away from the pointer toward the spot on the wall, when they find out there's nothing at the spot, then they will look back toward you and you really have to been on your toes to keep the beam away from their eyes. I don't see where it's humanly possible anyone could say they could keep the beam from ever shining into their cats' eyes.


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## katieb509 (Oct 20, 2010)

Georgia loves "da bird". She went through one feather end in less then a week and like others have said, we need to hide it in a closet! If we want to find her all we have to do is open the closet door and she is there ready to play! By far the best toy investment I have made for my kitten! Last weekend we got two different ends. One was pieces of shiny material (not sure on the name) and she loved this just as much as the origional "da bird". The other has different types of feathers and although she does like playing with this one, she does not get as excited as she does with the other two!

We bought a laser pointer the day we adopted her, and she did like it and still does, but she does get very frustrated. After about 5min she will walk away upset cuz she cant catch it! I almost think she has the laser figured out as well, because she will look back at us and blink her eyes as if she is disgusted with this mean trick we played on her! haha


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

Murphy's a FIEND for Da Bird, but not for the same reasons as everyone else. He loves the string, not the feathers, and chews them until it breaks. When there are 3 or 4 tied places in the string, it's time for a new one. Unfortunately, that only takes a couple days. :-(


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## raecarrow (Oct 27, 2009)

October said:


> Murphy's a FIEND for Da Bird, but not for the same reasons as everyone else. He loves the string, not the feathers, and chews them until it breaks. When there are 3 or 4 tied places in the string, it's time for a new one. Unfortunately, that only takes a couple days. :-(


 I make my own string out of a strong but thin utility rope. It is harder to chew through than the string already on "Da bird"


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

My girls like the stick end better. They go crazy when I run it along the rug. Go figure.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

That makes sense. I've never seen Miu get upset that she can't catch the laser dot though. I think she realizes I'm the one controlling the laser. Whenever I switch it off, she just looks at me and asks me where it is, but doesn't get upset. She just goes off to find something else to play with when she knows laser pointer time is over.

However, I do like the 'fishing for cats' idea. Thanks, I will try that one and see how she feels.


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## icatguy (May 15, 2010)

katieb509 said:


> ....because she will look back at us and blink her eyes as if she is disgusted ...


no, that's not what the eye blink means :smile:

here's a thread: http://www.catforum.com/forum/37-behavior/134868-wink-love.html


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## katieb509 (Oct 20, 2010)

Haha thanks for the link icatguy. I have seen her do the "I love you eye blink" (usually after breakfast and dinner when she comes to sit by us at night) and I guess what she does with laser is similar, but I always thought it was a disgusted look during laser play. She blinks a little before she starts to get annoyed. Then usually within a min or two of being frustrated she will walk away! Although maybe it is i love you blink too! I can read horses and dogs very very well but cats still speak a foreign body language to me! Hopefully one day I will figure it out!


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## NRD (Mar 31, 2010)

My Fab Four also love Da Bird, and it's really several toys in one for them. First, of course, the flying bird, it's a real kick to watch all their eyes and heads turn as you fly it in circles and then land somewhere to let them pounce. Second, two of my guys love the string as much as the bird. Third, one of them loves the wand more than anything else. Fourth, once a feather has been pulled out, they love just pouncing on and kicking around the feather, if it's on a smooth surface. They have never eaten a feather, either, though they do carry the bird around to try to hide it. And fifth, something no one else has mentioned yet, when the bird itself deteriorates to the point it needs to be tossed out, my guys just love chasing after the little red cap to which the bird attaches, all by itself at the end of the wand--it's Da Bird without the Bird! It's like a little insect to them at that point.

And count me in the ix-nay on the laser camp. So many other toys give them the satisfaction of catching or batting something, I hated to see them look so confused at the laser, so I stopped. None of us seems to miss it.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Yet another vote against the laser beam. I used it during Muffs' & Abby's introduction, when I needed to quickly stop Abby from chasing Muffs. Abby would play, but she too seemed confused when she couldn't catch anything, so it just seemed unfair. I no longer use it.


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

I think we should post the hilarious videos of our furbabies playing with da bird. I think it would be so funny to watch how different kitties handle this toy. Anyone have a vid to post? Maybe under a different thread though. :kittyturn


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## swimkris (Jul 17, 2010)

Hmm, I've never tried da bird, but I bet my cats would love it!! They will have to wait though because they have too many toys as it is! Some of their favorites include a motorized feather teaser (can be programed for up to 4 hours of play); a strip of fabric with feathers, pom-poms and bells on either end, and other toys on a stick similar to da bird. The best stick toy I ever found was on sale at Big Lots, and I haven't seen it since  This one had a heavier sturdy stick with a long string (I had to replace it with a new string of my own a few times) and a fuzzy gray mouse on the end.... that's pretty standard I'm sure, but THE MOUSE SQUEAKED!!! Pumpkin was about 10 or so weeks old when I got this toy (and my only cat a the time), and she played with it for about 2 hours straight. My flatmate and I had to make her stop to take a break! lol


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## catlady2010 (Feb 4, 2010)

How is this toy any different from all the other sticks with a feather on the end of it?


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## thenakedorchid (Sep 15, 2010)

Catlady: Da Bird's feather attachment is somehow able to rotate on the string as it flies through the air, so it makes a flapping sound like wings. I've tried other feather toys without this feature, and my cats did not care for it half so much.


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## thenakedorchid (Sep 15, 2010)

Note on the laser beam: Jackson Galaxy, a cat behaviorist I've read about online, says that the laser is good for quick distraction (when one cat is about to attack another cat, for example) because it can be carried on the person, like on a belt loop. The distraction will allow enough time for you to take out an interactive toy like Da Bird, Cat Catcher, etc. to give your kitty something a lot more tactile than a spot of light (and a lot safer than another cat) to pounce!


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

Very good point regarding the laser toy vs. feather toys. My cats love da bird but it needs to be locked away when not in use, otherwise they may chew on it and possibly swallow the little safety pin on it. I'm not sure why they had to put a safety pin on this kind of toy, isn't that a safety hazard? You really need to closely supervise your cat playing with this toy.


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## katieb509 (Oct 20, 2010)

I think the put the "safety pin" type thing on so you could more easily attach refills and the other types of ends. I change mine up about every other playing session so she has something new each time! I have 3 different ends, but she doesnt like the one as much so i barely use it!


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## catlady2010 (Feb 4, 2010)

Sounds fun! Is it available at Petsmart or Petco?


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## kittywitty (Jun 19, 2010)

I know they sell it on Amazon and ebay. That is where I got mine from, Amazon. I got the value pack that comes with 1 feather replacement and four other non feather attachments. So far I haven't changed the standard feather attachments because my cats love to chase "da bird". I guess I will change it once the feather gets destroyed.


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## Buggsy (Jul 14, 2010)

there are actually very few toys Arnie will play with and love, it HAS to have feathers or hes not interested, and laser pointer he just looks at me as if to say 'and what do you want me to do?'. He likes to catch the feathers 'kill' them and just roll around in all the feathers, i just pop them back in afterward. Im thinking about getting him a bag of feathers for xams!


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

All of my cats love Da Bird. I have four different toys to attach to the end, and I switch them out constantly (the original feathers and the sparkler are the favorites). It actually took me quite a while to find _anything _that picky Samantha would play with, but Da Bird was an instant hit the moment I brought it home. All three of my cats will play with it together, taking turns leaping for it in the air or running after it as I drag it along the floor and around corners. I'll also whip it around in the air (either back and forth or in a big circle) and it's so hilarious to watch three kitty heads moving in synchronization. I most definitely can't keep it out for them, as Samantha uses her teeth to chew on the plastic end that holds the toy in place and most of the time she can pull the toy right out (pops back in easily though). I got mine and the three extra toys from Drs. Foster and Smith when they had it on sale. Highly recommended toy.


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## icatguy (May 15, 2010)

catlady2010 said:


> Sounds fun! Is it available at Petsmart or Petco?


I wouldn't buy it there; they charge an arm and a leg. I bought a refill one day at Petsmart and a couple days later noticed my vet had them in her office for half Petsmart's price.


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## Caturday (Nov 19, 2010)

I just got Da Bird yesterday for my two kitties. I paid $9.99 for it at Petco, and honestly wasn't expecting it to be a hit since I have the Cat Charmer with a furry attached and they got bored of it after a few days. That and Da Bird looked kinda flimsy... 

When I got home I very carefully opened it up so that I could return the toy to the store if the cats didn't like it.  I'm so cheap I know... But it wasn't necessary. WOWZA! They went bonkers the moment the feather went in the air! They were pouncing, doing backflips, leaping off furniture, running into walls until both were open mouth panting! They didn't even bother me when I told the bf to distract them while I prepared food in the kitchen. In fact they hardly noticed the food bowls being laid down - it was amazing! (Normally feeding time is a frenzy and kinda stresses me out)

Da Bird is hands down the be-all and end-all cat toy. If there is one toy you can buy for your cats, this is it!


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## mrsKoach (Nov 11, 2010)

I guess this is one more toy to try out. So far Charlie only likes string (shoelaces mostly) and the small crinkly mice. All the other toys we've bought he had no interest in. Not even catnip


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