# My cat is in love with "Da Bird"



## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I have heard how awesome this cat toy, Da Bird, is, but I never could find it anywhere. I found one yesterday. Stephano went so insane over this toy.....I just need to have my daughter video it and show you later, it was the funniest thing ever. My daughter was running around the house dragging it, and it sort of flies like a bird, and the cat chased her all over the house. Then, when he would finally catch it, he would pick it up in his mouth and run into his room with the wand part dragging behind him. He would put it on the ground, stare at it and growl at it. Talk about wearing him out before bedtime.......this was the most perfect thing, let me tell you, he slept like a baby.

Sadly. The bird died. Almost immediately. The feathers came off right away, and he was so disappointed. He did not even manhandle this toy, he actually was carrying it pretty gently. So I took it back to Pet Supermarket this morning, they gave me a new one AND I bought a replacement feather for it. You should have seen me when I walked in with it. He could hardly wait for me to get it out of the package, and he put it in his mouth and ran down the hall with it. Cutest toy ever. But also, not made very well AT ALL. They have some knock off ones that are cheaper and look like they are sturdier, I'll have to check those out. 

It was like Christmas, when I took that toy out of the package this morning, LOL!!!


----------



## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Yeah, I was skeptical too when I first got Da Bird. Jem used to go absolutely nuts for this. And this is one of the few toys that Scout will get off his lazy butt to play with. I haven't had any issues with durability. I've had the same attachment for almost a year. One of the feathers (there were 4) got pulled out, but the bigger ones are holding up pretty well. I love how it flutters and sounds like a real bird too (though Monkey does not think it's too realistic ).


----------



## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

I've found the cheaper versions aren't quite the same. They don't make the same ..whirring noise... that Da Bird does when you move it around. At least all the cheapo ones I've tried didn't.

I've never had the feathers come off. I've had Book break the wand... break the beaded metal part, and chew the feathers but it's never come apart before.


----------



## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

howsefrau32 said:


> Sadly. The bird died. Almost immediately. The feathers came off right away, and he was so disappointed. !!


 Same thing happened to me. I keep Goop brand plumbers/marine glue on hand for all sorts of stuff so I stuck the feather ends into the glue then popped it into the red holder overnight. Stuck tight after that. Get the glue from Home Depot in the paint dept. Blue tube.

You can order the feather refills from Amazon. They are sold in 3 packs for $13, I think. I go through them like crazy at the shelter, but the cats LOVE it! Coco here loves it too, but everyone else is afraid or indifferent to it.


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

howsefrau32 said:


> he put it in his mouth and ran down the hall with it. Cutest toy ever. But also, not made very well AT ALL. They have some knock off ones that are cheaper and look like they are sturdier, I'll have to check those out.


It's not really made to let the cat run off with the wand dragging behind. You're supposed to hold onto the handle and not let him take off with it. 

I agree with Mow...the knockoffs are not as good.

You can get refills direct from the manufacturer for less than Amazon.

GO-CAT Feather Toys


----------



## Talutha (Feb 6, 2014)

It's the only toy that will get Lily off her pudgy cat butt to run around before bed! She is not a cat who loves toys so it took a few days for her to figure out what to do but now she plays with it twice a day. Loves it!
If Stephano likes to carry things around in his mouth, here's something I do with Lily to change things up: she also really loves these little catnip mice toys I get from the supermarket so every now and then, once she is starting to lose a bit of interest in the feathers, I throw her a mouse and she carries it around and mauls it for a bit. Perhaps adding a tough, carryable toy into the mix will give Stephano something to get his chompers around!


----------



## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

Ya, its the only toy that keeps ET fit. More than 1.5year now, its still his favourite toy.


----------



## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

It's the only toy that makes my 2 cats pant! It really does look and behave similar to a bird. When I first got it, my girl went nuts for it and was actually growling and guarding it like it was real prey.


----------



## molldee (May 19, 2013)

My cats are so in love with Da Bird. I have to put it away in a locked closet to hide it from them or else they'll rip it to shreds. I've only been through one feather refill. Since I've been putting it behind closed doors, the feathers don't get ripped apart as much.


----------



## ZoSo (Nov 30, 2013)

I agree 100%! The average lifespan of our Da Birds is about 2 play sessions. Our kitten goes bonkers and really gets his "kill" instinct going -- once he catches da bird and clamps onto it, he runs to a quiet place (dragging me with him, as I don't want to let go of the wand) with it in his jaws like a vice grip until he finally puts it down and starts to play with his catch. He breaks the feathers on the first play session usually, and they fall apart pretty quickly after that. It's a great but expensive toy, so he only gets it every now and then!

Auroraei: I'm with you on the panting. I've always wondered whether this is "safe" or not? Our cat pants almost instantly when we bring Da Bird out, out of excitement more than anything I think. After 5 minutes, he's so worked up that he's panting like a dog. It's the only time he ever pants. When he gets like that we usually take a break...


----------



## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Panting is perfectly safe as long as the cat is healthy! We have one cat in the cage room of the shelter that *LOVES* to play. When I started bringing in Da Bird he would run and jump and chase that thing all over until he was panting. I'd let him catch his breath and go at it again and again. He's a good boy with lots of energy. All day long when it's not his turn, he will sit in his cage watching the others chase it, eyes dilated and track Da Bird as if he is chasing it himself - throwing himself against the cage walls in pursuit!! The exercise is great and it's made him a much calmer, happier, more social cat over the past 6 weeks I've known him.


----------



## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

I read that panting is not good for cats, better alternate between the bird flying and dragging it on the floor.

When the long, hard "stem" between the hairs of the feather is broken, the toy loses its aerodynamic effect and cats tend to lose interest. When it doesn't flutter anymore, the refill should be replaced. Go Cat should explain this in the instructions, because many people just believe their cat got bored with the toy.

I have to import the toy and refills from the US, and I always keep many refill spares. It's not cheap, but worth every penny, it's both a wonderful physical and psychological aid!


----------



## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

doodlebug said:


> It's not really made to let the cat run off with the wand dragging behind. You're supposed to hold onto the handle and not let him take off with it.
> 
> GO-CAT Feather Toys


I tried to explain this to Stephano, but he ran away with it before I could  

I have now had to glue it back together once already, and I will most definitely be buying the replacements for it. Luckily, Pet Supermarket sells them for $4 each.

I don't let him get too worked up, we stop when he is just flops down on the floor and rests. I may have to take the advice of putting it up after a few sessions, because I do keep finding it in shreds. I think it might keep it more interesting that way too, only bring it out for short times and then put it up. He sure is loving it. Taffy is terrified of it, and runs as soon as he sees it flutter. This cat is also afraid of plastic bags and tin foil also


----------



## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

The instructions on a video I saw said not to pull when the cat is holding on to the refill, to make it last longer. I've found that when Cuchi is "killing" it (he takes it to the bathtub or under the bed for that), there are tiny moments he's not holding to it fast, so I can pull and recover it.


----------



## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

I'm just wondering, do your cats stop to rest when they are tired? After a couple mins of leap, run and jump, ET will stop to rest by lying on the floor, so I'll let him do rolling by leaving the feather on the floor behind him and he will roll back and forth until he is ready to go again. He does take many break during the 30-45min playtime. Maybe cos he is over 4yo? but even at 2yo+, he had been doing it that way too, taking many breaks, therefore, he don't usually go panting very badly.


----------



## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

snowy said:


> I'm just wondering, do your cats stop to rest when they are tired? After a couple mins of leap, run and jump, ET will stop to rest by lying on the floor, so I'll let him do rolling by leaving the feather on the floor behind him and he will roll back and forth until he is ready to go again. He does take many break during the 30-45min playtime. Maybe cos he is over 4yo? but even at 2yo+, he had been doing it that way too, taking many breaks, therefore, he don't usually go panting very badly.


Oh yes, we do take breaks. I don't get him too worked up either. I have never let him get to the point where he is panting. I will see him breathing a little hard, and I stop. I just play with it for like 2-3 minutes, and then he will lay on the ground next to it and bat it around. I can definitely see how a cat could get too crazy with this toy. So we kind of have these little 2-3 minute play sessions, where he does a few somersaults in the air and runs around, then he bats it, and we give it a rest. He will go stand next to it and look at me when he wants me to move it around though, it's pretty funny. He is a crazy boy, my Stephano.


----------

