Go Cat Da Bird Pull 2 Piece Pull Apart Rod & Bird, Handmade in The USA (1 Bird)

If you're a cat owner like us (and we have four!) then toys on strings are not new to you. We've all bought them, used them, offered them to our cats! So what makes this one worth five stars? What makes this one worth paying what is - for a cat toy - quite a lot of money for it? Why do our cats seem to love it more than any other 'toy on a string' they've ever played with? I hope I can answer these questions, and more, in a way that makes some kind of sense to anyone reading this who is wondering if they should bother buying one! Perhaps I should go back a step and say that we have discovered a wonderful man called Jackson Galaxy on Animal Planet, who - despite the rather hyberbolic title of his show ('My Cat From Hell') - actually speaks a lot of sense about how to look after, and play with, cats. Not just 'problem' cats (who, to be honest, more often are the victim of problem owners) but any cat. The 'Da Bird' toy is the one that Jackson uses most when he's seen trying to engage a cat in play with a toy on a string/wand and he also recommends it on his excellent website (JacksonGalaxy.com). We all think we 'know' how to engage a cat in play, but he's taught even us, with our four cats, that there's more to it than just dangling the stick and expecting the cat to do all the work! Which brings me back to this particular toy. Our cats have used (and destroyed!) loads of this type of toy over the years - three out of the four of them are 'outdoor cats' by choice, the other is mostly and indoor cat by choice, but all of them have their hunting skills finely honed! We must never forget that cats are just finely honed hunting and killing machines who have somehow fooled us humans that they're sweet and need looking after... but they are like any other member of the cat family; they stalk, hunt and kill (including the all-important 'four leg wrap-around' action), followed by eating, grooming and sleeping. And it's those six steps that all cats need to go through every day to be happy cats who are not a pain in the neck in terms of scratching/biting their human carers - something that, as Jackson has to point out with alarming regularity, is the reason why owners think they've got a 'problem' cat; they haven't, they just don't understand their cat's need to go through those stages around twice a day! So, you know how to engage your cat in play with a toy on a stick - you have to make it 'become' the prey they are naturally programmed to hunt. If you have an indoor cat it's even more important to allow your cat this time each day, otherwise they'll go for feet, hands and furniture instead! Even if you have outdoor cats, they probably won't want to go out much on a day like today (as I write, the rain is hammering down, and all four have said 'no thanks' to going out in that!) but they still need to go through their cat motions as they would outside. We'll be using our 'Da Bird' a lot today! The toy itself (sorry it's taken so long to get to that bit!) is very well made. The want is extra long and very thin with lots of 'bounce' in it. It comes in two parts, which you then join to together. The string is also thinner than most other toys I've used of this nature - its thinness seems to help the cats think it's a more authentic approximation of a bird as they concentrate on the end bit instead of getting wrapped up in the string. It's also much longer than most, which means you can stay still, but give the cat a real workout as it chases the toy around and over the furniture. The 'business end' is where this toy really comes into its own. I've never had a toy of this type (a cheap one, anyway) with real feathers attached to it, but this one has two large/long pheasant-type feathers as the main feathers on this toy. The other feathers are artificial, as is normally the case, but the real feathers make all the difference - you can almost make the toy 'walk' on the ends of the feathers, which makes it seem more real to the cat, and they seem to appreciate/recognise the fact that it bears at least some resemblance to the feathers they encounter attached to the real thing! The 'give' on the string means you can replicate the real action of a bird trying to make a getaway from the cat's paws, which adds to the fun (for the cat, anyway!) and when you swing the toy around the configuration of the features means that it really does look like a bird in flight. It's attached to the string by means of a short link of bracelet-type links, which means it's strongly attached, and so far (and they've used it a lot in the three weeks since we've owned it!) it's only lost one artificial feather. If you saw how much fun, and how hard, all four of our cats play with this toy you'd know how impressive that is! You can get replacement ends for the toy - to be honest, and this might sound mad (we've adopted four cats in four years - yep, we're pretty [cat] mad!) initially, having seen how 'actively' our cats played with the toy, we thought we'd be looking at replacing the end very soon indeed, even as frequently as the end of the first month. To us, having found a toy that works so well, it would be better to spend £7.50 (the cost of a replacement feather end) than spend a bit less money on a toy they won't play with as much in such a brilliant cat way. And, believe me, once you've owned a 'Da Bird', you'll see why other wand toys are but a pale imitation! But, so far, three weeks in, the end is showing no signs of needing to be replaced, so our initial estimates of the end of the first month were a bit off! However, it's inevitable that we will have to replace it eventually, and will be happy to do so withing whatever that time scale ends up being! Apologies for the long review, but this toy is expensive relative to others of a similar kind you can buy in your local pet shop, so if you're going to buy one you want to know it's going to be worth the money. We were lucky, we'd seen the toy in use on 'My Cat From Hell' many times, and had read on Jackson Galaxy's website how to use a toy like this properly, so we already knew we were making a considered purchase on behalf of our cats. But not everyone has those advantages, so I hope this has helped make up your mind if you were unsure. Your cats will love it, that much is guaranteed!

I bought one of these a while ago and it finally had it's day, so I just bought another one! My cats love it! One of my cats loves it much more than the other 4, she will jump up in the air, catch it and growl, it is hilarious! She will then carry it out through the cat-flap, as I hold on to the rod and follow! Then I let go and I see the rod disappearing out through the cat-flap! We have as much fun with this as the cats! This is certainly the best cat toy we have ever bought; and very reasonably priced for the enjoyment both the cats, and we, get out of it! After play we hide it away, but this one cat always knows where it is hidden and will not give up trying to root it out! We have to hide it very well now, as she will find it no matter where it is! It is like she smells it ;) The growling she makes is so funny and she really thinks she has a live bird in her mouth! The movement of this toy is so life-life, just like a real bird. It gives them the great exercise they need; especially being indoor cats. After the play we do the treating - this satisfies the whole 'hunt-kill and food-reward'! I always make sure I have enough replacement feathers in, as after a few weeks of using it, they do become a bit tatty and worn, especially if they take it outside when raining! This really is in my opinion, the top cat toy. Buy it, you will not be disappointed, unless your cat is lazy and boring ;)

I've never written a review for anything before but I think Da Bird justifies one. As soon as it was out of the package, my two cats went crazy for it! The feathers flutter through the air making a slight swooshing noise that the cats loved. They jumped about through the air for a good half hour trying to catch it, and were still trying to get at it when I packed it away again. I found the best way to use it was to stand half way up the stairs and dangle it over the bannisters, giving more room and height for the cats to play and jump. The toy was used many times without any problems, however one time I forgot to put it away after play time, and when I found it the cats had chewed through the string so they could carry the feathers around. I thought that was the end of it, and just stored away the pole so they could keep playing with the feathers. Months went past and the feather attachment was stashed under some furniture, I only found it again recently and took to throwing it about for the cats to chase. My older one has even taking to playing fetch with it! Most of the feathers have been chewed off now, and it has been reattached to the pole with some string, but it is still their favourite toy! All around this is a brilliant toy, providing hours of entertainment even months after purchasing. The only thing I would say is if you want it remain intact, then it really has to be stored away after play time. I'll definitely be buying another one.

I’ve had one of these before for my previous cats who also enjoyed it. Now I have 2 hyper kittens, this is proving useful. Play, then eat then sleep! It really does mimic a bird in flight which gives it the edge over other wand toys and they run and leap after it. Kittens are pretty so destructive so it lost a feather on its first outing and on its third, it appears to have lost its bird flying action. They still love it though and you can buy replacement feathers which I will be doing. Little tip if you have kittens or agile cats, take care not to let them see where you store it. My Maisie spied it on a high shelf so has taken to leaping up there to try to find it. This was one of my few remaining kitten free zones! Also agree with person who pointed out the inaccuracies in the description. The wand does not separate into two pieces and is made of plastic.

This is such an awesome product, I can't believe I only heard of it recently! My cat has recently moved from being indoor/outdoor to indoor-only, as we have moved house and are living near a few busy roads. She also was living with another cat too, who is now living elsewhere with her owner, so I imagine my kitty was a bit lonely, too. She was absolutely bored to death, yowling all the time, wanting outside. I received this within a week of ordering it (I think it would have been sooner but for some reason my package had a redelivery sticker on it?), in perfect working order, no complaints. As soon as I got it out of the box and wrapping, the cat went absolutely mental. Jumping all over the sofa and table, trying to catch it. There were some crazy jumps and flips and when she did catch it, she would roll on the floor kicking it and biting down with her teeth. Sometimes, she would catch the 'bird' and get a good grip of it with her teeth, and then just walk off, pulling the attached stick from my hands, and bring it to a corner of the room where she would chew and lick it. On the first day, I think we lost 3 or 4 feathers, two main feathers and one or two smaller ones. Replacement feather attachments are available here on Amazon, and I have purchased a spare pack of 3 to keep me going, as this toy is now her favourite. This is quite expensive for a cat toy, but when I compare it to all the toys I've bought that have been neglected, I would pay £10 (inc p&p) again and again.

Ok,where do I start. My cat has the other version of the Da Bird which is the Flying Frenzy Interactive rod toy,which is the same thing,long wand,attachable feathers and toys. As my cat absolutely loves his flying frenzy toy,I thought I would really treat him and 'upgrade' and get my kitty the 'original' Interactive feather toy. It wasn't cheap including the toy,posting and packaging,but if you love your cat like I do myself then just to see him happy,excited and playing is priceless. Well the Da Bird arrived very quickly indeed,which was great. It looked fine in the packaging,a bit flimsy and light compered to the Flying Frenzy,but I thought this was because its Da Bird!!. Anyway,I attach it together as it comes in two pieces and found the adjoinment very loose. As expected with this kind of toy my cat went crazy and wanted to play immediately. I was so frustrated,as was my cat,as everytime he made a grab for the feather and put a claw in,the adjoining rod would just fall off. This continued for a while,until the adjoining rod wouldn't even stay on. I must stress my cat hadn't even got started with this toy so it wasn't him pulling the adjoinment off,it was just loose from the get go. After 1 hour or so,I walked into my living room to see the rod in two pieces across the floor and the feather attached to the end of the string broken off. So the rod didn't hold and now the feather is unattached...Please don't get me wrong I love this product and most importantly my cat goes crazy for his rod,but the quality of Da Bird is shocking. I emailed the supplier today and she also said since Da Bird have been making the product in China the quality has deteriated and many people are complaining with exact same thing as myself. The quality of Flying Frenzy is great,it is strong and sturdy and only has one long rod,not two pieces and the feather is attached. If you do want this kind of toy for your cat,do yourself and your cat a favour and get the Flying Frenzy one as it will last,not fall apart,is cheaper and does exactly the same thing as Da Bird!!.Thanks for reading.

To start with, my cat is a year old, stays indoor, very fussy and scared of other people / new objects in the house. We have bought him lots and lots of toys in the past, usually we have to leave them by his cat tree so he can get used to them before he will play with them and then sometimes he's too scared of the toy to play with it. The Da Bird was a different story, from the moment it arrived and I was taking it out of the packaging he was watching me open it and waiting in excitement. Whenever I bring it to play he now gets all excited, and runs about chasing it like a lunatic, and after 10 minutes he's a tired and happy cat. From a human point of view, the Da Bird isnt the greatest as the cable gets tangled up quickly and the rod is quite flimsy. The first Da Bird I bought came apart very quickly and the rod would no longer join together. The second Da Bird I bought lasted much longer, but after a few months the cable had become to wrapped up against the rod. Despite buying 3 of these, it still deserves 5 star as it's the only toy that my cat really loves. Bin your old toys and replace them with Da Bird, your cat will love you for it. Be warned though, you need to hide it after playtime is over otherwise your cat will destroy it!!

My cat didn't react to this toy like the cats I saw on YouTube! The first time is played with it he found it interesting, but after a couple of minutes he lay down, and just wanted to swipe at it from a lying down position, there were certainly no high jumps after the toy. After five minutes in a lying down position my cat broke the toy. It came right off it's string. I have tided it back on a few times but it keeps falling off. Now the string is fraying quite badly. If I replace the string I would use string that stays tied better, rather than getting an official replacement. I can see why some cats might react to it more than other feather toys. It makes an interesting sort of bird like 'flapping' sound a bit like birds wings. It also has more of a range of movement than just a piece of string tied to a stick, because it is on a swivel clip which spins 360 degrees, so you can twirl it round all different directions without it getting too tangled. The rod is too long for me to use inside when it is put together, it's much longer than a normal feather stick, so I am pleased I got the one in two halves (thanks to a previous review for pointing that out before I bought it). I don't like the way the sticks slot together, I managed to shave a bit of the stick that slots into the other stick, which then got stuck in my hand, but perhaps I am clumsy. I think the stick might be some kind of fiberglass like a tent pole? They are quite tough and more bendy than plastic. The feathers on the toy are quite large and solid. They don't look so pretty once you have swung it about a bit, but they seem to be robustly joined together.