Da Bird Pull Apart Value Pack (1 Pull Apart Da Bird Pole Cat Toy & 2 Extra Guinea Feather Refills)

THE AWESOME* My cat's nostrils flare out and his tail goes fat, hair standing up on his back when he sees this toy. It's kitty crack.* You'll get photo-worthy huge jumps from your cat with this toy. I can get my cats panting with their tongues out* Compared to the other stick/string cat toys out there, including the Cat Dancer toys, the length and connection of this toy and GoCat mouse are easier to use (both are hands-down the best interactive cat toys I've found, and I've purchased over 20 recently)* The shape and arrangement of the feathers allows this toy to produce a very realistic wind-in-feathers bird-like sound when it "flies". * If you have frustrated destructive cats, you're not playing with them enough & this is the toy for both of you. set a timer and do 15 minutes AM/PMPrepare for your cats to go bananas.Based on this alone, I'd give it 5 stars. But it's got severe issues.THE NOT-SO-GREATFirst, my caveat:I don't have Bengals or a Savannah or another breed that is genetically close to a wildcat or more athletic than the normal house cat.I trim my cats' nails weekly.I diligently hide all stick/string toys when I'm not playing with the cats to assure they retain their allure and excitement.I let the cats "hunt" the toy, but avoid allowing them to catch it, and when they do catch the feather, I never let them keep it - I immediately pull it from them and never allow them to sit and chew on it ever. Cats love to hunt more than to catch anyway - that's the fun and exercise in it for them.* Despite the above, I've had this toy only 2 months and string has had to be re-tied at the feather attachment at least 4 times.* The guinea feather lasted a full 2 months. The next feather (pink and purple), fell apart within 15 minutes.If you aren't as careful as I am to pull the feathers away before they reach your cat's paws/mouth during play, you are assured to go through even more feathers, even more quickly than I did. Which can make this toy silly expensive.* This toy & the replacement feathers are probably made in China, so quality is highly inconsistent.(Perhaps it's an issue with the dyed feathers. Maybe they don't glue as well?)MY ADVICE:* Disconnect the string from the connection to the toy when the item arrives, and tie it with extra knots before beginning play.* Cut your cats nails regularly, and never to allow them to "catch" and chew on this toy.* Hide all stick/string toys in a closet or drawer where you know they can't get to when not playing with them. (It's a good idea to rotate your floor toys in and out also, so they maintain some allure).* One reviewer suggests that you, "swing it around in the air" and don't let your cats near it. Dumbest advice ever. Cats love to hunt, but swinging it in the air is a tease and is not play that will give them any kind of exercise. Your goal should be to tire your cat out and get them panting, but do your best to avoid your cat from catching the toy and pull it from them quickly if they do.Watch Jackson Galaxy's video on how to play with your cat (bring to a boil, then simmer) if you're not getting the same results described here.* I think the Go Cat Catcher mouse is a better made toy, (but I've had the wire split on that one also). So, you might consider ordering that toy, and then just ordering the guinea feather, and swapping out the feather with the mouse alternating for play.* Keep every feather to re-glue with kid-safe, non-toxic glue*The seller is not producing these items, merely buying wholesale and re-selling them.Consider yourself forewarned. A good seller will have your back when any merchandise proves shoddy. Or better yet, purchase with your American Express and your purchase is covered for a full return within 3 months.

So after seeing Da Bird on Jackson Galaxy's "My Cat From Hell" and reading about it on many lists of the best cat toys, I decided to give it a try. To be honest, I was initially very disappointed as my cat who loves to play didn't respond to it any different from all of his other toys. However, after a couple of weeks, I got it back out again and all of a sudden, he started racing and jumping after it. Now, we literally can't go a day without playing with it. No matter how tired he may get of all of his other toys, this one keeps him occupied every single night. He never gets tired OF it, he just gets plain tired (which used to be quite the feat). His play time used to last hours before, but not anymore. I can usually wear him out with about 3 short rounds now (10-15 minutes each). Granted, it's not all Da Bird. We also put in a floor to ceiling scratching post and kitty shelves. But Da Bird seems to be the only interactive toy I've seen so far that has a long enough string for me to get enough distance for him to really chase it and take it through his "kitty playground". If I haven't pulled out Da Bird yet by about 8 or 9 o'clock, he starts whining until I go to the bedroom and take it out from its hiding place.It's not perfect by any means. Just like every other toy of its kind, the kitty does really conquer the bird at some points and manages to untie it. But it's easy to tie back on and lasts for awhile before he pulls it loose again. After very rough play and over a month of use, it's starting to look a little tattered and ready for a refill, but I'm going to give it a little longer since it does seem to still "fly" okay. I definitely agree with the other reviewers who have mentioned that the pole does come apart. Being 2 part makes it easier to store (and more importantly...hide), but it also creates problems during play because it does pull apart many times during play time. I've learned that when he grabs ahold of it, I have to grab the place where they connect to make sure it doesn't pull apart. But every so often, I don't quite get to it in time and it pops off which makes our cat thrilled that he "caught" his prey. Sometimes he gets so proud he drags the half of Da Bird around the house until I catch up to him and put it back together. I may end up gluing it or taping it, but for now, it's well worth any design flaws. Your cat will love you for getting it...speaking of which, he's ready for round 2 and is running away with it now...

Excellent product. The long wand is great for whipping the feather end around to keep the cat completely focused on his prey. The feathers are on a spinner so they spin around as I drag it on the floor or through the air. The string is just the right length too. Keeps the cat entertained and gives him good exercise. It's amazing that the cat cannot focus on anything else when this toy is in action. His hunting/attack instincts keep him from even resting when I know he is getting worn out. A minor issue is that the wand comes apart for storage which is great, but when the cat is able to catch the feather, he wants to prance off with his prey, and if I don't grab the wand at the joint between the two pieces, it will come apart as the cat walks off. But the wand does not come apart when I am whipping the feather around, only when the cat catches it. Also like that it comes with two replacement feather ends so we can replace it when it gets so beat up that the cat loses interest. Really glad we purchased this.