I've said before how my cats can be finicky when it comes to toys. If they have a toy and they play with it then I won't usually find it. If a toy sits out in the open where I frequently may see it, then they're not playing with whatever it is enough. That is true.
For the most part. But there is an exception.
Hartz Toy Mice. These things must have magical powers. I can not find anything outwardly special about them. They come in packs of like 3 for a few bucks or like 8 or 10 or something for a few more dollars. The material doesn't really differ from other products. Other toy mice have tails too. Other toys have catnip. As far as durability, it's the worst I have ever found of any cat toy. Ever.
They are barely stitched together at all. The fabric material is like....ummm.....cheap or something. They can pull apart easily. They certainly do not have the quality craftsmanship of Jana's catnip products found at Colorado Catnip Toys, and they are most definitely made in mass quanity. (I mean, they are purchased in packages of 3 or 8 or 9 or a dozen or something at a time). And they're tiny! Cheap. Shoddy. Overly simple. Tear apart easily.
But my cats love them. And I have no idea why. Maybe its some super potent catnip Hartz puts in them. I don't have a clue as to the reason why the cats love them. But whenever I have bought a new package or have gotten a package for a Christmas gift or on my birthday or something (and yes, I have gotten things on my birthday for my pets from people before). As soon as the package opens, the cats hang around and wait. When the mice go scattering about the floor or couch or bed, certain cats jump after them and the tails go-a-flyin'.
The problem goes back to one particular thing I've already mentioned. The mice don't stay together. However the outter material is initially connected together, it doesn't take much for it to pull apart. And because my cats certainly love to play rough with them, in general the mice may only remain intact for a day or possibly two at the most.
But just like real-life mice that your pet cat may catch outside, once the cat is finished with it you will find its insides before you find the rest of it. Haha. The inside of these toy mice are kinda made of this crumbly material that makes me think of plaster or something. So the catnip must be treated within it. And after the outer material rips apart, it's not long for the cat to tear into this inner material and start tearing it into bits.
Bits that end up all over my floor. Earlier this week in fact after I vacuumed my entire apartment flooring, I found a toy mouse that they had not gotten to and left it out for them to play with. In a day or two I began to notice debris all over my carpeting. Was it that darn cat litter I can't seem to get them to keep in their litter boxes? Ummm, no. It was in fact pieces of this toy mouse. While the mouse was still able to be played with, I figured to leave it around for them. So I tossed it inside one of the cubes of the cats' jungle gym thing. Later that night...
The mouse reappeared. One of the cats found it in the cube and took it back out onto the floor to play with again. More debris on the carpeting. So I tossed it back inside the jungle gym, in a corner where I hoped they would not find it. Again, the mouse reappeared. Again, I tossed it back. Again. Again. Again. Again. This happened more times than I can count - and already it's only Thursday evening!
Whenever the cats have gotten these toy Hartz mice, this is always what's happening. They get heavily played with. They get torn apart. They get strewn apart across the apartment carpeting in pieces. I clean it all up and try to hide the remains of the toy mice. But it always comes back. The toy mice always come back.
Because no matter where I hide them or what I try to do with them.... my cats always find them. I could probably put them out in my car outside, doors locked, flush my car keys down the toilet. And yet my cats would somehow still be able to find them and bring them back in side to tear apart.
At least I can be sure that my cats can be ruthless killers. When they catch these Hartz toy mice, they don't stop until they are sure they're dead.
And in pieces. All over my carpeted floors.
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