IT SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA

I usually buy my pets little Christmas presents as my young'uns are always on the “nice” list. I have to admit however that I am not too creative at picking out presents. I usually buy winter sweaters or new pet beds which is like buying underwear and socks for a child and calling it a "present".

This year, Mighty got his usual new bed---yawn--- but I went a bit out of character with the cats. Now you may all ready know about their painfully slow acceptance of the condo I bought them which may be why I avoid the fun stuff. 

However, this year as I perused the pet toy section, something jumped out at me.

 

Hum--- I wondered if it would work with my pair and decided I had $11.00 to waste on an experiment. This looked like it might interest the cats.

What really attracted me was the bird like sound it supposedly had to entice the most curious of God's creatures.  In theory, they would bat the ball around the track and it would make delightful bird noises.

So I brought it home and in seconds, it was up and running. Wow, what a success. I gave it a starting push and Minnie immediately pounced on the ball and set off the battery powered bird sounds.

Chirrup--chirp,cheep repeated incessantly and surprisingly loud as long as the ball moved. It must be a Jeopardy bird for the last cheep has the upward lilt of a question.  Strange sounding or not, the cats were enthralled and not the least critical.

Mickey patiently waited his turn at the strange bird, while I congratulated myself on making such a wise choice. I could be a creative gift giver  after all. I had graduated from socks and underwear to a COOl gift giver. 

My first slightly anxious thought was to wonder how long that battery would last for I was pretty sure they would lose interest when the “bird” died. I was really hoping we would at least get the $11.00 worth.

So for the rest of the day, I either smiled while watching them tackle the round bird or was startled to hear the chirrup--chirp,cheep suddenly start up again after a brief quiet spell.

Generally,they worked it like a tag team. Minnie would tackle the bird till she got bored, then immediately,  Mickey took up the challenge. By the time he got bored, she was ready again.

While I originally worried the battery might not last very long, I began to worry how long it would last. I checked the web site and a reviewer claimed hers was still going strong after two months. Awwww crap.   I tried to console my rapidly frazzling nerves that at least they were happy. 

So after three days, I can say the present is a smashing success for the kitties. Not so much for me. I can highly recommend this toy for your cats amusement but hopefully you have a place like a garage or porch where they can attack it and not drive you to teeth gritting distraction.

If you have to have it inside like I do, I suggest you don't leave it out all the time. Ration it and be sure to take it up at night because that is when they hit it the hardest. They do love night hunting.

Chirrup--chirp,cheep.   Chirrup--chirp,cheep.  What have I done?

Have you ever had what appeared to be a good idea at first, not stand the test of time?