9-15-10 – Skinneeez Cat Toys review (lots of pics!)

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Remember how last November I was sent a Cat Quest cat toy to review? Well, several weeks ago I got another email asking if I wanted to review another toy.

I know I don’t have to tell y’all that cat toys are my downfall. If my cats don’t currently own every toy in existence right now, it’s certainly not for lack of trying on my part. You cannot possibly offer to give me a cat toy I don’t own and expect me to turn it down. It’s just not possible!

So last week I received the package, and I opened it, and knowing that I needed to do a review of the toys, I put them where the cats couldn’t get them, and waited until I could calmly introduce them to all the cats. Except of course that never really happened, and so on Sunday I grabbed the toys, called the cats, and went up to the foster room. I figured anyone who was interested could check out the toys, and as it turned out, the little ones were interested in seeing what was going on, Corby came up to see what was happening, and Elwood (who thought there might be food involved) came along as well.

The toys were these:

Skinneeez For Cats. Two from the Forest Series (a skunk and a duck, on the wand toy) and one from the barnyard series (a chicken). I particularly liked the chicken, because we have our own chickens and occasionally one escapes the chicken yard and wanders by the door between the computer room and the side stoop, and the cats get pretty excited. Not that they’d see the similarity between the big bird outside and the little stuffed chicken toy, but I still thought it was cute.

What I found appealing is that the Skinneeez toys are stuffing free. I don’t know about y’all, but I’ve certainly had to fish polyester stuffing out of kittens’ mouths in the past when they’ve ripped open a toy and decided to see if the filling would be tasty. The only thing the Skinneeez toys have inside them is catnip.

So I carried the toys upstairs and called to the cats. Then I put the toys down on the floor and waited to see what would happen.

Melodie and Martin checked out the chicken.

Melodie liked it quite a bit.

Melodie checks out the skunk.

Melodie and Martin were curious and interested and batted the toys around a little, but didn’t really seem to feel the effects of the catnip.

Corbett, on the other hand, is a complete and total ‘nip head, and he kind of came out of nowhere to check out these catnip-filled toys.

A little high.

So high he resorted to toe-sniffing.

Martin, giving me the attitude.

Then Corbett sneaks in…

And gets a little high.

Melodie disapproves of Corby’s catnip addiction.

Then I got out the wand, and Dodger came flying over from wherever he’d been hiding to check out what was going on.

Corby liked the catnip aspect of the toy. Dodger liked the moving-toy aspect of the wand.

Martin came over to see what the fuss was all about, and Dodger grabbed and bit him on the neck in an effort to protect HIS toy.

Elwood batted at the toy a few times, as long as he didn’t have to expend too much effort, but wherever the toy went, Corby was right there.

Elwood and Martin checked out the toy, while Corby tried to figure out how he could get hold of the wand and take the whole shebang away from me.

And then, like all little kids do, they abandoned the toys for the packaging!

The biggest surprise to me – and what I managed to NOT get a picture of, of course – is that later that day, Jake “discovered” the skunk and decided that it belonged to him. Every morning for the past three days, he picks up the skunk – which somehow ends up upstairs every evening – and he carries it from my bedroom upstairs, down the hallway, down the stairs, down the downstairs hallway, through the dining room, and into the kitchen. The entire length of his journey, he keens at the top of his lungs as though he’s caught and killed a real skunk, and he’s coming to show me his “kill”. I always praise him – okay, well, he looks like such a little nut that first I laugh and then I praise him – and he drops it and looks very proud of himself.

So I’m going to say that the older cats give the Skinneeez toys two thumbs up (they do LOVE the catnip!) and the little cats will play with the toys, but they’re not sure why the older cats act so strange.

The one thing I’d change, about the teaser wand in particular, is to maybe add a bell to the toy. It’s hard to get the kittens’ attention by just waving the toy around, and I think a bell would help accomplish that.

Skinneeez cat toys retail for approximately $3.49 – the Forest series is on Amazon, here, for $2.21 (though I’m unclear whether that’s $2.21 per toy or for all three of the ones shown), the chickens are here for $3.49 (again, I’m not sure whether that’s per toy or for a set of them) and the Forest Friends teaser wand is $3.19, here – that appears to be for three wands, which is a pretty amazing price.

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Previously
2009: (Jake and Elwood investigate the carriers to make sure they’re secure.)
2008: (Fred outranks cats, if you were wondering. But just barely. I’m not sure I outrank the chickens, though.)
2007: No entry.
2006: I never thought a little poo would make me so happy.
2005: Break my heart, why don’tcha?

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