Our favorite toys are the ones that move by themselves. That’s what is so great about wand toys, right? The problem is that humans won’t always wave the wand toy as long as you want them to. We heard that there was a toy that would wave a wand for you. SCORE! We had to check it out.
Our friends at PetSafe offered to let us try out the PetSafe Flitter teaser toy and to share one with one of our readers. Score for one of you, too!
The Flitter arrives unassembled.
Pierre: Uh-oh. I don’t have any thumbs.
It’s actually very easy to assemble if you have thumbs. Three pieces make a base that looks a little like a car’s steering wheel, then the base of the Flitter snaps down into the center. Push the two arms with the dragonflies into the slots at the top of the Flitter, add your batteries, and you’re ready to play.
With one button push, the dragonflies on their little strings start to whirl and move erratically, pausing periodically to tempt cats to grab at them before flying again. That pause and resume action is nearly irresistible, even to cats who are hesitant to approach the whirling arms of the toy at first. Pierre, always cautious, sat and watched until the dragonflies stopped whirling and then went after them. Then he was willing to keep swatting them after they started flying again.
At one point, he gave a dragonfly such a yank that it moved the Flitter about six inches across the tile floor, but it stayed securely upright. If you put the Flitter toy on a carpeted surface, it would probably be less likely to be moved around by an enthusiastic cat.
The Flitter makes funny little chirping sounds to get the attention of cats who might be asleep in another room and haven’t gotten the memo that it’s playtime. Since real dragonflies don’t make noises, who knows what those chips are actually supposed to be, but they are real attention-getters. Even Ashton, who is normally timid of moving toys that aren’t on the ground, wanted to join in the fun after hearing the call of the Flitter.
With her lack of depth perception, Ashton sat really far back from the toy at first and waved her paw at it at first, unable to reach the dragonflies that spun around the Flitter. But each time the Flitter paused, she inched closer and closer until she was within swatting distance.
Ashton: I have my eye on you now, dragonfly!
The Flitter has an option to turn back on periodically several times throughout the day to entertain your cat while you aren’t in the house during the day. With the long, flailing, moving parts and string attached to the dragonflies, you should watch how your cat plays with it it and think about how your cat handles things like string before you leave it unattended. We aren’t allowed to have the toy when no one is home because we chew string.
PetSafe Flitter Giveaway
Do you want to play with a PetSafe Flitter, too? It’s your big chance, because we’re giving one away.
No purchase necessary to enter the giveaway. The giveaway is open to residents of the United States, except where prohibited by law. Giveaway will run until May 30, 2016 at 11:59pm ET. A single winner will be randomly selected by Rafflecopter (powered by Random.org) and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize; failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize and a new winner will be randomly chosen.
FTC Disclosure: We were compensated to run this review and giveaway. The opinions in this review are our own and not influenced by any outsider. We receive no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.
