Product Reviews

Catfisher Toys from Bamboo

Stacy Mantle 15 years ago

Are you looking for some great new items for your favorite feline? We’ve got every cat personality covered for you. We guarantee that even the most curmudgeon cat will jump through hoops for these fun toys!

The first toy that we reviewed from Bamboo Pet Products was the Catfisher Rod and Reel, and that remains one of our most favorite toys to date. But, Bamboo has even more toys for your kitty in the same product line, and they include the Catfisher Bobber Toy and the Catfisher Mouse Mitt.

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Bamboo CatFisher Rod & Reel Cat Toy This is a simple item that sets on a weighted base, sort of like the ancient toys, “Weeble Wobble”. The toy has a wire that protrudes from the top, looping down, and contains a toy which tangles at the end of the wire. No matter how much your favorite feline bats this toy around, it never falls over!

My cats can keep themselves occupied for hours with this little contraption! The take turns fighting over it, playing with it and pushing it around the room trying to “kill” the little mouse at the end of the toy.

The other toy that we’ve had a lot of fun with is the Fat Cat Catfisher Garden Mitt with 4 Catnip Lures. Now, my experience with most glove toys is that my hand gets the worst of the play. The thing I like most about the Catfisher Garden Mitt is that it is made of a high-quality, thick canvas with extra long “fingers” that keep your own fingers safe from the occasional cat bite. When you use these types of toys, be sure that you realize you are encouraging your pet to attack your hand. I say this for a few reasons:

Some people occasionally surrender their cats and dogs because of behavior that THEY taught them, and often the animal must be destroyed because of uneducated owners. So be sure that when you play with these glove-type of toys that you distinguish the difference between the toy and your hand. Biting or clawing at hands should never be encouraged. This can be easily avoided if you simply help your cat realize that when it touches your actual hand, play will be stopped immediately.
While my cats and I love this toy, it is not the most frequently used toy that we have. Remember what I mentioned above.
Training and education is the most important part of having a healthy and happy pet. Whether you are rough-housing with your pet or just relaxing with them, remember that you are teaching them. Cats are incredibly intelligent, and you can avoid many problems by thinking about what you’re asking your cat to do, and the type of behavior you are encouraging, when you play with them.

I recommend the Catfisher Garden Mitt for your passive, shy cats who you want to be more interactive with. I have several cats of my own that are just this way. They become wrapped up in the mouse Mitt and forget that they are interacting with a human. Eventually their shyness around you disappears and you may just end up with a fun pet who loves and respects you. I do not recommend the Mouse Mitt for highly aggressive cats who are prone to biting. For that, I would recommend the Fat Cat Catfisher Fishing Bobber or the CatFisher Rod & Reel Cat Toy. Eventually they will “bring it to you” to play!

We love all of the Bamboo toys, but consider your pet’s personality before making your purchase. There are thousands of great toys out there for your pet, and Bamboo has some of my favorites. So don’t be shy – order now – and don’t forget to leave the box it comes in out for your pet, sometimes the box itself is the best gift!

From the Cats:

Hisses & Spits: The Bobber moves around a bit and is hard to get a hold of. Mom needs to order some extra lures too – there are a lot of colors to choose from!

Purrs: All paws up – We love our Bobber, Mouse Mitt and Rod & Reel!

From the Humans:

Two Opposable Thumbs Up! We love all of Bamboo CatFisher Cat Toys , but each cat has their individual favorites.

Drawbacks? When you’re playing with the Rod & Reel, you’ll find it is pretty easily breakable, particularly if your cat plays hard and fast with the line. We found that you can fix most of the problems by simply pulling the rod apart and rewinding the string.