rkingfish's Full Review: Petstages Cheese Chase Cat Toy
Among the collection of cat toys that arrived with uber-kitten Tallywhacker, the Petstages Cheese Chase Cat Toy is his hands-down favorite - in fact, he appears to be enamored to the point of obsession. A former schooner cat, his seafaring days have given way to a new-found landlubber status. As a professor aboard the Ocean Classroom family of instructional vessels, my niece Liz is at sea for weeks at a time - and the high seas offer a poor environment for a cat under such confined circumstances.
Lest you think this review should earn less than a G-rating, tallywhacker is a legitimate nautical term for a “preventer” - a device that stabilizes the boom on the mainsail as you journey down-wind. The trouble with endowing a cat with such a name (besides being awkward to say) is in repeatedly providing the necessary explanation to the curious or easily offended.
The Master of his Universe . . .
With his short, silver-gray fur, spooky golden eyes and pigeon-toed gait, the vet claims he’s derivative of some “exotic” breed. His long legs and two-dimensional athletic lean have earned him the nickname “Skeletor” - though this skinny beast is all muscle. After eating and sleeping (in order of importance), he spends his days clearing spare change (any everything else) off the kitchen counter and intimidating innocent rolls of toilet paper that have been separated from the herd.
“Skeletor... I am your father...”
Despite his apparent Luciferian parentage, Skeletor is a simpleton when it comes to play-time. The Petstages Cheese Chase Cat Toy successfully diverts his destructive impulses toward the more socially-acceptable activities cats are famous for.
From the land of the turquoise cheese . . .
The Petstages Cheese Chase Cat Toy has a circular Frisbee-like stature that measures 12 inches in diameter with an overall height of 2.5 inches. The translucent plastic body semi-successfully resembles a wheel of cheese that contains an outer ring in turquoise (Bleu cheese?) and a yellow hub (Swiss, I suspect...). A plastic ball with the picture of a wide-eyed mouse resides in each circular track, which the cat can access through a continuous gap in the edge of the outer ring, or through a trio of holes in the hub. Four grippy rubber feet stabilize the toy as they protect wood flooring.
Experts claim that obesity and drug abuse are two of the nation’s biggest concerns. The Petstages Cheese Chase Cat Toy eliminates the former for the busy cat, while enabling the latter with a nifty catnip mouse feature. Centrally located and permanently perched atop a sturdy 7.5 inch flexible mast, the semi-psychedelic rodent turns an already hyperactive cat into a drug-crazed dynamo.
At first, Skeletor totally ignored the mouse. Now his preferred approach is to bite the mouse's snout and kick the hapless (yet remarkably durable) creature with his hind feet - eventually kicking himself in the head repeatedly. His more leisurely exercise is to recline on his side, using his right arm to bat the ball for several minutes or until the latest round of attention deficit disorder sets in. A sudden realization regarding snack time is also high on the list of Cheese Chase interrupters.
Is there a Cheese Chase, Wisconsin?
Alas... though an obsession with one’s favorite plaything is forever heartening to the proper pet parent, there are drawbacks to the design that approach those of a repetitive musical toy. In the wee hours of a recent moonlit morning, I awoke to the sound of spinning plastic balls. In the moonglow I could see him soaking up the heat from the formerly sunbaked brick patio as he amused himself with yet another extended late-night session of Cheese Chase.
Although the patio is a large one, this indestructible toy always manages to be underfoot to the point where I seem to be nudging it under the bench repeatedly; only to have the little devil drag it back into the path a short time later.
Developmental Toys for Pets . . .
Located in Northbrook, Illinois, Petstages markets a range of items “thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of pets...”. There are currently 28 pages of the company’s products (such as the “Fantasy Fish Bowl” and “Powder Puff Pals”) lodged in the infamous Epinions database.
To this point, countless rolls of paper products have been spared Skeletor’s assault due to the heroic and surprisingly diversionary efforts of the Petstages Cheese Chase Cat Toy. Five stars if your cat shares the obsession. If not, you can surely donate such an affordable toy to a cat shelter or other worthy establishment. Like gauging the stock market or timing the return to fashion of bell-bottom jeans, cat toy compatibility can be a roll-of-the-dice.
Petstages 333 Skokie Blvd. Northbrook, IL 60062 847-504-4010 petstages.com
Fantastic prices with ease & c...(Stock status: N/A)
PetStages toys are designed specifically for the age and activity level of your pet. The Soothing toys help focus and calm your pet for situations suc...More at Amazon Marketplace
Fantastic prices with ease & c...(Stock status: N/A)
PetStages toys are designed specifically for the age and activity level of your pet. The Soothing toys help focus and calm your pet for situations suc...More at Amazon Marketplace
Fantastic prices with ease & c...(Stock status: N/A)
Cats are curious by nature and the Petstages Cheese Chase Cat Toy welcomes the opportunity to play. Petstages Cheese Chase Cat Toy provides appropria...More at Amazon Marketplace
Fantastic prices with ease & c...(Stock status: N/A)
Cats are curious by nature and the Petstages Cheese Chase Cat Toy welcomes the opportunity to play. Petstages Cheese Chase Cat Toy provides appropria...More at Amazon Marketplace
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