SmartyKat Hot Pursuit Cat Toy Review

SmartyKat’s Hot Pursuit is an electronic toy that replicates the movements of a hiding prey. The toy features two interchangeable wands flit and zip that rotate in random directions leaving a teasing bit out of the cover to entice your cat to stalk and hunt.

The SmartyKat`s Hot Pursuit wakes up your cat instincts and keeps it entertained without your presence, which you will really appreciate. The toy comes with 4 speeds to adjust your cat’s preferences.

FEATURES

• Electronic toy features a random movement of a hiding prey
• Wand under durable fabric entices cats to stalk, hunt, and swat
• It keeps cats active and motivated
• It features 4 speeds to suit your cat’s preferences
• It comes with 2 interchangeable wands
• Smartykat Hot Pursuit is environmentally friendly, made from recycled plastic
• Tested to child safety standards
• It works with 3 AAA batteries
• Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 3.2 inches
• Item Weight: 1.1 lbs
• Satisfaction Guarantee

HOW IT WORKS

Smartykat Hot Pursuit consists of a base with a mechanical arm and the control button on the center, a fabric cover on top of it and two wands that connect to a mechanical arm that rotates.

One wand has feathers and the other one simply has a colored tip, resembling a little bit a tail. The fabric that covers the base is made from vinyl type material.

First, you need to place the batteries (I made the mistake of putting the wand first). The batteries (3xAAA) are located at the bottom of the base and you will need to unscrew the screw on the lid to put them in. Once the batteries are inserted in the base you need to attach the wand to the arm.

Finally, push the center button and the SmartyKat’s Hot Pursuit will start rotating. Check the following video to learn how to setup the toy:

UNPACKING & SETUP VIDEO

The toy features 4 different speeds: Slow, Middle, Fast and Random. Check this video to how these different speeds work:

The first push will put the toy on Slow rotation, the second push on Middle and so on. To turn it off you need to go through all the speeds until to get the Random to push it again to turn it off as shown in the video.

There are some customer reviews saying that if your cat holds the wand for certain amount of time the toy turns off automatically to protect the motor. Mine didn’t do that.

PROS

• The toy really entices most cats to play with it vigorously
• It keeps your cat playing without the need of you interacting with it
• Entertainment lifespan gets back after some days (* see tip)
• It has different speeds for slower cats or fast hunters.
• Random speed motivates cats that get bored easily with rotating movements

CONS

• The wands are not replaceable
• Your cat may destroy the wand`s feathers (my cat hasn’t done this)
• When the cat holds the wand, it causes stress on the motor (some units turn off automatically, mine doesn’t)
• Batteries don`t last very long if you keep the toy on for long periods of time (use rechargeable batteries)
• If your cat is rough when playing and you haven’t done its claws, it will damage the fabric cover.
• You can’t turn the toy off with one push of a button unless you have the toy in “random” mode.
• As most cat toys, the entertaining lifespan is not very long (* check tip)

TIPS

√ To help your cat to stalk the toy, place the SmartyKat close to a furniture so your pet can hide there and then jump over the toy.
√ If your cat destroyed the feathers too soon, you can send an email to the Manufacturer asking a replacement.
√ You can save money using rechargeable batteries
√ (*) Most cat toys have a short entertaining lifespan. What I do when I notice that my cat doesn’t play very much with the SmartyKat I grab it and place it in the closet for about 3-4 days. After that, you place the toy again and your cat will play like it was brand new. That’s the advantage of this toy, the cat will never get tired of playing with it.
√ You can take the wand apart, there’s a small round ball on the end of the wand that you can unscrew, with a little bit of ingenuity you can replace the feathers with something similar. Check the picture below:

CONCLUSION

SmartyKat Hot Pursuit is a very cool cat toy that your pet will love. If you have a cat that likes to hunt your feet under the blankets this is the toy for your feline friend. What I like of the SmartyKat is that it combines hunting with chasing at the same time. However, be prepared for the duration of this toy to be not too long. As the cats like to hold the wand under their paws, the motor may have a not very long duration. Also, if your cat is rough when playing, the wand`s feathers will not last either. Personally, I am on my second SmartyKat because my cat loves to hold the wand for a long period of time and my toy didn’t turn off automatically.

Keep in mind that the entertaining lifespan of the SmartyKat Hot Pursuit won`t be very long (about 2 weeks, maybe less) but the good thing about this toy is that you can put it away for a few days and when you place it again on the floor your cat will start playing again like if it was brand new. That doesn’t happen usually with cat toys.

BOTTOM LINE

If you want a toy that will make your cat go crazy and play a lot with it so you don`t have to play with your feline friend, buy this toy, but with the idea that the toy will not last for a long time unless your cat plays very softly with it.

To me, this toy is absolutely worth it because I work at home and I can’t play with my cat all the time. This toy really makes my cat happy and somehow relieves me from having to play with her 15 minutes straight every day. I still play with her when she gets bored of the toy (then I keep the toy in the closet until she desires it again) :-)