REVIEW: PetSafe/Frolicat Automatic Cheese Cat Toy

Hey Pet Parents & Pet Lovers,

You may already know that I’m obsessed with buying my cats new toys to try and play with, especially with Beau’s most recent weight gain… *sigh* so I thought I’d try a new PetSafe toy since we’re already big fans of them! This time around I thought to grab the PetSafe Automatic Cheese Cat Toy, which has been an alright addition to our ever-growing household.

It Uses AA Batteries!!

I will say my favourite part of this toy is that it uses AA batteries. We have a stockpile of rechargeable batteries that never seem to be used in cat toys since they mostly use C batteries, so good on ya PetSafe! I know I’ve bought rechargeable C batteries in the past, but it’s been an inconvenience to charge them especially because the toys that use them rarely get used anymore.

Size of Product / It Gets Knocked Over!

I would say the first issue with this product is how often it gets knocked over. I haven’t tried putting anything on top of it yet since most of the heavier objects I have around the house are wider than it and would block the little mice, and since Beau tends to get a bit aggressive he tips it over at least once every play session. I understand wanting to make a product lighter for shipping/convenience, but could there not have been a way to weight the bottom or make the bottom a bit wider so it doesn’t tip over? I mean, I’m no scientist or “cat toy engineer”, but that’s what physics class taught me!

I don’t feel safe having it on when I’m not around

As is the rule with most toys, you should never leave them on when you’re not around, but this toy has a nifty feature that turns it on randomly throughout the day. While I appreciate this feature, our new kitten Kalista is definitely going to get hurt by it! She’s such a curious kitten who has almost gotten her eyes poked by the mice since she shoves her face right into the toy. Beau luckily is a bit smarter and for him, this feature would be great! But alas, now is not the time for it, maybe when Kalista gets older!

I wish there were more mice!

That’s a phrase I never thought I would say, but since there are only two it doesn’t really give a challenge to my kitties. They usually just sit on one side and stare at them poke in and out. The movements are also pretty rhythmic, making it fairly easy to guess when the mice and going to pop out, although I will say, sometimes the same one pops out a couple of times making the rhythm a bit more interesting.

Although my cats play with it, they spend most of their time watching it…

This is probably the biggest downfall for this toy. I got it to get Beau to exercise not be visually entertained. He will bat at it a few times, but not enough for me to call it a successful toy. (and oddly enough, Beau just knocked it over… time to go pick it up!) I really thought this would get Beau more engaged (ie. pouncing), but given the fact that it’s lightweight, I’m a bit glad he lies down and hits it. Pouncing would 100% knock it down and potentially break it (though the plastic seems fairly durable).

It auto times off

This is a huge positive in my books. I like knowing that my toys will turn off without me doing anything. Since I’m usually spending my time writing, I like to watch my cats from afar, or if it’s a toy I can trust I will leave it while cooking or leaving the room. PetSafe did a good job deciding to include this in the toy, especially because that was a feature I loved about their DART Automatic Laser Pointer. The timeout is between 10-15 minutes which is a great amount of time, so if your kitty is into it (and is safe) it’s a great added bonus to the auto-on!

Conclusion

Although I’d love to give it a higher rating, I’m going to have to give it a 2.5/5. Unfortunately, this toy just didn’t do it for our household and the negatives seemed to outweigh the positives. There have been some awesome reviews out there for the product (which is what enticed us initially), but we’re sadly unable to join in.

So pet parents, have you tried this toy before? What did you think about it? Any toys that you think would rock our kitties world? I’m actually heavily debating getting a One Fast Cat Exercise Wheel, but those things insanely expensive…