Debra Mason Designs

It's that time again!

INSIDE WALLE'S TOYBOX! Wooooo. Episode 2. Weehaw. well.

Uh...not so fast. Here's the newest toy.

Here is where the newest toy has been for two days:

No kidding folks. In the middle of the bed. For two days. I've insisted it stay right where we last tossed it. It holds its place well I must add, because my husband tosses around a lot at night. Still...too big for a book mark. So....

Here is what the newest toy is good for:

AND

AND

Okay, okay...I know...not nice. But at least I should get some sort of entertainment out of it.

Here is where Debra's flip video is instead of being used to film Walle playing with his new toy.

I don't even want to show the packaging or name the folks who make this toy.I'm just not that unkind.

Let's be all "michael-row-your-boat-ashore" here.If you see anything that looks like...well...giant orange sperm in a package...your cat probably won't like it. You could do what I did and whip it ruthlessly in front of your cat's face but the toy is only 3 inches long and well...cats can draw blood. My finger is still throbbing. So...don't flush those four bucks down the pooper. Go buy somethin' instead at Play N Squeak. That's the toy that wakes me up at night when Walle drags the little squeaky mouse onto the bed for some rompin' good times at 4 AM.

And remember...this is NOT a good sign:

Sorry little wiggly, orange, sperm-like toy thingy but FOUR PAWS DOWN. 

 

A succulent kind of day...

The biggest blank canvas I have had to address to date is our 1/4 acre yard. That's big for Southern California, folks. AND...since water is the new gold, we don't want to have to pay a gigantic water bill nor use water needlessly. Along comes the cactus, the rocks, the flagstone and the succulents. Click on ye old photo below to get a better look.

The folks at Heritage Succulents had a display in Historic Downtown Oxnard this last weekend. FAB-U-LOS-ITY. All the photos above are their handiwork. By the way, fabulosity is a word I learned on HGTV this last week. I groaned when I heard it but I have to say, it makes me laugh.

I also have to thank Cathy Miller over at Rags to Riches Cat Rescue in North Carolina for giving me some great advice on doo-dads to spiff up my photos for my blog. And for ways to protect my images. Thank you, Cathy! Also, check out Cathy's animal photographs here. She needs to do this professionally!!!

Stay tuned everyone because I'll be posting Walle's 2nd toy review and you won't want to miss it. It will be the official launch of INSIDE WALLE'S TOYBOX. Fabulosity in abundance! You can check out his first review here.

Walle's First Review

Yes...I'm a designer. HOWEVER...anyone who knows me knows that I am passionate about cats (well...all animals, actually but cats most especially). Sooooo...my youngest cat Walle and his brothers are going to review cat toys from time to time.

Here's Walle:

Walle's name could actually be Butch because he's very tough and rambunctious. If a toy can be broken, he'll break it. I've spoken of Walle here and here and here. Oh yes, and here.

First toy is: UNDERCOVER MOUSE by Panic Mouse

Depending upon where you buy it, it can be a little pricey...anywhere from $15 - $30..ON SALE! Its original price is listed at mega bucks more than that. We got ours on clearance at the pet store for $10.

Two paws up for the box it came in! AND, Walle loved the paper with the instructions and basically everything that came out of the box even though he had no clue what it was or what it could do.

Walle decided to help my husband put the toy together. Thank heavens cats don't understand four letter words because his help was NOT appreciated.

Not wanting to use up any lives unnecessarily, he decided to wait patiently. And then...

TA DA! A word about how this toy operates. There's a round fabric circle you place over a battery operated motor that has a wand attached to it. This wand has a little red tail hanging from it. The wand goes round and round under the fabric with the red tail sticking out (at different speeds depending on how you set it) and basically drives your cat nuts.

 

I've got to say, even Opie (on the left in above picture), who is often a little "above" playing with toys, found this toy pretty amazing. Rudy, the redhead, is equally entranced.

Bottom line. Walle loves this toy. AND about a week into playing with it, he broke it. If a cat could cry, he did. Let me tell you...whew. Soooooo...I got some duct tape and taped the wand back together and we're still going strong three weeks after purchase. Thank heavens for duct tape. By the way, we don't leave the toy down all the time...I notice other reviewers mentioned their cats got sick of it. It's a once a day treat for about a half hour.

Enjoyment factor: 4 paws up

Durability: 1 paw up

Walle says: "buy this toy along with some duct tape"

Debra says: "if you have to pay full price ($30 or more) don't get it...your cat won't mourn what he doesn't know exists. If your cat is hard on toys and you're willing to repair it, then go for it."

So, grab it on a good sale over at Amazon. Or google it and find an even better price. Then go buy some duct tape and watch your cat have some fun.