Run a real-fur mouse low along the floor, tuck it under a rug’s edge, then let your cat carry it off to a hiding spot.
How to Use Your MoriCat Magnetic Catch Wand — Natural Fur Mouse
Ever watched your cat flatten against the rug, eyes locked on something mouse-sized darting past? That stare is the hunter at work: cats are built to catch small rodents like mice. This real-fur mouse on a long rod gives that hunter a quarry of its own to catch and carry off. Start simple: drag it a short way across the floor, a few steps from your cat, and stop dead.
What Is This Toy
Real fur to chase, and a catch at the end of every round: that is the whole idea. Each mouse is cut from one piece of rabbit pelt, then sewn and tied by hand, tail and all. It is small-mouse size: about 15 cm long and 4.5 cm wide with the tail, and about 3 g.
A 55 cm cord links it to a stainless steel rod that stretches from 18 to 86 cm. A small magnet at the mouse's nose holds it to the cord. Once your cat pulls hard enough, the magnet lets go, and the mouse is your cat's.
Why We Built It This Way
We went with real rabbit pelt for one reason: cats are naturally drawn to the smell of real fur. For many cats, nothing but a real-fur mouse will do. Cats tend to steer clear of a toy as big as a rat, so ours stops at small-mouse size.
No bell, no add-ons, and as few small parts as we could manage. Just the pelt, its stitches, a few dots of glue, and the magnet on its thread loop. The fur is left undyed, so every mouse wears its own colour and markings.
Materials
- Rod: telescoping stainless steel, plastic handle
- Cord: black nylon, magnetic piece at the end
- Mouse: one piece of undyed rabbit pelt, hand-sewn
Best Suitable For
- Rodent fans. For cats with an obvious preference for rodent prey.
- Indoor hunters. For indoor cats of any age that still love a hunt.
- Carry-off cats. For cats that take their catch off to a hideout.
How to Use
Before you start
- Clip on the cord. Hook the cord's double-gate clasp onto the ring at the rod's tip.
- Attach the mouse. Bring the magnet at the mouse's nose to the cord's magnetic piece until the two join.
- Extend the rod. Pull out each section in turn; there's no lock to undo.
Running the mouse
Mice don't stroll: they freeze, dart and freeze again, so hold this one low and keep your cat guessing. A fairly taut cord carries your hand's small moves all the way down to the mouse.
- Drag, stop, dash. Pull the mouse along the floor, stop it dead, then send it dashing a short way.
- Hold, then twitch. Freeze it while your cat stares, then add a few tiny, jerky twitches.
- Tail showing. Push it under the edge of a rug until only the tail peeks out, then slowly draw it out.
- Scratch for sound. The mouse makes no sound of its own, so scrape it lightly along a table leg.
Then let it run for cover, spot to spot: behind the food bowl, under the sofa, around the doorway. Prey that stays just out of reach drives many cats wild.
Let Your Cat Win
Every round should end the same way: with the mouse in your cat's paws. A cat that plays but never catches anything loses its sense of achievement. Cats may carry their catch to a covered spot, so let yours make off with it while you watch. If your cat clamps down and tugs, ease off and let it win.
When your cat drops the mouse, touch the cord's magnetic piece to the mouse's nose and lift: round two. No bending down, unless your cat is lying on it.
If Your Cat Just Watches
A still, staring cat may already be hunting: cats lie in wait for mice long before they pounce. Reward the wait: park the mouse by a chair leg and make it shiver now and then.
Some cats may care more about the gaps mice hide in than about the mice themselves. For them, a mouse slipping past a box opening or under a door is where the hunt begins.
Room to Run
No big room needed: about two metres by two metres of open floor will do, and more is better. A hallway can turn one room's hunt into a chase through the next. Between games, put the mouse out of sight: play tends to drop after repeated sessions with the same toy.
Take-Away Notes
- Mice matter: small rodents rank high among cats' prey.
- Real fur matters: many cats hold out for a real-fur mouse.
- Low and slow: drag it, stop it, twitch it, then hide it.
- The catch is theirs: the magnet lets go; your cat carries it off.
Care & Safety
After play, press the sections back in to collapse the rod. If a section ever sticks, contact us.
The mouse can't be washed or soaked: wet pelt turns stiff and shrinks as it dries. To clean a spot, wipe it with a barely damp cloth, let it air-dry flat away from heat, then brush the fur gently. When the mouse falls apart or its nose magnet comes off, swap in a fresh one. Replacement mice are sold separately at moricat.com, so the rod and cord stay in play.
Safety
- Play together: Use this toy only while you are playing with your cat.
- Check first: Check the magnets before each game. The mouse is sewn and tied, with dots of glue on the thread, so also check the seam and the head for anything loose.
- After play: Put the cord and the lure away when the game is over.
- Replace parts: If a magnet comes off or the cord breaks, replace it with a new one.
- Swallowed parts: If you think your cat has swallowed any part, see a veterinarian immediately, even if your cat seems well. Never pull a string out of your cat's mouth or rear.
- Age: Kittens 4 months and older can play with it.
Real fur, a stretch of floor and a catch to carry off: your mouse hunter is ready.
References
Braastad, B. O., McBride, A., & Newberry, R. C. (2022). The cat: Behaviour and welfare. CABI. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781789242331.0000
Delgado, M. M. (2024). Play with your cat!: The essential guide to interactive play for a happier, healthier feline. TarcherPerigee.
Ley, J. (2023). The veterinary psychiatry of cats. Academic Press.