Nina Ottosson Dog Brick Interactive Cat Toy – Floppycats.com Review
Originally published Mar 1, 2011
After we received and reviewed the Nina Ottosson Dog Spinny Interactive Cat Toy, I asked for the next level up so that Charlie could be challenged further. So The Company of Animals, which makes the Nina Ottosson Dog Brick Interactive Cat Toy sent us one!
FYI – we received the 3rd level in the Nina Ottosson Interactive Cat Toys – the Dog Casino. You can check out the arrival post of the Dog Casino here.
I love this cat training toy – and the Dog Brick is more challenging than the Dog Spinny. Since Charlie is overweight, he must be allowed to forage for his treats. Of course, even if he wasn’t overweight, it is still a great option for him to use his brain power and keep him stimulated.
How it works –
Your kitty has to dislodge the removable bones, then push the sliding covers around to access treats hidden inside. The Dog Brick is great stimulation for your cat, requiring mental and physical dexterity to play.
This cat toy is great because it provides hours of entertainment – I love to set it up before I leave for several hours so that Charlie doesn’t get bored. I also love that it comes completely assembled. It is also dishwasher safe, which makes it easy to keep it clean and free of bacteria. It measures 17.5 x 11.5 x 2 inches.
I also love that it comes with a DVD to show you how to use the toy and slowly interact with your pet on how s/he can accomplish the goal of finding the treats!
All of these toys are toys that I will continue to use in years to come – in fact, I brought the Dog Spinny and the Dog Brick to my parents’ house for their German Shepherds to play with. I shot a video of it, so you could see. I have included that video at the bottom of this post.
If there is a downfall to this cat interactive game, it is that your kitty needs to be food motivated. Trigg is not and therefore isn’t terribly interested in the “game” – he just looks at me like I am crazy. Of course, Charlie is the dominant cat, so I cannot be for sure that Trigg wouldn’t go after the cat toy if he was the lone cat.
You can buy the Dog Brick on Chewy.
Here are some videos I took of Charlie mastering the Nina Ottosson Dog Brick Interactive Cat Toy:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJw5HbZg2Cg[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WfomVmW7cw[/youtube]
Here is a video of my parents’ German Shepherds using both the Nina Ottosson Dog Brick Interactive Cat Toy and Dog Spinny:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYr1qkadTrs[/youtube]
UPDATE! Nearly 3 years later and still going strong:
[youtube]http://youtu.be/5HNYM-q0KYo[/youtube]
Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
baker and taylor, the minden library cats. (minden is right next door to carson city.)
they partnered with–duh, and shockeroo–baker and taylor, the bookstore. i don’t think that’s what patricia or jenny have in mind, but this might provide some inspiration:
http://baker-taylor.com/mascots.htm
(geez, i can’t believe i’ve lived here this long. i met baker and taylor, bought their stuff at the library, not the bookstore, while they were still alive.)
omg jenny!! that first photo of charlie at the top^ .. you have to make some posters of that!! that is so precious, i can’t stand it!! he has such an expressive little face i want to grab it and kissssss it!!that’s what you should do you know! chiggy and charlie coffee cups, tshirts, posters.. pillow cases, stuffed toys.. you could make a fortune. i know i would buy them. those cats are just too cute for words!! i can see it all now.. a tshirt with charlie dean face and it says “soooooooooooo fffff..reakin cute!!!” hahaha, i love your cats!
you know i was enticing him with some cheats to get that face!
“chiggy and charlie coffee cups, tshirts, posters.. pillow cases, stuffed toys..” – really? i am just not so sure. i feel conceited. so tell me more why you think it might work?!
because you have a following of people that love their cats and want the very best for them, they come to you because you show us the best in the most delightful ways. we love your cats and you because you and your cats are so cool and funny and smart and adorable and lovable and precious and soooooooooooo ffff reakin cute man!!! i would absolutely love to have a tshirt with charlie and one with chiggy and the floppycats.com logo on it and then one of your numerous hilarious and wonderful little things that you say to your cats. if you had the floppycats logo and “see us on utube” we could advertise and get more viewers and you become more famous than “grumpy cat”. charlie and trigg are MUCHO cuter. i have told all my facebook peeps about you and your site and all my cat loving friends love you and your cats. they are like me and they love the information you provide, the love that you show to your cats and other animals and just how delightful it is to see your videos and to listen to you talk. i know now why i love to hear your voice too. one night i was watching a video on my phone while i was in bed and it started and i wasn’t looking yet and i freaked when you started talking because i thought i had somehow dialed my sister!! you sound like her so much and it didn’t hit me until then. i was like “omg!!” i think my idea is great though. a tshirt with chiggy and his “chiggy bounce” or his swirly head and swirly paw, charlie like that darling photo up there.. and they all have one of the things that you say and floppycats.com i like it!!
thanks! i so appreciate your support – i will think more about it. i’m not sold yet. might be my lack of ego i have right now.
yes!! personal experience:
for years, i had a framed poster and mug of two cats down the hill from me, the carson city library cats. &#$%, i wish i could remember their names–not barnes and noble, but another chain bookstore. i’m pretty sure they were famous nationwide. let me google them.
the first thought that entered my soggy mind when i saw the screen shot of charlie and the dog brick was, “Who’s your doggie??”
Jenny, of all the puzzle toys you’ve encountered, whether for cats or dogs, is there one with compartments large enough to hold furry toy mice (the one-inch ones with tails, not the big ones)?
Izzy is not a food-motivated cat, but she is very, very bright. She’s obsessive about her mice. She had great fun playing intellectually stimulating games with Zen, but she’s on her own now. (Jolie says: “You want me to move? Like, stretch out a paw or something? Please.”)
I try to play with her, but, let’s face it, I’m not the intellectual giant Zen was. If I could find a puzzle toy with big compartments, I think Izzy would be very happy.
Thanks, even if you can’t think of one.
Awesome. I bet Anya would LOVE one of those!
These are Pawsome!
Great review, thanks! This seems like an entertaining way to keep our cat Lily a bit more active when we give her a treat.
nice idea I am sure Freyr would love this, but don’t see a Canadian supplier and the shipping seems a bit outrageous. I will have to continue to look.
Rebecca – I will check with the supplier and see. Hopefully there is a solution. Jenny
Oh I gotta get one of those!!
Let me know if you get one and how you like it. I think they are wonderful.
Thanks for coming to visit us at the Cat Jam! We think that treat toy is really cool.
-Lisa, Jack and Baby
It is great – I highly recommend it.
I love all the stories daily on everyone’s lovely ragdolls. I recently lost a lovely persian and would love to fill the void of my broken heart with a ragdoll. I love there beautiful blue eyes and how smart they are. If anyone has any kittens or one under a year that I may adopt, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks, liz
I just love watching your Ragdoll videos! Charlie is a very smart boy 🙂
Charlie is smart when it comes to food – he will master anything to get what he wants. I love watching him figure it out – although he is having a tough time with this new one we got – the dog casino – http://www.companyofanimals.us/products/toys-and-games/nina-ottosson-games/nina-ottosson-interactive-plastic-toy-dog-casino