This month’s giveaway is for a product that I’ve been a fan of for quite some time — the CatVantage modular cat climbing tree. I first wrote about CatVantage back in March 2008 after seeing it at the Global Pet Expo, where it won second place in the New Product Showcase for its category.

CatVantage is a streamlined climbing tree that uses minimal floorspace. The modular design and spring mechanism allow for easy installation with ceilings up to 10 feet. The center post is made from 100% recycled PVC and the steps are carpet covered birch.

To be eligible to win a CatVantage climbing tree, make sure you’re signed-up to receive Moderncat email updates. If you don’t receive the email updates, or if you do and you want an EXTRA chance to win this month, you can also leave a comment on this post to enter.

No, these aren’t photos, they are colored pencil drawings by artist Johnnie Scouten of The Illustrated Cat. Johnnie’s remarkable images are available as matted prints and on note cards. There are several different designs to choose from, each one equally amazing.

BONUS GIVEAWAY! ENTER TO WIN A SET OF NOTE CARDS

Not one, but FOUR lucky Moderncat readers will each win a set of 8 assorted note cards from The Illustrated Cat. Just leave a comment on this post to enter. One entry per person. The winners will be chosen in a random drawing on July 8. This giveaway is open to readers everywhere!

My cats love laser toys, so when we had the chance to test out the new BOLT automatic laser toy for cats from FroliCat I knew it would be a hit. This cool little device sits on the floor or on a table and automatically shines the laser beam in random patterns that keep kitty on the move. Other automatic laser toys I’ve tried just rotate the light in a repetitive pattern, but BOLT varies the pattern and the speed of the light to keep things interesting.

It has an automatic shutoff function that turns off the light after 15 minutes. You can adjust the slider on the top to project the light on nearby surfaces or farther away. The laser light can also be operated manually for more interaction with your cat while playing. Here’s a little video we made with our BOLT (make sure you have the sound on!):

(If you can’t see the video above in your email, click here to view it on the site.)

As with all laser toys, be careful not to aim the laser light directly into your cat’s eyes. BOLT can be purchased at the FroliCat website or at Amazon for $19.95. Requires 4 AA batteries, not included.

We have a BOLT laser toy to give away to one lucky moderncat who needs some exercise! Please leave a comment on this post to enter. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing on June 29. Sorry, but this one can only be shipped to addresses in the US.

There are going to be some happy cats this week! Here are the three lucky winners of the boomerang giveaway from Jake & Micah:

• Shelby (comment #259)
• Kim N. (comment #297)
• Jeremy (comment #346)

Congrats! I know your moderncats will enjoy their boomerangs!

Jake & Micah Discount Coupon

If you didn’t win but you’d still like to try some of these fabulous toys (or any of the other products from Jake & Micah) you have until June 15, 2009 to get 20% off your order at Jake & Micah. Just enter the code moderncat at check out.

I guarantee your cats will love these Modern Catnip Boomerangs from Jake & Micah! We have one and it is a favorite toy. They can’t walk by it without a rub and/or a bunny kick. Made of 100% cotton fabric with a funky modern graphic print, the boomerangs are filled with premium organic catnip and some fiberfill to make it really good for kicking.

Three Lucky Winners!

Jake & Micah is offering a boomerang to each of three lucky Moderncat readers! To enter, please leave a comment on this post. Winners will be chosen in a random drawing on May 22. This giveaway is open to international readers if you’re willing to pay the extra shipping.

If you were one of the lucky 100 winners of the Cat Livin’ rats during Toy Week, keep an eye out for your package this week. The folks at Cat Livin’ let me know that they finished-up sending out the rats last week. Thanks for your patience!

This is the final Etsy cat toy round-up & giveaway of Toy Week and we had a couple of last minute entries so this one will have SIX winners! That’s a total of 18 Etsy sellers participating in Toy Week! A big thank you to all of them for their generosity.

In this giveaway, you’ll have a chance to win the following:

• Parisian Mouse from 4 Paws
• Knit Fish Cat Toy from Adelie and the Orca
• Mink Catnip Body Pillow from Kitty of Mine
• Binky Sweetie Toy from Osha
• Woodland Friends Organic Hemp Cat Toys from The Modern Pet
• Catnip Donut from Catzilla Crafts

Please leave a comment on this post to enter. Six winners will be selected in a random drawing on March 15. Plus, we’ll give away another 10 Cat Livin’ rats in this drawing, bringing the total to 100 rats!

I found this great video on YouTube for the Dragonfly Cat Toy. Wow! The cat in the video is adorable!

The Dragonfly appears to be similar to the Cat Dancer, but it has a 3 inch wooden handle and instead of the simple cardboard rolls on the end of the wire there is an enticing dragonfly made of Mylar and hematite beads. Each Dragonfly Cat Toy is handmade in the USA and it comes in four different colors.

You can get one in the US through Robbins Pet Care and sometimes on eBay, and if you’re in Europe check with their European distributor Dragonflycattoys.eu.

Love the sound effects!

I hope kitty’s hungry, because this is her chance to win a four course meal with a drink from the super-cool folks at Jake & Micah. From their line of beautiful handmade organic catnip toys, Jake & Micah are offering one lucky winner the following prize package:

• Three-piece sushi set
• Pair of fortune cookies
• Two-piece wonton appetizer
• Catnip tea bag
• Italian catnip canoli

To win this luscious buffet, please visit the Jake & Micah site and take a look around, then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite item. One winner will be chosen in a random drawing on March 15.

In this drawing we’ll also choose 20 more winners to receive rats from Cat Livin’.

More Etsy feline finds! It is unbelievable how much great stuff there is on Etsy, and the other thing that I love is that the people on Etsy are so nice and so generous! Can you believe all the wonderful Etsy giveaways this week? It just keeps on going! Today we have four more awesome prizes.

• Wooly Mouse from Cattitude Creations
• Six Organic Catnip Toys from Lucky Fiona
• Pair of Catnip Toys (1 butterfly & 1 fish) from Colorado Catnip Toys
• Three De’cat’pitated Heads from Spellwell

You know the drill. Leave a comment on this post to enter. Four lucky winners will be selected in a random drawing on March 15. Plus another 10 lucky people will receive rats from Cat Livin’.

I’ve received several toy recommendations from Moderncat readers this week and I wanted to share some of them with you.

Wand Toys: Cat Charmer and Dr. Noys Swizzle Bird. Both toys feature a long fabric ribbon attached to a wand. Dr. Noys Swizzle Bird has feathers at the end.

Ball Tunnel/Track Toys: Bergan Turbo Track and Catit Senses Play Circuit. These toys both house a moving ball inside a tunnel or a track. You can reconfigure the track into various shapes. The Catit Senses track can be outfitted with optional massage center and scratch pad.

Kit-a-loons from Hoopla. Blow up these cat balloons and let them go flying around the room with kitty following right behind. There are some videos on the Hoopla website showing how much cats like chasing these, but they also have a big warning not to leave kitty unsupervised with a balloon, since they might chew on it and swallow it.

Any catnip toy from Yeowww. Everyone seems to agree that Yeowww catnip is some of the best available and it comes in several cute cat toys, like their signature Banana and Cigar, large green and yellow fish, plus many others. You can also buy their 100% organic catnip by the bag.

Do you have any other favorite cat toys? Please leave a comment and share what you’ve found.

Of course I love all the wonderful handmade cat toys being featured this week, and I’m a huge fan of found/recycled object cat toys, but there are a handful of tried-and-true store-bought cat toys that are real Moderncat must-haves and I think every cat owner should know about them.

Da Bird

Right now, our #1 favorite toy is Da Bird Pole Cat Toy. It took me a really long time to finally purchase this one. I kept thinking “Oh, it’s just another stick with a feather on a string.” Let me tell you, it is NOT just another stick with a feather on a string! This bad boy is ENGINEERED like no other pole cat toy I’ve ever seen. The feathers connect to the string with a swivel attachment like a fishing lure. This causes the feathers to rotate when you sweep the toy through the air, mimicking a real bird in flight. It even makes a sound like flapping wings. There is also something absolutely perfect about the length and weight of both the pole and the string. I whisk the feathers through the air and then drag them across the floor and everyone goes nuts. This is definitely one of the best interactive toys out there.

Cat Dancer

Our second favorite is the Cat Dancer. The simplicity of this cat toy is what makes it so brilliant. Made of spring steel wire with tiny bits of cardboard rolled up and attached to the ends, when held just right, the Cat Dancer behaves exactly like a bug flying through the air. Drag it along the floor and it looks like a scampering mouse. This toy elicits stalking, pouncing, chasing, and lots of leaping, especially from Ando who can reach heights of four feet or more when he’s really wound up.

Yeowww Catnip Stinkies Sardines

If your cat is a catnip freak, then these little toys will send him over the top. Yeowww Catnip Stinkies Sardines are stuffed full of 100% organic catnip leaves, but I think they are also treated with some kind of super potent catnip spray or something because they are really stinky. The pet store usually keeps them in a sealed container to keep them extra fresh. They are just the right size for kitty to get a good grip, sink his teeth in, and give a nice strong bunny kick to send them flying across the floor. I buy these on a regular basis because they get so trashed from the constant rubbing and drooling.

Laser Toy (A.K.A. Red Dot)

Laser cat toys provide great entertainment and excellent exercise for cats of all shapes and sizes. I like to shine the light back and forth along the floor then up the wall and across the ceiling. It’s hysterical to watch them track it around the room. “Red Dot” is definitely Simba’s favorite activity. Everyone else enjoys it, too, although if we play several nights in a row, it gets boring, so I sometimes put the laser toy away for a few days until it’s new and interesting again. There are many different styles of laser toys to choose from, but you have to be careful with all of them, never to shine the light directly into your cats eyes.

Fling-ama-String

And last, but not least, we have the Fling-ama-String. I finally broke down and bought one of these today so I could see if the cats really would like it as much as I thought they would, and WOW!! It’s a huge hit! They have been playing for hours! Everyone is fascinated by it. The boys mostly lie down in front of it and lazilly try to catch the string as it zips around on the elastic band. Simba stands in front of it and is surprised every time the string flips around and hits her on the head. Flora has been watching it from afar because the boys are hogging it. It’s definitely a unique invention created by people who truly understand what cats like.

In our second Etsy cat toy round-up and giveaway we have four more great prizes for four lucky winners! Clockwise from top left:

• Scully Kickstick Catnip Toys from Retro Animals
• Cheezburgr Plushie from GEEKitty
• Rat Pack Trio from Cat in the Clover
• Pair of Ladybugs from Casbah Kitten

To enter, please leave a comment on this post. Four winners will be chosen in a random drawing on March 15 and each one will receive one of the prizes listed above. We’ll also draw another 10 people to receive rats from Cat Livin’.

These little fur balls are more than just cute, they are some of the most eco-friendly cat toys you’ll find. Paca Pets, designed by Peter Pracilio for Brooklyn-based DesignGO!, are made from 100% organic Alpaca wool. They are individually handmade in the US using absolutely no toxic dyes, glues, or processes. The Alpaca wool is soft and lightweight but is also one of the most durable wools available. After kitty gives her Paca Pet a good beating, just toss the toy in a sock and run it through a wash and dry cycle — it will come out looking like new! Paca Pets come in three sizes, small, medium, and large.

BONUS GIVEAWAY!

We’re giving away three Paca Pets (one of each size), one to each of three lucky winners. To enter, please leave a comment on this post. The drawing will take place on March 15. This giveaway is limited to addresses in the US and Canada. We’ll also choose 20 people to receive Cat Livin’ rats.

Does your moderncat have a taste for Chinese take-out? Satisfy that craving with Chairman Meow’s Chinese Take-out Cat Toys. The menu includes dumplings, wontons, gyoza, shumai, eggrolls, and fortune cookies. All are handmade in Chairman Meow’s “happy sweatshop” and a portion of the proceeds are donated to animal rescue.

Thanks to Moderncat reader Kathy for the tip.

This is the first of four fabulous Etsy cat toy round-ups happening during Toy Week. Thanks to all the generous Etsy sellers 16 Moderncat readers will win some beautiful handmade kitty creations!

Today we have four Moderncat faves (clockwise from top left):

• Huskyplus Catnip Love Sock from Feline Inquisition
• “Ivy Cloudy” Catnip Blob from o.george!
• Pair of “In the Forest” Heart Shaped Catnip Toys from Inu Inspirations
• Sally Cat’s Favorite Catnip Mouse made with reclaimed fabric from ReFabulous

To enter, please leave a comment on this post. Four winners will be chosen in a random drawing on March 15 and each one will receive one of the prizes listed above. We’ll also draw another 10 people to receive rats from Cat Livin’.

This cute bird pattern showed-up as part of a beautiful bird mobile last year on the blog for Spool, a nifty looking fabric shop in Philadelphia. Moderncat reader Carly sent in a link to the downloadable pattern and has made some herself, stuffing them full of catnip. They are a great way to showcase bits of your favorite fabrics.

One of Holly Tse’s recommendations in Make Your Own Cat Toys is to throw a ping pong ball into a clean dry bathtub and let kitty have at it. You can use regular old ping pong balls, or you can get a set of these super cute Kitty Pong balls from George. The set of three has assorted flowers on one side and George’s signature kitty heads on the other.

It all started when Holly Tse adopted Furball, a tiny little bundle of energy who never slept but only wanted to play. To keep her sanity, Holly searched through pet stores for cat toys to entertain the crazy little guy. Finally she began to craft her own cat toys from recycled and discarded items. Holly points out that there over 60 million cats in US households and that reducing the resources and waste used to make toys for these cats would certainly have a positive impact on the environment. So she decided to compile her years of experience in making greener cat toys and share them in Make Your Own Cat Toys: Saving the Planet One Cat Toy at a Time.

All of the toy ideas in the book are classified into one or more of five different play categories:

• Catch - Toys that encourage kitty to leap straight into the air and pretend like she’s snaring a bird.
• Chase - These toys are meant to be thrown across the floor, like a mouse scurrying away.
• Stalk - Interactive toys designed for you to move, like a mouse rustling in the grass, so kitty can practice sneaking up on her prey.
• Wrestle - These allow kitty to test her strength as she grasps the toy in her paws and jaws and bunny kicks the stuffing out of it.
• Lazy Cat - After kitty has played good and hard, she may still want to take a lazy whack at these toys.

Each idea is marked with the difficulty level and estimated time to make the toy. You’ll find ideas for toys made out of everything including packaging, household objects, craft materials, office and school items, and even old clothing. With toys like the Candy Rocket, Tubular Tubes, the Whipper Snapper, and the Kitty Broomstick, you’ll have just as much fun making the toys as kitty will have playing with them. You’ll also enjoy Holly’s tips for greening your kitty’s lifestyle.

Make Your Own Cat Toys is available at Amazon.

BONUS GIVEAWAY!

One lucky winner is going to receive a copy of Make Your Own Cat Toys! To enter, please leave a comment on this post with your tips for making greener choices for your cat. The winner will be chosen in a random drawing on Sunday, March 15.

We’ll also be giving away 20 rats from Cat Livin’ in the same drawing, so don’t miss out!