Interactive Smart Cat Peek Toy Box - Engaging Puzzle Toy for Indoor Cats - Hide & Seek Game for Kittens & Adult Cats - Perfect for Playtime & Mental Stimulation

I really wanted to love this peek and play toy box. It is definitely nice and sturdy, but my cats do not play with it at all. Even though I placed an assortment of balls inside, it just was not interactive enough for them.My 18-month old indoor cat is in dire need of "mental stimulation". I'd read the positive reviews and looked forward to the SmartCat 3841 Peek-and-Play Pet Toy Box providing her with hours of challenging entertainment. It didn't. I gathered a few of her favorite toys and ordered several new ones (to add a little excitement to the mix) . . no go - she had every toy removed in less than 90 seconds and, once done, she simply wasn't interested. I removed the new toys from the mix - thinking it was the toys she didn't like - and added several of her favorite treats - nope. I took the old toys out, put the new toys back in along with her treats - no way. It appears that this purchase boils down to twenty dollars spent for naught - those dollars aren't easy to come by when you're a low-income senior. I'll leave the box out and hope for the best!I also need to address quality control - or the lack thereof, on this product. The Peek-and-Play Pet Toy Box is advertised as solid wood . . well, it appears to be solid 1/4-inch particle board that has been varnished on the outside surfaces. It IS sturdy (as advertised), no wiggly parts and the holes are flared slightly inward to assure a smooth entry for the cat's paw(s). I don't know if the box I got was simply missed by the Quality Control Department or if all of them are shipped the way mine arrived. I always check a new toy over for "issues" before giving it to my cat. On the inside of the box, the particle board is not varnished and the unfinished holes (17 of them) were rough around the edges - many of the holes had small pieces of raw wood missing so they were VERY rough. I didn't have sandpaper on hand so, before I gave her the new toy, I used a coarse emery board to sand down the rough, raw edges on every single hole.Bottom line, this product was a disappointment . . for both of us!I think I understand that "smart cat" is not what I have. One of my two cats is only mildly successful at puzzle toys -- and the other cat is somewhat of a dunce. (Previous cats in my life tended to be more intelligent, though high-strung.) The toy is well made and sufficiently heavy that the cats can move it, but don't shove it all over the house. Starting with the balls plus some other smaller toys on hand, (fabric mouse, ping pong balls, etc.) the cats were initially attracted ... but that quickly faded away. After awhile, I unloaded the several toys, just leaving a couple of balls inside -- then added dry cat treats. Once cat figured out a somewhat effective method of retrieving the treats ... but the other cat quickly became annoyed, and simply stood by and watched.So, I have to say this was a flop for my cats. Your mileage may vary -- and it may depend on how intrigued your cats might be in exploring small openings, etc. My cats seem to prefer sitting around looking elegant while watching the movement leaves on bushes and tress outside the windows.The balls are too small so they come out easily, then get lost. The bottom inside is rough, so you can't put a wool ball in (if you wanted to get something a bit bigger that doesn't come out). Why did they make the inside rough instead of smooth? The top doesn't come off, so you can't put bigger plastic balls in that way either. Description says wood - it's not wood, more like a wood fiber plastic. I have 2 smart siamese boys. It took them about 2 minutes to push the balls out. They then enjoyed chasing the balls through the house, but now the balls are lost - I have to hunt them down. The point was to keep cats occupied, not ME. Also, the description doesn't give measurement of balls even if you were to find something a bit bigger. Frustrating. Why is it so hard to design a decent cat toy?My cat is fond of quiet toys. I was looking for something he could do that doesn’t involve noise. He loves this so much! I’m glad it came with the 2 balls, because I already have these exact matching ones. I’m definitely going to buy the mouse set too.Well made but the balls are too small ~ The holes are too big for the supplied balls so they easily pop out. I went to the dollar store and bought two for a dollar. I had to squeeze them through the hole but now everyone is happy. I also bought one with cat nip at pet smart. They need to have the proper size balls so we don't waste money on a problem they should fix. I give them a rating of 4. A 5 with the right size ballsYou get him a box like this and a Hexbug mouse and prepare to be amused :) My almost 4 year old Maine Coon is easily bored with cat toys. I rotate as much as possible but his usual favorite is a long rip tie that he likes to use to play fetch. When I can't be there to play fetch, he needs to be kept entertained in the few hours that he isn't napping or he picks on his geriatric sisters who are decidedly not amused by his precociousness. This is the toy for him! It's sturdy enough for his 25 pound self to step on and push around. As expected, he quickly grew bored with the accompanying balls so I tried the little hex bugs that look like roaches. Those kept him occupied until they (quickly) ran out of battery.And then the hexbug mouse arrived. I will post a separate review of that, but holy cow, if you have an intelligent, easily bored feline, I would highly recommend this box and the hexbug mouse.My two cats were a little interested in this box, but not incredibly. However, it works great with the chicken treats we put in there :) It takes a them a little while to paw the treat out. We actually took the same idea and used a packaging tube with holes in the for them to paw those foil balls out. One cat LOVES that as the packaging tube also rolls. This box is a great design and very sturdy/long lasting. 1 can get the balls out fairly easily, but the kitten can't yet.We bought this toy for our feral rescue kitten who needed a lot of energetic play.Our other two older cats did't show much interest in playing anymore. We also bought a few small balls and toys that we filled with cat nip. Well, it was the best ever purchase All three casts have played with it, we stuff it full and they empty it out, we sometimes add dried cat food as a challenge to enrich there feeding time. Having had it for a year now I don't think more than a day or two goes by without one cast or another playing with it. We have just got another rescue kitten who has taken to the toy like it was made for him. All four cast are happy to take turns and it has been a great way to introduce new smells and creatures alike.It is quite easy to clean and has stood up well to the constant attacks it gets.If you get one do add lots of things inside it; old socks stuff in well, lengths of dowling wood provide a great challenge and if you are feeling wicked shove a toilet roll inner into the top with an edible treat or two inside.I bought this after endless research. My daughter has a very bright cat that bores easily. So the birthday present was tricky. But this has worked wonders. He plays with it everyday....and bats the balls around for ages before ejecting them from the box. A superb buy. Absolutely delighted.Good size wooden box well made right weight butttttttt two balls included far to small within seconds balls out and spend time trying to find them put back and seconds out again ,wanted this to entertain cats but until get larger toys won't be any goodMy 2 kittens love it!! Keeps them entertained for quite a long time. The balls that come with it are very light weight so they roll them all around the house!Food orientated cats will love this. The cat I got this for never tires of it and it takes him longer to get treats out of it than it would if we just chucked them around the room. He seems to really enjoy the activity.