Self-Rolling Interactive Cat Ball

A ball that rolls by itself, stops and dodges furniture: prey, at last, for the living-room hunter.

It rolls, pauses, sets off somewhere else, steers round the table leg and nods off when the cat loses interest; one tap of a paw and it is away again. Round here: put down at 7 pm, watched from the armchair until 7.20, chased under the sideboard at 7.21, demanded at the same time the next evening. Silicone shell that wipes clean with a damp cloth, USB charging under the rubber cap.

• Random movement with obstacle detection
• Smart mode: wakes on touch, sleeps automatically
• Washable silicone shell, quiet on wooden floors
• USB charging, several hours of play

For cats and kittens, and playful small dogs.

Let the ball loose in a clear room, free of thick rugs or cables on the floor, so it can roll unhindered. Cautious cats sometimes take two or three days: leave it switched off within reach at first and curiosity does the rest. Wipe the shell with a damp cloth and charge through the protected port under the rubber cap. Put it away at night if your cat tends to wake the house at four in the morning.

Ignored on day one, demanded at four in the morning by day three; we have seen both. Fourteen days to change your mind.