Racin Rascal Mouse

Racin Rascal Mouse or Alternatives

Read Customer Reviews on Amazon.com

Racin Rascal Mouse or Alternatives

Read Customer Reviews on Amazon.com

Is Racin Rascal Mouse a scam or a great buy?

Total Cost Breakdown

The cost of Racin Rascal Mouse is $19.95 plus $7.95 shipping. The special TV offer allows a free gift which you will receive by paying an extra fee of $7.95 for a total price of $35.85.

This price was obtained from the As Seen on TV commercial page ( getracingrascal.com ) which was taken offline due to Racin Rascal Mouse being discontinued. Racin Rascal Mouse may still be found for sale on Amazon or Ebay.

This price was obtained from the As Seen on TV commercial page ( getracingrascal.com ) which was taken offline due to Racin Rascal Mouse being discontinued. Racin Rascal Mouse may still be found for sale on Amazon or Ebay.

Positive Aspects

• Rechargeable

  The mouse can be recharged with a USB outlet, making it easy to charge on any computer device. It also has two AAA batteries for the laser pointer and the remote control.
  
  

• Remote Control

  The remote can be used to move the mouse toy around and change the laser direction. 

• Encourages Exercise

  This toy capitalizes upon the natural hunting instincts of cats and in so doing encourages a healthy bought of activity whenever owners want.
  
  What's more, there is catnip sold with the product so that cats keep moving actively throughout the day, enjoying a cat pick-me-up.

• Eco-friendly

  The housing for the mouse and certain parts of the remote control are made from recycled plastic, making it a somewhat eco-friendly toy. 

• Speedy

  The mouse is quite fast once it gets going, and once it starts it can be difficult to stop. This results in the mouse hitting furniture or walls regularly, but then reversing its position. Erratic movements like these are what generally entice the cats anyway.

Issues

• Grinding Gears

  While it does work on all floor types, thick carpets will slow it down. On a similar note, carpets tend to collect more hair and lint which will get caught in the wheel gears.
  
  This toy requires some maintenance to keep your cats intrigued. The gears can jam if the floors have loose hair or lint on them. In fact, hair will wrap around the small axle on the mouse.
  
  When this happens, the gear wheels have to be taken apart by removing three small screws. A knife, point of a needle, or even tweezers can then remove anything wrapped around the small plastic gears.
  
  How often this process is required is contingent upon how clean the floor is on which the mouse is operating.

Complaints

1. Short Life Span

   The toy mouse will only work for 8 minutes before it has to be re-charged. Coincidentally this is about as long as a cat will maintain interest in it. This is mentioned in the instructions, but many users fail to note it and might think that the 8 minute lifespan is a defect in the construction.

Critical Advice

The remote should be turned off whenever the cat is done playing with it. If the remote is left on, even though the mouse and laser are not being used it will drain the batteries.

This is a simple user error, again, mentioned in the instructions, yet overlooked by many reviewers.

In order to fully charge, it has to be plugged in until the red light on the remote control turns off. Fresh batteries will provide a longer lifespan, and rechargeable batteries can save owners a lot of money in the long run.

Overall, it seems to be worth it and cats seem to enjoy it, even if it does take maintenance on behalf of the owner. 

Alternatives

• Squeaking Mice Toys

  There are alternative interactive mice which emit a mouse-like squeal at a much lower price. In fact, skittering small mice can be found in packs of three, full of catnip too for just a few dollars and no shipping and handling.