Please find me an online source where i can purchase my cat's favorite
toy (which has been discontinued by our local pet shop)

Toy must be:

Bright red, real fur covered, mouse shaped cat toy, with rattles
inside, aprox 1-1/2 inches long in the body plus a similar length in
tail.

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Request for Question Clarification by jon-ga on 07 Jun 2002 02:42 PDT

Hi button, thank you for your question. Hopefully we can find a new
mouse for your cat. If the exact toy cannot be found, is a substitute
acceptable? Do you happen to remember the makers of the original toy?

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Clarification of Question by button-ga on 07 Jun 2002 04:32 PDT

I do not know the brand name of the original toy. It came packaged in
a set of three, the package containing one each of red, blue, and
yellow. We bought them many times over a period of months at PetCo and
then they stopped having them.

I think PetCo is going all politically correct and phasing out fur
mouses and replacing them with fabric and glitter and felt. My cat
does not relate to PC, she relates to fur.

We have tried a huge number of toys, each has some small to moderate
attraction for her, but she really wants her bright red fur covered
rattle mousie so that's what we are looking for.

Last time we tried Rit Dye. 

Picture a flock of two tone grey and white rattle mousies being dipped
into cups of steaming hot red dye and then being hung up to dry by
their little tails. Anyhow, those were only barely acceptable, she
wants her red brighter, like cherry kool-aid

button, 

Ah, the finicky cat. Why *do* they put up with us?
 
Perhaps you could call PetCo Customer Care and find out if any
original mice are available at another store, or who the mouse
manufacturer is/was. PetCo's contact information is here:

http://www.petco.com/corpinfo_contact.asp?webt=0&tab=0

Do you know anyone who sews? If not, contact a local fabric or quilt
store: I imagine they know someone who could put together a close
match to your old mouse.

Everyone's cat is special, but did you know that cats can't see red?
Note this explanation on the MadSci Network:

"Re: Are cats color blind?"
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/aug98/903122934.Zo.r.html

and another opinion on The Straight Dope:

"Are cats and dogs really color-blind? How do they know?" 
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_004.html 

Perhaps it's something else about the mouse that attracts your cat.
The PETsMART "Cat Toys" web page
(http://www.petsmart.com/cat/shopping/toys/) has some good suggestions
on what kind of toy to buy, including:

- How do I select the right toy for my cat?
- Should I consider an interactive toy?
- Should I consider catnip?

While I didn't find your exact mouse, some online suppliers have other
mice that may come reasonably close in one way or another:

PETsMART "Kitty Classics" 
http://www.petsmart.com/cat/shopping/toys/kitty_classics/psearch.shtml
- Rosie Rat Cat Toy, furry body with leather face and tail
- Tie-Dye Cat Toys, includes a plush, fuzzy mouse
- Spring Cat Toy Value Packs, includes a soft, plush mouse

Arcata Pet
http://www.arcatapet.com/category.cfm?PageReq=1&catnum=45
- Item 2745, Small Sheepskin Mouse with bell, red tails & ears 
- Item 3711, Small Fur Mouse, color may vary 
- Item 1088, Large Fur Mouse with rattle 

KitznKatz
http://www.exoticbengals.com/toys.htm
- Catnip Filled Braided Mouse, assorted colors
- Small leather "Mousettes", possibly in red 

This company is a wholesaler who can probably refer you to one of
their retail dealers:

Omaha Vaccine Company 
http://www.omahavaccine.com/store/cat_toys.html
- Item 57000, Small Catnip Filled Braided Mouse, some red
- Item 59900, Assorted Furry Mice, small
- Item 88800B, 2" Long Hair Mouse w/feather & rattle

I know you'll come up with something that your cat will enjoy.

Thanks,
huntsman

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Request for Answer Clarification by button-ga on 08 Jun 2002 16:33 PDT

If you cannot find a source for the type of toy I am looking for then
perhaps you could reset the question so another researcher could try.

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Clarification of Answer by huntsman-ga on 09 Jun 2002 10:06 PDT

button,

Thanks for your clarification. 

Once upon a time, I "owned" two feline sisters named Jasmine and
Haley. They had been rescued from a local dumpster when they were
kittens. Some people, I swear!

If you don't mind telling us, what is your cat's name?

I understand how important a favorite toy is: once a cat finds
something they like, they can be pretty picky about any changes.

It might help us to find a replacement if we can identify your mouse a
little more closely. You mentioned that you bought the original
mouse/mice from PetCo in a package of three.

Did you happen to save any of the bags that the mice came in? Or maybe
your last PetCo sales receipt?

Do you still have any of the original mice, even the dyed ones? Is
there a manufacturer's label anywhere on one them?

As seedy-ga stated in his comment, this type of product information
would let us contact PetCo Customer Service and find out if the mice
are still available in another PetCo store.

We can keep trying to help you find a source, but we need a little
more hard information to work with.

huntsman

interesting, amusing even, but didn't find a source for me

The Petco website has images of long hair and short hair furry mice. 
Do any of the links below show anything like your cat's desire??

http://www.petco.com/product_info.asp?sku=4258359999&tab=2&subtab=1

http://www.petco.com/product_info.asp?sku=4258325913&tab=2&subtab=1

Do you have a product # or UPC or package description?? I'll be glad
to call Petco customer service but I'm afraid I'll need that
description to do so...

seedy

I had a cat who preferred to play with red dyed wooden beads over any
other color. I know cats don't see color, but I wonder if the red dye
gives off a slightly different taste than other colors. I know cats
have amazing taste buds, so it might be the dye your kitty is
responding to.

http://www.petfooddirect.com:80/store/dept.asp?dept%5Fid=123

scroll to the bottom for a 4-pack of furry mice including red