PDX Pet Design SHRU The Intelligent Cat Companion

The SHRU is something I've considered getting for a few months--$100 on a cat toy is nothing to sneeze at--but I finally pulled the trigger. Every cat is different, so I can't say if your cat will love or hate it, but here are my observations.The SHRU is about double the size of an egg, and similarly shaped. It's made of a white plastic that feels pretty substantial (though I wouldn't drop it on hard floors). It has one button to turn it off and on, a USB port for charging and setting preferences, and a keyhole of sorts to attach the feathery tail.Setup was easy: plug it into your computer with the included USB cable (though the cable is only about eight inches long, so it's utility is limited), use the SHRU app to change any preferences you want changed, let it charge for an hour, and plug in the tail. Even if you're not tech savvy, this is easy to use and straightforward.So what about when you turn it on? The SHRU vibrates, rolls around, and can make a variety of noises (these can be turned off, if they start driving you up the wall). It behaves erratically, stopping for minutes at a time, then rolling around and chirping. I think this is actually a good thing, since the unpredictability is more stimulating for a cat.I was impressed by the logic the SHRU uses to extricate itself from tight spaces. Mine went under a bookshelf, then re-emerged a few minutes later after it figured out how to avoid the walls. This is a great feature to engage a cat, as well as so you know you can leave it alone for an hour and won't just find it stuck in a corner.My house is mostly hardwood floors, which the SHRU moves easily on, but it also had enough power to roll up onto area rugs. One downside is that though tile or wood floors are ideal for the SHRU, it's quite noisy on hard surfaces, since it's basically plastic clattering against wood or tile. Something like a neoprene sleeve would make this much less noisy, though perhaps the noise is something a cat enjoys (what with being jerks and all).In the case of my cat, he found the SHRU somewhat interesting to look at and observe, but only twice did he actually approach it and give it a swat. He's quite a playful cat, so I found this surprising. I will say he much preferred the 'frisky' setting on the SHRU versus the 'scaredy cat' they recommend to start. Every cat is unique, but I will say that he personally seemed to enjoy SHRU less than a cheap wand-style cat toy you can get for a few dollars at any pet store.SHRU is a great idea and I hope they keep improving it. For some cats, it might be hugely fun and a great way to keep them entertained, but for me, it just turned out to be a novelty.Pros:-Durable design-SHRU's logic really does keep it from getting stuck in corners or under things-Customizable noise and behavior settingsCons:-Noisy on wood and tile floors-Charging cable is too short unless you want to charge it right next to a laptop-Feathers had been pulled out in under 30 seconds-No light to indicate if it's off or on

This is a crazy expensive cat toy and I can't believe I bought it! That being said it's kinda cool if your willing to part with some cash for your spoiled feline. Probably a better toy if you have an active curious cat. The only down side I can see with the toy other than price is the difficulty in adding the extra "play interface" or different play programs. It comes with one play mode ready to go when charged off a USB charger, but to get the full use of the different play modes you have to have a computer newer than Windows 7 to be able to download the SHRU app at getshru.com/app. Once you've downloaded the app you can configure different play modes through the SHRUPlay interface which would be easy enough to do if my computer was newer than Windows 7 and had the capability to download apps. I've tried to find an app for my android and my Kindle Fire tablet but so far they only have the app for computers so now I have a $100.00 cat toy with only one play mode. Some would say it's time to update my computer but my computer works just fine and I refuse to buy a new computer for an app for a cat toy! Lol This toy should have apps that could be loaded to tablets or phones just a little too limited to fully utilize the device.

Seemed like a nice product. Problem is my cat did not play with it at all. The most he did was look at it. Now itd collecting dust disappointing considering the cost.

I have two 4 month old kittens and they both love to play with Shru! They hear it turn on and come running to watch and play. I love that it turns on when I'm away to give them some excitement throughout the day. Every cat owner should have one.... I also purchased extra tails to add new curiosity and keep them entertained.

Absolute complete garbage. It cannot roll even on extremely low pile carpet. If you don't have hardwood floors, this thing is useless. And yes I followed the instructions to "recalibrate it" and that doesn't work as well.

Our cat has now been playing with her Shru for a couple of weeks now. Initially, she didn't like it. I think the sound of it on the floor takes some getting used to. But once she did get used to it, and we added a feather attachment with a bell, she's been much more excited by it. It's nice that it comes on at random times throughout the day to keep her entertained while we are away. We do find it in random corners so I know she's been terrorizing it. I do wish the casing was made of rubber or silicone to reduce the noise. Overall we are very happy with it.